Jahkara Smith
Smith at the 2019 WonderCon
Born (1996-09-05) September 5, 1996 (age 27)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Occupations
  • YouTuber
  • actress
Years active2017–present
YouTube information
Also known asSailor J
Channel
Subscribers478,000[1]
Total views582,096[1]
100,000 subscribers
Last updated: April 2024

Jahkara Smith (born September 5, 1996)[2][3] is an American YouTuber and actress. She is best known for the YouTube channel Sailor J, where she published parody make-up tutorial videos. She came to further recognition for her starring role as Margaret "Maggie" Leigh in the AMC supernatural horror drama series NOS4A2 (2019–2020). She also appeared in the Hulu horror anthology series Into the Dark (2019).

Early life

Smith was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 5, 1996.[2][3][4]

Career

YouTube

Smith began posting YouTube videos in 2017 on her channel Sailor J while working at a United States Air Force base. Her first videos were parodies of make-up tutorial videos which include social commentary, having been inspired by sexist comments she read on those videos. They quickly went viral thanks, in part, to celebrities such as Sia sharing them.[4] Within the first month of her YouTube channel, Smith was receiving around 10,000 new subscribers per day on YouTube and had totalled 6 million views on Facebook.[4][5] By March 2018, her YouTube videos had received over 10 million views.[6]

Her tutorial videos have included commentary on subjects ranging from Native American-inspired make-up to the phrase "thoughts and prayers".[4][7] In addition to make-up tutorial videos, Smith has also published videos on subjects including Harry Potter Hogwarts Houses[8] and Zodiac signs.[9] Audio and video clips from the Sailor J channel later went viral on TikTok, which Smith did not support.[10]

In July 2020, Smith confirmed the deletion of her YouTube channel.[11]

Acting

In 2018, Smith signed on to star as Margaret "Maggie" Leigh in the AMC supernatural horror drama series NOS4A2.[12] The series premiered in 2019.[13]

Also in 2019, Smith portrayed Shay in the Hulu horror anthology series Into the Dark, starring in the episode titled "Pure".[14]

Personal life

Smith joined the United States Air Force at the age of 18. Shortly before she planned to leave home, the shooting of Michael Brown took place. Smith cites the resulting protests and curfews as eye-opening for her.[4]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2019–2020 NOS4A2 Margaret "Maggie" Leigh Main role; 20 episodes
2019 Into the Dark Shay Episode: "Pure"

References

  1. ^ a b "About SailorJ". YouTube.
  2. ^ a b @SlaylerJ (September 5, 2019). "23" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ a b @SlaylerJ (September 5, 2019). "First cast read of season 2 down. Thank u @NOS4A2" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ a b c d e Safronova, Valeriya (May 14, 2018). "Air Force by Day, YouTube by Night". The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  5. ^ Reghay, Nayomi (November 18, 2017). "This hilarious makeup tutorial breaks down everything wrong with cultural appropriation". Daily Dot. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  6. ^ Lorenz, Taylor (March 7, 2018). "Sailor J: The YouTube Beauty Star Skewering the Patriarchy". Daily Beast. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  7. ^ Fasanella, Kaleigh (November 10, 2017). "Sailor J Calls Out Native American Appropriation in Thanksgiving Parody Video". Allure. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  8. ^ Wiest, Brianna (January 24, 2018). "YouTuber Sailor J Gives a Hilarious Tutorial on How to Be a Hufflepuff". Teen Vogue. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  9. ^ Ohlheiser, Abby (February 24, 2018). "Let's ignore YouTube's worst creators for a moment and watch these 8 channels we actually love". Washington Post. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  10. ^ "TikTok at Your Own Risk: The Case of SailorJ and Stolen Art on TikTok". May 16, 2021.
  11. ^ @SlaylerJ (July 23, 2020). "I deleted them.1) I hate YouTube 2) I hate taking money from Youtube3) I'm making something bigger. You will lik…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Petski, Denise (July 5, 2018). "'NOS4A2': YouTube Star Jahkara Smith Set To Recur In AMC Horror Drama". Deadline. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  13. ^ "AMC Sets June 2 Premiere Date for "Fear the Walking Dead" Season 5 and New Supernatural Horror Series "NOS4A2"". The Futon Critic. March 30, 2019.
  14. ^ Tallerico, Brian. "Which Into the Dark Episodes Are Worth Your Time?". Vulture. Retrieved January 4, 2020.

External links