St. Louis TikTok star Jalen Hinton turns viral comedy into career
ST. LOUIS - Jalen Hinton has built a following of more than 2.6 million people on TikTok, and the St. Louis-born comedian says his roots in the city shape much of the content that propelled him to internet fame.
Hinton, who posts under the handle j.one.8, has gained more than 109 million likes on TikTok and nearly 900,000 followers on Instagram. He also posts content on YouTube and Facebook, where his sketches and longer-form comedy often rack up millions of views.
“Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. Man, I love the Lou,” Hinton said. “If you can’t laugh in St. Louis, you can’t laugh nowhere.” He attended Ritenour High School.
Hinton’s rise started when he posted his first TikTok video in March 2021. Just this year, he was recognized by St. Louis Magazine’s A-List Editors’ Choice Awards as one of the city’s “Favorite Follows.” He has also appeared in short films and now performs on stage in stand-up shows across the country.
Hinton said his inspiration often comes from family, including an “unc” character he developed based on his late grandfather.
“When I’m around family now, they see that I became a comedian, they always say, you remind us of him,” he said. “I was very quiet as a child… so I observed everything that he did. And then when I got older, it just started clicking, and I started kind of putting bits and pieces of my life and experiences with him into that, and that kind of developed that character.”
While his skits online are edited and filmed in one take when possible, Hinton said performing live has challenged him in new ways.
“Being in front of a live audience is clearly different,” he said. “They like to see some of the same (TikTok) concepts of what I do. So I do a lot of family-friendly stuff. I talk about my family on stage — being married, talking about my daughter, talking about my upbringing, my parents, things like that.”
Hinton said he once stepped away from comedy after starting stand-up at 18 but returned after encouragement from his sister.
“She asked me a question. She was like, do you want to work a regular job the rest of your life?” he said. “If you don’t tap into your gift of comedy, you’re gonna be average. And that woke me up.”
Though he is open to film and television opportunities in the future, Hinton said he enjoys the creative independence that comes with running his own platforms.
“I like to be grounded and stay where I am right now,” he said. “Because I think people really underestimate owning your platform. And everything I do, I own it. It’s my content. I can put out what I want to put out, not controlled by anybody.”
For those looking to get into comedy or content creation, Hinton said consistency and passion are key.
“Believe in yourself, believe in your content,” he said. “Find out what you love to do, because that’s what’ll keep you going.”
Hinton’s comedy can be found under the handle @j.one.8 on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
