Leslie Jones has always been a “force of nature,” as the cast of Saturday Night Live described her. Her rambunctious energy on stage combined with her infectious laughter make it hard to believe she’s 58 years old. Her late success and love for life prove that age doesn’t define you, failure isn’t forever, and laughter keeps you young.
Long before her debut on the hit sketch comedy show SNL in 2014, Leslie Jones was making a name for herself. The laugh legend was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1967. Despite childhood trauma from sexual abuse and the troubled environment she grew up in, Jones went to Chapman University on a basketball scholarship in the 1980s.
Jones later transferred to Colorado State University, where she won a competition for “Funniest Person on Campus.” Riding that high, she dropped out of school to take a chance on Hollywood. She began performing stand up in L.A. while working a number of odd jobs to get by: hostess, waitress, bartender, and even a youth basketball coach.
Still, fame and success evaded her for many years. Several of her early comedy sets bombed, and she was even told by Jamie Foxx to take a break to work on her material.
She may have taken a break, but she remained dedicated to her dreams.
In 2005, she chased down Chris Rock outside an L.A. comedy club, begging him to connect her with players in the industry. “The world wasn’t ready for Leslie Jones,” Rock told the New York Times. After more time honing her craft and growing her appeal, Rock started recommending Jones to people in the entertainment industry, including none other than Lorne Michaels — the creator of SNL.
Jones started as a writer on the show in early 2014, but her comedic talents quickly propelled her onto the screen as a true member of the cast by October. After years of working tirelessly at her dream, achieving success on SNL at the age of 47 felt completely surreal.
“I didn’t understand until I got there that being 47 was ‘older people,’” Jones said in an interview with the New York Times. “The only thing that I did was show them that at my age, you’re not old.”
Since becoming an SNL star, Jones has appeared on a variety of other comedy specials, movies, and television shows. Some of her most notable appearances include Chris Rock’s film Top Five and starring on the all-women cast of Ghostbusters in 2016. More recently, she’s also been a contributor on The Daily Show, taking a hilarious crack at misogyny on the internet.
Jones dropped her first comedy special Problem Child in 2010 and her sophomore special Time Machine in 2020. Last October, she dropped her third special called Life 2, where she candidly jokes about the vulnerable aspects of her life. She relates with audiences around the world about therapy, dating, and death. Just a few days ago, she boldly bypassed the entertainment industry and released her latest special for free on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music — making it easier than ever to connect with her fans.
