Jim Jefferies (comedian)

Jefferies initially took the stage name "Jim Jeffries" but amended the last name to "Jefferies" to avoid confusion with a similarly-named American performer. He initially began stand-up with short-form jokes. He moved to anecdotal humour when he began doing hour-long sets.[11] Jefferies first achieved international attention in 2007, when he was attacked onstage while performing at the Manchester Comedy Store.[12][13] Footage of the incident was incorporated into his act and can be seen on his 2008 DVD, Contraband. He became famous in the United States in 2009, after his debut HBO special, I Swear to God.[14]

Jefferies has performed at numerous festivals, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Just for Laughs Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Reading and Leeds Festivals and the Glastonbury Festival. Jefferies has also performed routines 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,[15] and filmed his most recent comedy special "This Is Me Now," at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, in January 2018.[16] On 17 December 2018 he completed his Night Talker tour with the final performance in Melbourne, Australia.

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.[17] The series received positive attention among the disabled community for its portrayal of people with mental and physical disabilities.[18] The series was cancelled after two seasons.[19]

On 3 March 2017, Comedy Central announced The Jim Jefferies Show, a new ten-episode weekly series,[20] that premiered on 6 June 2017.[21] 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, the first season was extended with ten additional episodes,[22] that completed airing on 21 November 2017. On 15 January 2018, Comedy Central renewed the series for a twenty-episode second season,[23] which premiered on 27 March 2018.[24] The network renewed the show for a third season in January 2019, which premiered on 19 March 2019. The series concluded on 19 November 2019, after the end of its third season.[25]

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.[26][27]

Jefferies appeared on 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, the US comedy panel show The Green Room with Paul Provenza and Comedy Central's @midnight. 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.[28]

In 2015, he starred in Australian film Me and My Mates vs the Zombie Apocalypse with comedians Greg Fleet and Alex Williamson.[29] It premiered on 25 July and was released on DVD and Vimeo in Australia and New Zealand in late 2015,[30] and in the UK, Ireland, and the US in 2016.

In 2019, Jefferies and Suzanne Martin developed the sitcom Jefferies for NBC, in which Jefferies will star as a fictionalized version of himself.[31]