Birth name Geoff James Nugent Partner Kate Luyben Role Comedian | Name Jim Jefferies Website jimjefferies.com Children Hank Jefferies | |
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Born 14 February 1977 (age 47)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia ( 1977-02-14 ) Alma mater Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts Genres Insult
Observational
Black
Blue Subject(s) Alcoholism
Current events
Celebrities
Gun control
Recreational drug use
Religion
Sex Notable works and roles Legit
Edinburgh Comedy Festival
Montreal Comedy Festival Similar People Kate Luyben, Bill Burr, Dan Bakkedahl, DJ Qualls, Peter O'Fallon Profiles | ||
Geoff James Nugent (born 14 February 1977), known professionally as Jim Jefferies (and previously Jim Jeffries), is an Australian stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. Alongside his stand-up comedy, Jefferies is best known for his work in American television, creating and starring in the FX sitcom Legit from 2013–2014 and Comedy Central's late-night comedy The Jim Jefferies Show since 2017.
Contents
- Early life
- Stand up
- Acting
- Jim and Eddie Talkin Shit
- Legit
- The Jim Jefferies Show
- Other work
- Personal life
- Discography
- References
Early life
Born in Perth, Western Australia, as Geoff James Nugent, he initially took the stage name Jim Jeffries but amended the last name to Jefferies to avoid confusion with a similarly named American performer. His father was a cabinetmaker and maintenance worker from Roma, Queensland, and his mother was a substitute teacher. Jefferies grew up in Sydney, before moving to Perth to study musical theatre and classical music at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. He began his stand-up comedy career once he left the Academy several months before completing his degree, relocating initially to Sydney and then to the United Kingdom.
Stand-up
Jefferies first achieved international attention in 2007, when he was attacked onstage while performing at the Manchester Comedy Store. Footage of the incident was incorporated into the comedian's act and can be seen on his 2008 DVD, Contraband. He became well known in the United States in 2009, after his debut HBO special, I Swear to God.
Jefferies has performed at numerous festivals, including the Edinburgh Fringe, Just for Laughs Festival, South African Comedy Festival Cape Town, Reading and Leeds Festivals and the Glastonbury Festival. Jefferies has also performed spots on The World Stands Up, Comedy Blue and Edinburgh and Beyond for Comedy Central.
Following the release of his Netflix special, Freedumb, in July 2016, Jefferies has been performing The Unusual Punishment Tour with all-new material.
Acting
In February 2014 he starred in a low budget Australian feature film called Me and My Mates vs the Zombie Apocalypse with Australian comedians Greg Fleet and Alex Williamson, which premiered in Australian cinemas on 25 July 2015. It was released in DVD and on Vimeo in Australia and New Zealand in late 2015, in the UK and Ireland on 2 May 2016 and was released in the US only on 5 July 2016.
Jim and Eddie Talkin' Shit
From November 2010 to November 2012, Jefferies co-hosted the podcast Jim and Eddie Talkin' Shit with his fellow comedian and former roommate, Eddie Ifft. Jefferies had to quit because of his busy work schedule.
Legit
Jefferies's comedy series Legit premiered on 17 January 2013 on FX. A second season premiered on 26 February 2014, having been moved to FXX. The series received positive attention among the disabled community for its portrayal of people with mental and physical disabilities. The series was cancelled after two seasons.
The Jim Jefferies Show
On 3 March 2017, Comedy Central announced a new ten-episode weekly series, The Jim Jefferies Show, which premiered on 6 June 2017. Jefferies, hosting the show, takes a look on culture and politics behind his desk, and travels around the world to tackle the week’s top stories and most controversial issues. On 25 July 2017, Comedy Central extended the series with ten additional episodes.
Other work
Jefferies has appeared on British comedy panel shows such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, The Heaven and Earth Show and 8 Out of 10 Cats and the US comedy panel show The Green Room with Paul Provenza. He has also been featured on various radio programmes, including BBC Radio 5 Live's Saturday morning sports show, Opie and Anthony, and Fighting Talk.
Personal life
Jefferies is in a relationship with actress Kate Luyben. Together, the couple has a son named Hank, born in November 2012. Jefferies describes himself as an atheist.