Hubbry Logo
Jordan FirstmanJordan FirstmanMain
Open search
Jordan Firstman
Community hub
Jordan Firstman
logo
7 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Jordan Firstman
Jordan Firstman
from Wikipedia

Jordan Firstman (born July 8, 1991) is an American writer, producer, comedian, and singer living in Los Angeles, California.[2] He is known for the short films Men Don't Whisper (2017), the Sundance-nominated Call Your Father (2016),[3] and for the feature film Rotting in the Sun (2023).[4] Firstman rose to prominence for his short skits, called Impressions, shared on Instagram Live in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]

Key Information

Career

[edit]

In 2016, at a time when he was a writer for the television series Search Party,[6] Firstman wrote and starred in Call Your Father, a satirical short film exploring the ups-and-downs of an intergenerational gay couple.[7] The following year, he and co-writer Charles Rogers created Men Don't Whisper, a comedic short film about an "emasculated" gay couple who try to regain their masculinity by seducing several women.[8] The film was screened at Sundance and South by Southwest, and was selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick Premiere.[9]

In early 2020, Firstman wrote an ode to gay representation in film, sung by the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles, as well as Laura Dern at the 2020 Independent Spirit Awards.[10] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Firstman began posting videos to Instagram of his various impersonations and impressions, such as "the town gossip who-has-no-more-gossip-during-quarantine", "Summer 2020", "Banana Bread's Publicist" and "all the clothes people are not wearing right now".[11] His comedic skits have been met with positive response from fans and celebrities alike, including Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, and Chrissy Teigen. Actress Ruby McCollister has said of Firstman's comedy: "You're putting a home base to the meme" (by incorporating video, text and creator, all at once).[12] For Thom Browne's SS2021 fashion show, which was set during the future 2132 Olympics on the Moon, Firstman and model Grace Mahary roleplayed as commentators as runway models walked, held at the Los Angeles Coliseum (an Art Deco relic, where the 1932 Summer Olympics were held).[3][13]

In 2022, he appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series Ms. Marvel, which aired on Disney+.[14]

In 2023, Sebastián Silva premiered his film Rotting in the Sun at the Sundance Film Festival. Firstman was cast in the lead role as a fictionalized version of himself. The film was notable for featuring unsimulated sex, with Firstman himself engaging in oral sex.[15]

In 2024, he appeared as a guest on the Grindr-created YouTube podcast Who's the A**hole, hosted by RuPaul's Drag Race alum and entertainer Katya Zamolodchikova.[16] In 2025, he signed a recording contract with Capitol Records.[17] He released his debut comedy album, Secrets on April 11, 2025, based on confessions his followers sent to his Instagram account. It features guest appearances by Rachel Sennott, Suki Waterhouse, Julia Fox, Rufus Wainwright, Laundry Day, Jimmy Pop, and his mother.[1]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2016 Call Your Father Josh Lead role; also writer and director; short film [7]
2017 Men Don't Whisper Peyton Lead role; also writer and director; short film [9]
2023 Rotting in the Sun Jordan Firstman Lead role
You People Danny Supporting role

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2014 Real Life Casting director
Beards Jonathan
2015 Daddy Hot man
EastSiders Mitchell
2016 Gay of Thrones
2016–2017 Search Party Luke Recurring role; also writer [6]
2017 Last Meal Brian the Zombie
2019 This Close Richard Broomson
Tales from the Closet
2021 Cinema Toast Sebastian Also writer
Miracle Workers Kaya
2022 Ms. Marvel Mr. Wilson Recurring role [14]
2024-2025 English Teacher Malcolm Recurring role
2025 I Love LA Dylan Post-production [18]

As producer

[edit]
Year Title Notes Ref.
2020 Big Mouth Consulting producer (10 episodes)

Personal life

[edit]

Firstman grew up in Northport, New York to a Jewish family.[19][20][21][22] He is openly gay.[23][24]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Jordan Firstman (born July 8, 1991) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician based in , . Raised in a Jewish family on , New York, he initially built a following through viral videos featuring satirical impressions and absurd humor, particularly during the quarantine period, which propelled his transition from to professional . His film work includes directing and starring in short films such as the Sundance-nominated Call Your Father (2016) and Men Don't Whisper (2017), the latter earning awards at festivals including SXSW and Atlanta Film Festival, alongside a lead role in the dark comedy (2023). Firstman has appeared in television series like Search Party (2016) and (2024), and in 2025 released his debut album Secrets under , blending pop with confessional, genre-defying lyrics often centered on personal and sexual experiences. Known for irreverent, self-deprecating content exploring gay culture and relationships, he has drawn both acclaim for his comedic timing and criticism for provocative statements, such as claims about fashion differences between gay and straight men, which sparked online backlash.

Early Life

Childhood and Family Background

Jordan Firstman was born on July 8, 1991, in , New York, to a Jewish family. He grew up in the suburban town of Northport, experiencing what he has described as a quintessential childhood in a middle-class household. His parents, Richard Firstman and Jamie Talan, both worked as reporters for the Newsday newspaper before co-authoring true crime books, including The Death of Innocents, which detailed a high-profile case of violent crime in Texas. Firstman has twin siblings, both of whom are queer, aligning with his own openly gay identity in a family environment marked by journalistic influences rather than overt creative pursuits in entertainment.

Education and Early Influences

Firstman grew up attending schools in suburban , New York, where he participated in chorus during childhood and developed an early gravitation toward music as his preferred art form. He later recalled finding school quite challenging overall. In , Firstman positioned himself as the , emphasizing fun and as core motivators while deprioritizing more serious academic or intellectual pursuits, traits he described as blending neurotic depression with a drive for enjoyment. These experiences cultivated his initial affinity for performance and humor. During high school, musical influences such as provided a formative impact, shaping his creative sensibilities in ways that later informed his comedic style. No records indicate formal higher education, with Firstman transitioning to creative endeavors in his late teens through self-directed exploration in the New York area.

Career Beginnings

Entry into Comedy and Writing

After relocating to in 2011 at age 20, Jordan Firstman supported himself through entry-level jobs, including operating photo booths at private events such as bar mitzvahs and dinner parties for two years, as well as working at We Rock the Spectrum, a gym catering to children with autism spectrum disorders. He explored improv classes as an avenue into but found the participants and scene incompatible with his style, prompting a shift toward writing and self-directed projects. Firstman's initial forays into comedic writing materialized in 2013 when he launched a campaign to fund his debut , The Disgustings, a biting depicting two narcissistic friends navigating . The film premiered at the New Orleans Film Festival in 2014, marking an early verifiable credit in independent comedy production. He followed this with Sold. in 2015, another self-written and directed short that lampooned a screenwriter's futile attempt to escape industry conversations during a getaway. These low-budget efforts, often shared on for niche audiences, highlighted his nascent approach to observational humor rooted in entertainment-world absurdities and personal frustrations from peripheral industry roles. Despite such outputs, Firstman continued odd jobs amid limited opportunities, reflecting the competitive barriers for newcomers in comedy circles during the mid-2010s.

Initial Projects and Collaborations

Firstman's entry into filmmaking occurred in the mid-2010s through self-produced short films distributed on platforms like Vimeo, where he honed his skills in writing, directing, and performing comedic narratives centered on queer identity and interpersonal dynamics. In 2015, he wrote, directed, and starred in the short film Sold, which premiered as a highlight on the LGBT film festival circuit, earning praise for its sharp exploration of desire and transaction in a comedic framework. Building on this, Firstman released Call Your Father in 2016, a dark short he again wrote, directed, and led, depicting two men forming an unlikely romantic connection after a mistaken phone call; the film received a Sundance nomination, marking an early validation of his ability to blend absurdity with emotional realism in under 20 minutes. He followed with Men Don't Whisper in 2017, another self-directed short examining through a gay couple's attempt to reclaim confidence via heterosexual encounters, which circulated in indie channels and further demonstrated his recurring thematic focus on gender performance and relational tension. Concurrently, Firstman transitioned into television writing around age 23, securing his initial professional gig on the TBS series Search Party starting with its debut season, where he contributed to scripts amid collaborations with creators like Tanya Sarno and the production team, contributing to the show's satirical take on millennial ambition and contributing to its multi-season run. These early endeavors, predating widespread online recognition, provided foundational experience in ensemble dynamics and iterative feedback, with festival nods and series credits yielding modest but targeted exposure in and cinema circles rather than broad commercial metrics.

Rise Through Social Media

Viral Impressions and Short-Form Content

Firstman's series of short-form "impressions" videos emerged in early 2020 during the quarantine period, primarily on with cross-posting to , where he portrayed exaggerated personas of non-traditional subjects like the publicist for or conceptual entities such as a haircut. These clips, often under 60 seconds and filmed in a simple vertical format with Firstman addressing the camera directly, mimicked the cadence and self-importance of public-facing figures applied to absurd, everyday or cultural phenomena, such as influencers or quarantine obsessions. The content's mechanics relied on rapid —frequent posts capitalizing on pandemic-era isolation for timely relatability—rather than high production values, allowing for quick audience testing and refinement based on initial engagement metrics like likes and shares. Key viral instances included the publicist impression, which satirized overhyped food trends and propelled shares across platforms by aligning with early baking fads. An April 17, 2020, Instagram compilation of impressions garnered 89,000 likes and over 2,100 comments, demonstrating early algorithmic favor through high interaction rates on Instagram's and Stories features. Similarly, impressions of haircuts exaggerated the performative anxiety of decisions, resonating with viewers navigating and amassing views via reposts that highlighted the videos' precision in capturing neurotic self-presentation. The strategy emphasized consistency over virality gambles, with Firstman posting multiple impressions weekly to build a niche audience attuned to his deadpan delivery of ironic authority, fostering organic growth through user-generated content like fan recreations and memes that extended reach beyond initial algorithmic pushes. This approach, grounded in leveraging platform preferences for authentic, persona-driven humor amid 2020's content scarcity, resulted in sustained engagement, as evidenced by the series' role in elevating his follower count from obscurity to hundreds of thousands by mid-year.

Development of the "Secrets" Series

Firstman initiated the "Secrets" series on in during the , encouraging followers to submit anonymous personal confessions through direct messages as a means of audience engagement amid . The format relied on , with submissions typically consisting of brief, candid disclosures about intimate dilemmas, regrets, or desires, which Firstman curated for to protect submitters while preserving the raw essence of the revelations. In developing the series, Firstman anonymized selected secrets and repurposed them into comedic vignettes, often via Instagram Stories or short videos where he provided wry commentary or improvised musical renditions that exaggerated the confessions' absurdities without malice, fostering an empathetic lens on shared human vulnerabilities. For instance, mundane or confessional prompts—such as interpersonal awkwardness or unspoken cravings—were transformed into skits or song snippets that highlighted their universality, blending mockery with relatability to elicit viewer laughter and identification. By 2021 and into 2022, the series evolved from ephemeral Stories into more structured adaptations, solidifying as Firstman's signature interactive style by leveraging algorithmic virality to amplify user-driven narratives and distinguishing it from his solo impression work through its collaborative, confessional core. This progression marked a shift toward sustained participation, with the format's evident in its expansion across platforms, though initially secondary to his impressions in popularity.

Acting and Production Work

Television Roles and Appearances

Firstman appeared as Mr. Wilson, a high school teacher, in three episodes of the Disney+ series : "Generation Why" (June 8, 2022), "Crushed" (June 15, 2022), and "No Normal" (July 13, 2022). This role marked one of his early forays into scripted television acting outside of comedy sketches, contributing to the series' ensemble portrayal of Pakistani-American suburban life. In the TBS/HBO Max dark comedy-mystery series Search Party, Firstman portrayed the character Luke across unspecified episodes during its 2016-2022 run, blending acting with his writing contributions to the show. His involvement highlighted a transition from behind-the-scenes work to on-screen presence in a narrative-driven format. Firstman guest-starred in an episode of FX's Dave (2020-2023), leveraging his comedic timing in the rapper-centric series created by and starring , though specific character details remain limited in public credits. This appearance underscored his versatility in supporting roles within music-infused comedy television. He recurred as Malcolm in FX's (2024), playing the on-again, off-again boyfriend of lead character —a fun-loving, spontaneous figure with occasional toxic traits—who complicates Evan's professional boundaries at a suburban high . The series, which premiered on September 23, 2024, received a 7.4/10 rating on from over 10,000 users, with Firstman's performance noted for injecting chaotic energy into interpersonal dynamics. Critics praised the show's authentic depiction of educator challenges, where Malcolm's arc demonstrates Firstman's range in dramatic relational tension beyond pure humor.

Film Roles and Directing Efforts

Jordan Firstman directed the short film Sold in 2014, in which he also starred alongside Lisha Brooks and Elisha Yaffe, portraying a screenwriter attempting to escape discussions about show business while out of town. His subsequent short Call Your Father (2016), which he wrote, directed, and led as Josh, explores themes of identity through a dark comedy lens and earned a nomination at the Sundance Film Festival. The film later streamed on the Criterion Channel starting June 1, 2020. In 2017, Firstman wrote and directed Men Don't Whisper, taking the lead role of Peyton in this indie short emphasizing comedic elements of interpersonal dynamics. These early directing efforts, often self-produced on limited budgets, highlighted Firstman's focus on queer-themed humor and personal storytelling in short-form indie cinema. Firstman's feature film acting debut came in (2023), a thriller directed by Sebastián Silva, where he portrayed a fictionalized version of himself as a social media influencer encountered at a gay nudist beach. The film, co-written by Silva and Pedro Peirano, features Firstman in scenes blending explicit with existential , including collaborative discussions on script development that mirror real-life interactions between the leads. Premiering as a Sundance hit, it achieved an user rating of 6.9/10 based on over 4,600 votes and became available for streaming on MUBI. Produced independently with a focus on meta-narrative elements critiquing influencer culture, the project marked Firstman's transition to larger-scale indie features while retaining his signature irreverent style.

Producing and Writing Credits

Jordan Firstman contributed as a to the Max series Search Party, penning episodes during its run from 2016 to 2022, and later served as a for its fourth season, enabling him to exert influence over narrative direction in a dark format that aligned with his satirical style. He also wrote for 's , contributing to its second season in 2022, where his scripts helped navigate themes of fame and family dynamics in the entertainment industry. These television writing roles demonstrated his ability to collaborate within established production teams, transitioning from to by leveraging episode contributions that informed broader creative decisions. As a consulting producer on Netflix's animated series Big Mouth, Firstman provided input on writing and production for multiple seasons starting around 2017, focusing on adolescent sexuality and humor while voicing characters to maintain tonal consistency. This dual role underscored his navigation of pipelines, where producer oversight ensured alignment between script development and voice performance, contributing to the show's sustained run of over seven seasons by 2024. His writing extended to FX's English Teacher in 2024, where he penned material for the series exploring educational and personal absurdities. In independent short films, Firstman exercised full creative control as writer and director. He wrote and directed Call Your Father (2016), a 19-minute satirical exploration of generational gay identity that earned a nomination at the . Similarly, Men Don't Whisper (2017), a 22-minute on interpersonal dynamics, was written and directed by Firstman, distributed via platforms like to build his portfolio. Earlier works include Sold (2014), a 13-minute short he directed about Hollywood avoidance, and The Disgustings (2014), a 12-minute piece co-starring comedian . These projects highlighted his early command over writing-to-production workflows, often self-financed and distributed online, which informed his later industry advancements without reliance on major studio backing.
ProjectYearRole(s)
Search Party2016–2022Writer; Producer (Season 4)
The Other Two2019–2022Writer
Big Mouth2017–Consulting Producer; Writer
English Teacher2024Writer
Call Your Father2016Writer, Director
Men Don't Whisper2017Writer, Director

Music Career

Entry into Musical Comedy

Firstman initially pivoted from his video-based "Secrets" series, which debuted during the in 2020 through responses to direct messages containing anonymous fan confessions, to musical adaptations by composing songs directly inspired by those submissions. This transition extended the conceptual framework of the series—transforming raw, personal disclosures into performative content—into audio formats, marking his entry into musical comedy as a . By late 2024, Firstman had recorded initial demos of these confession-derived tracks, characterized by explicit language and sexual themes, which rapidly attracted industry attention. Within approximately one month of producing these prototypes, he secured a with , a major label under , formalizing his shift to professional music production. The deal was publicly discussed in early 2025 interviews, highlighting the project's evolution from sketches to structured songwriting. His musical approach draws from longstanding traditions in pop and , where performers leverage melodic structures for humorous delivery and satirical commentary, akin to historical comedian-musicians who used songs as extensions of stand-up routines. Firstman has noted the inherent comedic potential in pop music's earnestness and performance tropes, influencing his genre-blending style that prioritizes wit over conventional balladry. This foundation positioned the project within musical comedy's emphasis on and relatability, distinct from pure by integrating authentic emotional undercurrents from the source material.

Release of Debut Album "Secrets" (2025)

Firstman's debut album Secrets, a project, was released on April 11, 2025, through . The 16-track album transforms anonymous secrets submitted by fans via direct messages into songs, building directly on Firstman's viral series initiated during the , where he publicly addressed tens of thousands of private confessions. Each track draws from a real submission, with themes ranging from personal vulnerabilities to explicit or absurd revelations, framed in a genre-blending style that mixes pop, , and earnest lyricism. In a March 2025 Billboard interview, Firstman detailed the album's creation, describing how he curated submissions to craft narratives that satirize conventions while incorporating "personal hooks" from the secrets, such as interpersonally charged or experiences, without fabricating details. He emphasized the concept album's structure, opening with a six-minute interlude explicitly warning listeners of its basis in unaltered fan confessions, to underscore authenticity over exaggeration. Firstman noted in the same discussion that the process involved scoring a major label deal after pitching the fan-sourced format, highlighting how it parodies the "inherently funny" mechanisms of mainstream pop songwriting. The promotional strategy centered on social media integration, leveraging Firstman's established platforms to tease content and drive engagement. The lead single, "I Wanna See My Friends Dicks," dropped on March 14, 2025, as an early entry point tied to the secrets theme, followed by Instagram announcements of star-studded features on April 4, 2025, which garnered over 5,700 likes and sparked direct fan interactions. This approach extended the album's rollout into TikTok and Instagram reels, where clips of tracks and behind-the-scenes confession reactions amplified virality, mirroring the DM-sourced origins without traditional radio or TV campaigns. In an April 2025 Hollywood Reporter interview, Firstman confirmed the strategy's focus on digital authenticity, aiming to convert online followers into streams by maintaining the raw, unfiltered tone of the source material.

Personal Life

Cultural and Religious Identity

Jordan Firstman was raised in Northport, a suburb on , New York, in a Jewish family environment. He has described his upbringing as occurring in the suburbs of New York with a "pretty nice Jewish family," reflecting a conventional suburban Jewish household. Firstman, born on July 8, 1991, has publicly identified as Jewish, noting in interviews his roots as a "Jewish kid from ." Firstman's Jewish heritage manifests in occasional public engagements with Jewish themes and events, such as participating in gatherings of Jewish celebrities addressing in June 2023. In 2024, he performed an impersonation of sins conversing before , a Jewish observance of , produced by Rebooters, indicating familiarity with rituals. He has expressed a desire not to have his Jewish identity constrain his creative output, stating in April 2025 that, despite being and Jewish, he rejects limitations based on these traits.

Relationships and Personal Experiences

Firstman has publicly identified as gay, a fact corroborated across multiple interviews and profiles discussing his personal experiences within queer culture. In a 2025 appearance on the Boyfriend Material podcast hosted by Harry Jowsey, he recounted an emotionally distressing encounter with an ex-boyfriend during a fisting session at a dark room event, describing the incident as unexpectedly painful due to unresolved feelings. He elaborated on the vulnerability of such experiences, noting how past relationships can resurface in casual sexual contexts, which he framed as a common challenge in gay hookup culture. On the Show podcast in May 2025, Firstman disclosed his attraction to "ugly" guys, explaining it as a stemming from and over conventional looks, and shared anecdotes about dark room hookups where physical heightens intensity but risks awkward revelations. He also outlined deal-breakers, including excessive or mismatched humor, emphasizing that compatibility in casual encounters often prioritizes emotional resilience over . These disclosures align with his comedic style, where he uses self-deprecating stories from his to explore themes of desire and , as evidenced in his broader discussions of relational dynamics. Firstman maintains selective boundaries in public sharing, often rationalizing disclosures as material for artistic expression rather than full transparency, avoiding details on current partnerships while leveraging past anecdotes for relatability in audiences. No verified long-term relationships post-2022 have been publicly detailed, with his narratives focusing on transient encounters reflective of his period around age 30, marked by on fleeting connections.

Reception and Impact

Achievements and Cultural Influence

Firstman's "Impressions" series on , launched in early 2020 amid , achieved viral success through character-driven skits portraying publicists or spokespersons for absurd entities, such as "’s publicist." The series propelled his follower count from approximately 14,000 in April 2020 to over 500,000 by August 2020, reaching 775,000 by October 2025. Specific videos garnered celebrity endorsements, including reposts by and direct messages from figures like , amplifying reach through algorithmic promotion and shares. This breakthrough facilitated transitions into television and film, with Firstman securing writing and directing credits on projects like the Peabody-nominated series . His Men Don't Whisper (2017) earned nominations for Best Narrative Short at the Atlanta Film Festival and SXSW Grand Jury Award in 2018. The 2023 film , in which he starred, received three Independent Spirit Award nominations, marking a milestone in independent cinema recognition. Representation by in 2024 further underscored industry validation stemming from his social media momentum. Firstman's work contributed to the proliferation of short-form, impression-based on platforms like and , where his style—emphasizing satirical takes on privilege and LA cultural tropes—resonated during isolation periods, inspiring similar creator-driven content focused on relatable absurdity over traditional stand-up. By 2025, his approach exemplified how viral sketches could sustain careers across media, with engagement exceeding 7.5 million likes across 184,000 followers, influencing trends in rapid, character-centric digital humor. This shift highlighted social media's role in democratizing access, prioritizing bite-sized virality over established networks.

Criticisms and Public Backlash

In December 2025, Firstman stated in an interview that he did not respect the lead actors in the HBO series Heated Rivalry for not disclosing their sexualities, despite their portrayals of gay characters in the show's depiction of a queer hockey romance, saying, "I don’t respect you because you care too much about your career and what’s going to happen if people think you’re gay." He also criticized the series' sex scenes as inauthentic to gay experiences. The remarks prompted backlash from fans, the cast, and online commentators, igniting debate over expectations of personal disclosure from actors and authenticity in queer media representations. In April 2025, Firstman faced significant online backlash following comments made during an appearance on the 'Subway Takes' podcast, where he stated that "gay men dress worse than straight guys," challenging the stereotype of gay men as fashion-forward. The remark, delivered in the context of discussing fashion stereotypes, drew accusations of internalized homophobia and perpetuating negative tropes about gay aesthetics, with social media users and outlets like Gayety amplifying the criticism. Firstman has not issued a formal apology for this specific incident, though it aligns with his pattern of provocative humor that often courts controversy within queer communities. Earlier, in March 2025, the music video for a single from his debut Secrets—featuring explicit gay imagery and prominent bulges—elicited for its overt , described by outlets as "gay & bulge-filled" and potentially boundary-pushing even for media audiences. While no lawsuits materialized despite unverified claims of near-legal action, the video's underscored criticisms of Firstman's work as prioritizing over subtlety, with some reviewers questioning its artistic merit amid the album's satirical edge. User ratings for Secrets on platforms like averaged 2.7 out of 5, reflecting divided reception to its explicit lyrical themes drawn from anonymous confessions. Firstman's most notable prior backlash occurred in December 2020, when tweets from 2012—posted when he was 19—resurfaced, containing offensive jokes deemed racist and harmful, including references to stereotypes about . He promptly apologized via , stating, "I wrote some offensive jokes on in 2012 when I was 19 that are now being circulated online. I am deeply regretful and sorry for these tweets and the harm they caused." The incident, amid his rising quarantine-era fame, prompted calls for cancellation from users and commentators, though it did not derail his career trajectory, as evidenced by subsequent roles and projects. Critics noted the tweets' context as youthful immaturity but argued they reflected poor judgment unfit for a public figure.

References

Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.