Watch Damson Idris Nail His Jay-Z Impression

Sorry Jay Pharoah, Aries Spears, and Jamie Foxx—Damson Idris might be the best Hov impersonator.

The Snowfall actor showed off his imitation skills during a recent appearance on the Drew Barrymore Show, where he discussed his friendship with Jay-Z and Beyoncé. Idris confirmed he has hung out with the celebrity couple “many times,” which prompted the host to dig for details.

“Oh my god, what is that like?” Barrymore asked near the one-minute mark above. “They’re very embracing of you, right? Like, he’s paternal, basically, with you a bit.”

The UK actor suggested it was true, and provided a little insight into the kind of relationship he has with Jay and Bey. 

“Yeah, I’ll be in Miami, it’s late, and I’ll call them up, and I’ll be like, ‘Hey, I can’t get a reservation at Carbone,’” he recalled, before imitating Jay’s response. “He’ll be like, ‘Damson, you gotta win a couple more Emmy’s before you can call me at 11:30.’”

The impression was met with laughter and applause.

“They’re the sweetest,” Idris said about the Carters. “We’ve connected in many ways, but the Super Bowl was really great because it was really the first time I really connected with Bey.”

This isn’t the first time Idris has impersonated the hip-hop mogul. In 2021, he recalled hopping on Zoom while shirtless, completely unaware that Jay was also on the call.

“So my friend says, ‘Jump on Zoom, it’s our friend Lennie’s birthday.’ So I jump on the Zoom, and immediately everyone’s laughing because I’m topless, I thought there was gonna be four people in there—there’s 40 people in there,” Idris told Good Morning America. “I hear a distinctive voice and [Jay’s] like, ‘Eh man, this man’s in here topless with his nipples out and he got the grey headboard. Who’s in charge of the Zoom? Yo, Shafer you in charge of the Zoom? Yeah, you see that guy Damson? Kick him out.’”

You can check out Idris’ full interview via YouTube above. The 31-year-old also discussed his partnership with Prada, his relationship with his sister, and the time the late John Singleton dropped him off in South Central Los Angeles.

“By [Snowfall] audition No. 8, Singleton took me to South Central, opened the car door, and said, ‘If you survive, you’ve got the role,’” he told Barrymore. “And it really was an experience. You know, I was walking around South Central, I had to stay in character, so I wasn’t allowed to be British. And I said to his mother, ‘Oh, how lovely your hair looks today. I’m just gonna go, and you know, put this in a bin.’ And she goes, ‘John! He ain’t from here, huh?’ Nearly lost the part, but hey, six seasons later…” he concluded.