Jay McCarrol

Jay McCarrol is a Canadian musician, writer and actor, most noted as co-creator and co-star with Matt Johnson of Nirvanna the Band the Show.

He won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Performance in Comedy at the 14th Canadian Screen Awards in 2026, for his work on the film Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, which also netted him a win in the Best Original Song category for co-writing and performing The Alphabet Song.

Outside of Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, he has received recognition at four other CSA ceremonies for his musical work, including his Best Original Score win for BackBerry at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards in 2024, as well as nods for Best Original Music for a Program at the 1st Canadian Screen Awards in 2013 for I, Martin Short, Goes Home, at the 4th Canadian Screen Awards in 2016 for The Second City Project, and for Best Original Score at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021 for The Kid Detective.

As a writer he has received two CSA nominations for Best Writing in a Comedy Program or Series for Nirvanna the Band the Show, at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018 and at the 7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019.

His other credits have included Johnson's theatrical films The Dirties, Operation Avalanche and BlackBerry.

He is a member of the synth-pop band Brave Shores, along with his sister, Stefanie.

Alongside acting, Jay McCarrol is also known as a writer, musician. His screen credits lean toward Comedy and Science Fiction.

Jay McCarrol's most notable role to date came in The Dirties (2013), where he played Mr. Bird. He also appeared in Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (2026) as Jay. Most recently appeared in Nirvanna the Band the Show (2017) as Jay.

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