Early career Jordan Carlos graduated
Brown University in 2001 and began work as a
copywriter in a New York ad firm. At night and on weekends Carlos performed
stand-up comedy. Eventually Carlos abandoned advertising altogether in favor of stand-up although he feels he had trouble finding a niche audience because he "wasn't a stereotypical black man". He learned to use that characteristic as the basis for many of his jokes.
Role on The Colbert Report On
The Colbert Report Carlos played
Alan, host
Stephen Colbert's "black friend". Whenever Colbert discussed
racial issues, he often asked that a picture of him with his African-American co-worker Alan be shown on screen. Colbert sometimes referred to him as "Alan, my black friend Alan". Alan first appeared on a
Martin Luther King Day program when Colbert, complaining about having to work on the holiday, brought Alan into the argument, hoping that Alan was angry because he had to work, too. To Colbert's surprise, Alan was not.
On The Nightly Show Carlos was a writer on
The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore and also appeared in sketches and, often, on the panel. His characters include Carlos Jordanson (a
Hillary Clinton campaign aide) and
Dennis Rodman.
Other appearances In 2008, Carlos did
voice work for the animated comedy webseries
Amazing the Lion hosted by the Independent Comedy Network. Carlos has appeared as a special guest in "Episode 253: Chuuch" of the
Keith and the Girl podcast. He also made an appearance in
Nickelback's "
Rockstar" music video and has been a commentator on the
E! Network's Worst Dating Show Moments. He made a brief appearance in the buddy cop film
Cop Out. Also, he played the math teacher in the short film
The Old Man and the Seymour and he was cast in a main role on the MTV series
I Just Want My Pants Back. Carlos has also made appearances in
CollegeHumor.com's original videos. Most recently, he portrayed President
Barack Obama hosting a barbecue in the video entitled, "Barack Obama's BBQ". Jordan Carlos was a cast member on
Guy Code, Guy Court and
Girl Code. He also appeared on two episodes in the first season of MTV's "Joking Off". Carlos also provided the voice of Gene on the animated series
Super 4, but quit after the second-season premiere to focus more on his comedy-career. ==Filmography==