Jake Shane is undoubtedly social media’s darling.
After breaking out onto the scene in 2023 with his hilarious yet niche reenactments of historical events, the 25-year-old’s unique sense of humour saw the comedian become one of the most beloved figures online, gaining more than 4.8 million followers across TikTok and Instagram.
Since then, he’s launched his incredibly successful celebrity interview podcast Therapuss with Jake Shane, gone on tour as a comedian and even released a comedy album. During that time, he’s essentially become the internet’s parasocial bestie. While it can feel like a strange transition for someone to shoot into online stardom in such a short time, Jake admits it feels pretty damn good — especially after landing a role in the Emmy-winning comedy series Hacks.
“It’s not weird at all for me. It’s all I could have ever dreamed of,” he tells PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“I’m so grateful that people feel that way about me. I’m so lucky that I create a space where people are able to feel that way. I feel the same. I’m so happy to be doing what I’m doing. I can’t believe it’s reached Down Under.”
When Jake isn’t hustling towards world domination, he’s rubbing shoulders with some of the world’s biggest celebrities, with many appearing as guests on his podcast. As a listener, the best episodes are often the ones he does with his best celebrity buds. As the host, Jake agrees.
“I always love the ones I do with my best friends,” the viral star admits.
“So, like Tate [McCrae], Peyton [Purther], Julia [Mervis], Brett [Chody] Renee [Rapp], but also Tucker [Pillsbury] aka Rollmodel, Snooki.
“I loved Layfey‘s interview. And Ed Sheeran‘s, of course.”
Although he’s had some pretty showstopping names on the pod, he admits he’s still waiting for his dream guest, Taylor Swift.
“It’s a dream I know is very unreachable, but that is the dream.”
As for the hardest interview he’d ever done? It was none other than author and fellow podcast host Mel Robbins. In case you’re not familiar, Mel is the (somewhat controversial) woman who popularised the “let them theory”.
“I was being super vulnerable and I had never really talked like that on the podcast before,” he admits.
“It’s usually very light-hearted, so that was probably the hardest, but it was the most rewarding.”
The most recent interview in the books for Jake was with musical theatre and Glee star Lea Michele. And, after years and years of a bonkers conspiracy theory that the talented triple-threat can’t read, Jake has set the record straight.
“I can confirm Lea Michelle can read,” he said with a confident nod.
“She’s always been able to read. You can see that on my podcast.”
With the internet world well and truly conquered, Jake has his sights set on a new challenge — acting.
So far, after landing a role in Stan‘s incredible comedy series Hacks, alongside the legendary Jean Smart and hilarious Hannah Einbinder, he’s doing pretty damn well.
“It was the best moment of my life,” he shared.
Admittedly, the role was a bit of a surprise. He’d already auditioned for a role on the series that he didn’t get, so when Jake found out that he’d landed a different role he never auditioned for, he was straight up flummoxed.
“In my mind, I’d already said ‘okay, I’m not a part of this and that’s okay, I wasn’t meant for the role’. Then I got this role, and there’s a video of me, literally freaking out, screaming and jumping up and down. It was honestly the best moment of my life.”
For Jake, it was an extremely exciting step in the right direction. He’s always been creative and a great actor, but taking the step from online content to television is admittedly difficult.
“I want to act. I really want to act in a TV show or a movie, obviously. What else would I act in? But yeah, it’s really what I want to do,” he said.
Jake’s monumental rise to prominence seems like a dream, but his advice for up and coming creators or creatives is simple: be yourself.
“Authenticity shines through,” the budding actor shares.
“There are people who don’t like you for who you are, but one day, they’ll respect you for who you are, if you just continue to be who you are.
“I think that’s the best advice I’ve felt and witnessed from what I’ve experienced.”
You can’t argue with that.
You can tune into seasons one to four of Hacks on Stan.
