Jay Ellis on Creativity, Belonging, and the Stories That Shape Us (October 2025)

from Open Book with Jenna · host Jay Ellis, Jenna Bush Hager

Jay Ellis is an actor, producer, and author who earned a NAACP Image Award nomination for his role in Peacock’s All Her Fault. In this conversation from October 2025, Ellis sits down with Jenna Bush Hager to talk about his memoir Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)?, growing up as an only child in a military family that moved from base to base, and creating an imaginary friend who helped him navigate loneliness and self discovery. Plus, he opens up about his path from aspiring basketball player to Hollywood actor, the lessons creativity has taught him about belonging, and how fatherhood has reshaped the way he sees the world. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 26, 2026

What this episode covers

Jay Ellis is an actor, producer, and author who earned a NAACP Image Award nomination for his role in Peacock’s "All Her Fault." In this conversation from October 2025, Ellis sits down with Jenna Bush Hager to talk about his memoir "Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)?," growing up as an only child in a military family that moved from base to base, and creating an imaginary friend who helped him navigate loneliness and self discovery. Plus, he opens up about his path from aspiring basketball player to Hollywood actor, the lessons creativity has taught him about belonging, and how fatherhood has reshaped the way he sees the world.

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Jay Ellis on Creativity, Belonging, and the Stories That Shape Us (October 2025)

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This episode is 39 minutes long.

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This episode was published on February 26, 2026.

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