Comic Relief: Jake Novak’s tragic tale

This column installment is going to be a bit niche. But it’s my final article of the semester, so it needs to be done. 

It’s time to discuss Jake Novak: the man, the myth, the legend, the “next ‘SNL’ cast member.” 

For those not familiar with the name, Novak is an aspiring comedian who post(ed) weekly music videos on TikTok such as a butchered meme version of Alanis Morissette’s “Hand in My Pocket” and an acapella version of “My Money Don’t Jiggle,” which plays exactly as it sounds. 

His career was going about as well as it could until one fateful day in June, when Novak posted his infamous “I wanna be the next ‘SNL’ cast member” video. The video was a rap-musical-theater-style plea to “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels begging to be awarded a position on the sketch show. Describing himself as being like “Lin-Manuel Miranda mixed with Sammy-berg,” Novak lists some of his credentials intermixed with a few jokes that fell very flat.

Now, we are nearing the six-month anniversary of that TikTok, which means this article may not be entirely timely. But in my life, Novak is a constant. As I go about my day, Novak pops into my mind, and then I’m sad.

It’s just like those times you remember a faux pas from your own life and have to take a few minutes to question your purpose on Earth. The thought of the time I brought one of my friends birthday card shopping for a different friend on her birthday continues to bring me physical pain… sorry, Sam. 

Since the fateful video, Novak hasn’t posted. The promised weekly music videos have faded into a distant memory. 

While devastating, it’s understandable why Novak chose to take a break from the internet. The responses to the video were ruthless. And, there’s really no kind way to say this, but the video was embarrassing. It was corny, just like the rest of his content. Still, the punishment did not fit the crime. 

Having to stop sharing the work he is passionate about is bad enough, but people began seeking him out at his workplace: Disneyland, a place that has been previously accused of firing employees for breaking character when they go viral. He clearly isn’t getting his dream job at “SNL,” but now his current job is also in danger, all because he tried to shoot his shot. 

I don’t want to pretend that I was above the hate. The Novak lore was an absolute highlight in my summer media consumption, and I definitely laughed at all the mean videos. But, what gives me the right to do that? As they say, “those who can, do. Those who can’t, criticize.” 

I’m not a performer. I would never be bold enough to put myself out there like Novak did. The world would be nothing without creative people, and the way to discover those people is through their willingness to be vulnerable. Novak’s boldness and slight overconfidence is something that should be admired. 

While I write this, I don’t want to defend Novak too much. There isn’t a lot of information on him, and some of his past videos are… questionable to say the least. The rap about gun violence that posited “laughing feels wrong” should have probably been avoided. 

On a less serious note, his style of humor simply does not align with mine. For this article, I selflessly subjected myself to Novak’s entire repertoire of content, which I had not actually watched since around August. With videos like “He wants a ticket to the [Itty Bitty Titty Committee]… from a nice guy’s perspective,” I find it hard to defend him with my whole heart. 

Still, the comments before the “SNL” video gave Novak a lot of support. Without getting too sappy, seeing those comments warmed my heart — they reminded me of the good parts of comedy. 

Clearly, I am passionate about comedy, so much so that I spend my time writing articles about it. However, somewhere along the way, I think I may have forgotten why I love it. This is my last article of the semester, which also marked my first semester as a editor. I feel as though I have a right to get a little cliché. 

Comedy is an incredibly powerful tool. The art form is meant to draw out laughter, one of the most wonderful things a person can experience. Take a moment to think about the last thing that made you laugh, and just savor the pure joy of the moment. Laughter is freeing. 

While it is vital to call out the problematic events that take place in the world of comedy, sometimes, it’s nice to step back and remember all the happiness brought by comedy. 

While watching a “nice guy” rap made me close my laptop and reflect a bit on the choices I made to arrive at this point in my life, some people out there got a little bit of joy out of it. Who am I to fault them? 

As everyone everywhere always says: comedy is subjective. Although, as I said, some of his work is questionable, but for the most part, at least as much of it as I have seen, it isn’t egregiously offensive. Life gets tough, and sometimes the only way to power through is with a laugh. So, if someone is able to find that in “nice guy” Jake Novak’s content, then I call that a win. 

Kimberly Aguirre is a sophomore writing about comedy. She is also the arts & entertainment editor.