Jake Shane is a man of many personas. He was born Jacob Shane Roskow, gained popularity online through his TikTok account @Octopusslover8 and is now known, of course, as Jake Shane. But regardless of the name you know this Jewish influencer and comedian by, you do absolutely need to know him.
So, here are 18 things to know about Jake Shane!
1. Jake Shane was born on Oct. 27, 1999 in Los Angeles to a Jewish family.
2. He’s a Scorpio!
3. His mother is author and journalist Helaine Olen and his father is screenwriter Matt Roshkow.
4. He was a pretty adorable child.
5. He has dealt with OCD and anxiety since he was 7 years old.
Now that he’s older and has a large following online, he’s spoken publicly about his struggles with mental illness. “It genuinely makes me feel so much better when we all talk in the comments. It makes me feel less alone,” he told GQ in 2023.
6. As a kid, he was passionate about acting and loved to “rehearse lines and act out his favorite scenes from ‘Jersey Shore.‘” He also took stand-up classes at the Gotham Comedy Club in high school.
7. He attended the Calhoun School in New York City and graduated from the University of Southern California in 2022 with a degree in Public Relations and Image Management.
8. Jake started to gain followers and go viral on TikTok in 2023 for his improv videos where he put his own twist on big moments in history. (Though he initially started his account to review octopus dishes.) Here’s his impression of Moses parting the Red Sea:
@octopusslover8 Replying to @ripnoa
9. Speaking of Moses: It was only through a Jewish history midterm that he realized that Jesus and Moses were two different people.
10. Jake identifies as gay! As a kid he was “very, very, very, very, very, very anxious about it.” He came out to his parents in fourth grade and then to his peers in high school.
11. He was nominated for a Streamy Award in 2023, though he ultimately lost to Dylan Mulvaney.
12. He released his very first comedy album “Puss & Poems” in November 2024. Track #4 “Denim on Denim Skit” features Jack Schlossberg!
13. When the Hollywood Reporter asked him what makes Jake Shane, Jake Shane, this is the very Jewish answer he gave, “Self-deprecation, like making fun of myself before anyone else has the opportunity to do so. That is how I would describe me. Like Hannah Horvath from ‘Girls.'”
14. He was featured in the music video for FKA twigs’ song “Childlike Things“:
15. He has a podcast called “Therapuss,” where Jake is in the proverbial therapists’ chair. Some of his guests include Lucy Dacus, Charli XCX and his good friend Sofia Richie Grainge.
16. He’s actually very good friends with Sofia and was even a part of her traditional Jewish wedding!
@octopusslover8 TWL (this was lit) @Sofia Richie Grainge
17. He guest stars in a few episodes of season four of “Hacks.” “I am so grateful to be a part of this masterpiece of a show,” he wrote in an Instagram caption, sharing BTS photos of the show.
18. Here’s a cute video of him getting the news that he was cast:
@octopusslover8 It’s not every day you fall in love with a TV show…and then get to guest star in it. Honored to announce I’ll be in a few episodes of Max’s “Hacks” Season 4, premiering April 10. Thank you to Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky for trusting me with their vision, and the entire Hacks cast and crew for being so welcoming… I am so grateful to be a part of this masterpiece of a show.
