Comedian Jak Knight, star of ‘Bust Down,’ dead at 28

Stand-up comedian Jak Knight, a writer and actor who was a co-creator and star of the Peacock series “Bust Down,” died Thursday. He was 28.

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Knight died at his Los Angeles home, his family announced in a statement. No cause of death was given.

“Knight’s loved ones ask that their privacy please be respected during this extremely difficult time,” a representative for the family said in a statement.

Knight appeared in “Bust Down” with Chris Redd, Sam Jay and Langston Kerman, USA Today reported. He also voiced the character of Devon on Netflix’s animated series “Big Mouth” from 2017 to 2021, according to the newspaper.

Before “Bust Down,” Knight was a writer on the 2013 animated series “Lucas Bros. Moving Co.,” and was an executive story editor on a season of “Black-ish,” Variety reported.

Originally from Seattle, Knight recently finished working on the film “First Time Female Director,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. He toured worldwide with his comedy act and appeared in a 2018 Netflix special that aired as part of “The Comedy Lineup” series, the website reported.

“Rest In Peace Jak Knight,” actor Kumail Nanjiani tweeted. “Hilarious comedian and a great guy. I can’t believe it.”

“Whenever I was on a lineup with Jak Knight, I knew it was going to be a wildly funny night,” comedian James Adomian tweeted. “Always loved watching him over the last decade. He was winning big, all of it well deserved, so witty and memorable every moment onstage and off. A painful loss to comedy.”

Knight was named a 2014 Comedy Central Comic to Watch and a 2015 New Face at the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival, Variety reported. He performed at the 2015 Oddball Comedy Festival and opened for comedians such as Dave Chappelle, Joel McHale, Eric Andre, Moshe Kasher, and Aziz Ansari.

Knight credited stand-up Chappelle and the animated “Boondocks” for inspiring his career in comedy, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“One hundred percent the reasons why I do what I do,” he said.

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