Jacob Shane Roshkow (born October 27, 1999) is an American influencer, comedian, and actor. In 2023, his TikTok videos featuring humorous reenactments of historical events went viral.[1] Also in 2023, he was nominated for a Streamy Award[2] and appeared on TikTok's inaugural LGBTQ+ Pride Visionary Voices List and on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.[3]
Jake Shane | |
|---|---|
 Shane in 2026 | |
| Born | Jacob Shane Roshkow October 27, 1999 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other name | Octopusslover8 |
| Education | University of Southern California (BA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2021–present |
| Mother | Helaine Olen |
| TikTok information | |
| Page | |
| Followers | 3.9 million |
| Last updated: August 20, 2025 | |
| Website | passthatpuss |
Early life
editJacob Shane Roshkow[4] was born on October 27, 1999 in Los Angeles, California, and moved to Washington Heights in New York at the age of 2.[5] His mother, Helaine Olen, is an author and columnist for The Washington Post.[6] He has described himself as "a closeted kid".[7] He has stated that he did acting as a child, performing in his school's production of Thoroughly Modern Millie in sixth grade, but quit due to his insecurities after switching schools.[8] He also took improv lessons at Gotham Comedy Club while attending The Calhoun School on the Upper West Side, Manhattan.[9] Shane moved to Los Angeles at 18 while working as an assistant at a record label.[5] He attended the University of Southern California, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in public relations in 2022.[10][11] Shane is a non-religious Jewish person.[12]
Career
editShane started his social media career in 2021 as an Instagram food critic of octopus, using the handle @passthatpuss.[13][11] He created it after his mom took him to try octopus for the first time when he was in high school.[4] Jake created a TikTok account also for octopus reviews, where @passthatpuss was taken so he created the username "@octopusslover8" because they have 8 tentacles.[14] In February 2023, Shane became known for his TikTok videos, in which he humorously reenacted historical events per requests in his comments, starting with the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal, which gained him 100,000 followers within one week of its posting.[15] Other reenactments included dinosaurs seeing a comet, the Last Supper, John Hancock signing the United States Declaration of Independence, Moses parting the Red Sea, and a president who did not make it onto Mount Rushmore.[7][8][6] He signed with WME in March 2023; by then his account had gained over one and a half million followers.[13]
Shane was nominated for the Streamy Award for Breakout Creator at the 13th Streamy Awards in 2023, though the award was won by Dylan Mulvaney.[16] He was also included on TikTok's inaugural LGBTQ+ Pride Visionary Voices List in May 2023.[17] In September 2023, he signed with United Talent Agency for representation in all areas.[18] He was featured on the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 list and had more than two and a half million followers on TikTok by December 2023.[19][20]
Shane's podcast, Therapuss with Jake Shane, in which Shane responds to listener questions in the style of a therapy session alongside a different co-host each episode, launched in January 2024.[21] On November 22, 2024, Shane released his debut album Puss & Poems.[22]
In 2025, Shane was cast in season four of the comedy series Hacks, which co-stars Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder.[23]
The comedian and digital creator joined the cast of All Out: Comedy About Ambition, beginning February 17, 2026 at the Nederlander Theatre in New York City. He starred alongside Ray Romano, Nicholas Braun and Jenny Slate in the production. All four stars made their Broadway debuts and continued through the show's scheduled closing, on March 8.[24]
Shane took on the role of chief creative officer at Katjes in February 2026. The German candy maker, which generates around $1 billion in revenue from its gummy line, brought him on board to help grow its presence in the U.S.[25]
Shane has occasionally been criticized for lacking the skillset and media literacy of traditional entertainment journalists. Shane is seen by some media analysts and members of the public as emblematic of the move away from trained journalists in favor of influencers. [26][27][28][29]
Personal life
editShane frequently posts on social media about his mental health, specifically regarding his experiences with anxiety and obsessive–compulsive disorder, which he has stated he has struggled with since age seven and was diagnosed with as a teenager.[6][8][9] He also often posts videos about him being a Swiftie.[30] Shane's roommates Julia Mervis, Payton Purther, and Brett Chody also sometimes appear in his posts, or help film his skits performing as a humorized version of certain objects or reenactments of historical (and sometimes fictional) events.[citation needed]
References
edit- ↑ "Jake Shane is reimagining history's biggest moments one viral video at a time". TODAY.com. 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
- ↑ "Dylan Mulvaney Wins Breakout Creator at 2023 Streamy Awards — and Says 'I'm Gonna Go Have a Beer'". People.com. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
- ↑ Cooper, Justin (2023-11-30). "Dylan Mulvaney, Boygenius, Chris Olsen: Queer Celebs Fill Forbes List". Star Observer. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
- 1 2 Zach Sang Show (2023-07-07). Jake Shane | Octopusslover8, Taylor Swift, White House Fail. Retrieved 2024-06-25 – via YouTube.
- 1 2 W Magazine (2024-07-01). Jake Shane Explores | #AMSR | W Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-01 – via YouTube.
- 1 2 3 Weiss, Geoff (July 20, 2023). "Who is Octopusslover8, aka Jake Shane? The breakout influencer known for his surreal sketches and famous connections has taken everyone's TikTok FYP by storm". Business Insider. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- 1 2 Tracy, Brianne (July 14, 2023). "TikTok Star Jake Shane on His Spotify Collab and Newfound Olivia Rodrigo Friendship (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- 1 2 3 O'Connor, Florence (April 20, 2023). "Jake Shane Might Be the Funniest (and Most Anxious) Guy on TikTok". GQ. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- 1 2 Jones, C. T. (May 23, 2023). "TikTok's Favorite Comedian Is Rehashing Ancient History". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ↑ "Jake Shane: Profile". Forbes. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- 1 2 MacCary, Julia (July 21, 2023). "Comedy's Next Generation Is On TikTok". Variety. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ↑ Frick, Evelyn (August 28, 2025). "Jake Shane on Anxiety, Lena Dunham and Bar Mitzvah Themes".
- 1 2 Spangler, Todd (March 29, 2023). "TikTok Comedian Jake Shane, aka Octopusslover8, Signs With WME". Variety. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ↑ Cosmopolitan (2023-06-30). Jake Shane Guesses Cheap Vs. Expensive: Octopus Edition | Expensive Taste Test | Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 2024-06-25 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Thatcher, Kirsty (June 28, 2023). "'This Deserves More Likes': The TikTok Comedian Everyone (Including Sofia Richie) Is Obsessed With". Elle. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ↑ Blanchet, Brenton (August 27, 2023). "Dylan Mulvaney Wins Breakout Creator at 2023 Streamy Awards — and Says 'I'm Gonna Go Have a Beer'". People. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ↑ Portée, Alex (May 31, 2023). "Exclusive: Meet the creators on TikTok's first-ever LGBTQ+ Visionary Voices list". Today. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ↑ Vlessing, Etan (September 12, 2023). "TikTok Comic Jake Shane Signs With UTA (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ↑ Cooper, Justin (November 30, 2023). "Dylan Mulvaney, Boygenius, Chris Olsen: Queer Celebs Fill Forbes List". Star Observer. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ↑ Mlnarik, Carson (December 31, 2023). "Prince Harry's frozen todger, Nicole Kidman & Jake Shane's gay TikTok chaos: 10 things we're obsessed with this year". Queerty. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ↑ Tingley, Anna (January 1, 2024). "TikTok Comedian Jake Shane Announces 'Therapuss' Podcast (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ↑ Jones, C. T. (2024-11-18). "Jake Shane Is Turning His Octopus Obsession Into a Comedy Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
- ↑ Otterson, Joe (2025-04-02). "'Hacks' Season 4 Casts Jake Shane (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
- ↑ Quinn, Dave (February 9, 2026). "Jake Shane to Make Broadway Debut in All Out: Comedy About Ambition by Simon Rich (Exclusive)".
- ↑ York, Alexandra. "Podcast Star Jake Shane Named Chief Creative Officer At German Candy Company Katjes". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2026-02-11. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
- ↑ Dunn, Jack (May 9, 2026). "Jake Shane Slammed Online for Asking Kacey Musgraves to Explain Time Zone Lyric: 'Literally Just Means What it Means'". Variety. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
One X user was extremely critical of Shane's line of questioning. They wrote, "We need to end influencer interviews in lieu of actual journalism because what do you mean Kacey Musgraves had to explain how time zones work to Jake Shane?" […] This isn't the first time Shane has found himself at the center of a debate about influencers' role in entertainment journalism.
- ↑ Parkel, inga (May 9, 2026). "Jake Shane Mocked for Asking Kacey Musgraves 'Nonsense' Question". The Independent. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
- ↑ D'Addario, Daniel (March 17, 2026). "Jake Shane's Questions at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party Prove Influencers Shouldn't Be Red Carpet Reporters". Variety. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
In other words, one fruitful moment — Fox, a notorious provocateur, speaking thoughtfully about her own tender experience of parenting — happened in spite of Shane, and another potentially interesting one — Idris, a rising film star, dishing on the scene where Rose Byrne's hamster explodes — got cut short by Shane's need to scream over them. It was an object lesson in the fact that, for all it gets denigrated, red-carpet reporting is journalism, and there's more to being a journalist than conducting a one-sided screaming contest.
- ↑ Chen, Tanya (March 20, 2026). "The 'Bestie-fication' of Media is Doing a Disservice to Everyone". Fast Company. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
The moment has received residual backlash this week—not only for Shane's flippant remarks, but for what it might indicate about the current state of entertainment journalism and where it's headed. It raises the question of why media outlets keep hiring internet personalities to do jobs typically done by journalists. As the media industry is laying off professional journalists en masse, a new kind of landscape and interview style is emerging. In many instances, journalists are no longer steering the conversation. Instead, we now have what I've been calling "besties journalism," wherein big influencers who've made a name for themselves turn an interview with a notable figure into a gabfest.
- ↑ Fowler, Grace (November 10, 2023). "'Did you SEE the way she smirked?': Taylor Swift sings 'Labyrinth' on returning Eras Tour. Swifties say it's a message to Travis Kelce". The Daily Dot. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
