Comedian Jay Pharoah says he's 'right where God wants me to be,' money will not 'fulfill you'

Comedian Jay Pharoah says a renewed embrace of Christianity has taught him two essential truths: that money cannot “fulfill you,” and he's “right where God wants me to be.”

In an appearance on “The Tamron Hall Show” last week, Pharoah reflected on where he is in life, saying, “I think I'm right where God wants me to be.”

Speaking about his rise to fame, he recalled, “I was young, I came into it.” 

“I had a lot put on me early and pretty much had access to whatever I wanted. But I found out that that never makes you happy,” he stressed. 

Detailing how he expounds on this philosophy in his newest venture, a rap album, Pharoah said one of the tracks, “Life is Good When You’re Rich,” features a second verse with lyrics stressing the importance of non-material things: “I’m telling you how I’m rich. I said I’m rich with my family. I’m rich with my friends. I’m rich for the love of God. That will never end.” 

"I said monetary [wealth] means nothing,” he continued. “Can’t take it in the end. I’ll be giving it away. That’s what God recommends. You can have all the money in the world. It’s not going to fulfill you [because] you need God [and] you need love."

“Once you have that, you are fulfilled as a person.”

“What is the price of fame if you lose your soul in the process?” he asked, alluding to Mark 8:36.

Hall suggested that Pharoah’s philosophy is the reason why he's “continued to succeed” as a stand-up comedian and host of the game show “The Quiz with Balls.”

“You’re selling out across the country because I think there were moments where you probably had to say, ‘Am I going to sell my soul to stay in this spot or am I going to do what somebody’s asking me to do that’s against my moral fiber to stay in this spot?'" said Hall. "And you say, ‘No,’ you follow your heart, you follow your convictions, and the success keeps rolling into you.” 

Pharaoh also talked about the cross necklace that he wears, maintaining that “this is not just a cross.”

He also conceded that his new rap album contains “a little bit of profanity,” but added that since his life has “pivoted,” he no longer swears on stage. 

“I got closer. I started reading,” he explained. “I’ve been in the Word, and I didn’t know I was violating. I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to use those words.” 

Pharoah stressed that he's still trying to “subtract” profanity from his act, adding that “God is working on me when it comes to that.”

Speaking about his conversion, he added, “I was reading my Bible app, but it didn’t feel right because every time you’re on your Bible app, you get all these distractions.”

Naming Instagram and Facebook as examples of the distractions he experienced while trying to read the Bible on his phone, Pharoah surmised that “the Word of God shouldn't be limited to an app.” He told Hall he decided to “get myself a hard Bible like I had when I was a kid," which was embossed with his name: Jared A. Pharoah. 

Speaking about his shows, he recounted how a pastor had driven from Tennessee to Columbus, Ohio, to attend but wasn't able to get in: “He came up to me after the show. He goes, ‘God told me to give you this.’ It was a blue Bible with my name on it.”

“The Bible was bookmarked at the exact mark that I stopped reading on my Bible app,” he said, taking that moment as a sign to “get myself together.”

 “The Lord is real, He is real."