# Jake from State Farm Jake from State Farm is the deadpan catchphrase and character born from a 2011 State Farm insurance commercial in which a wife wrongly accuses her husband of cheating during a 3 a.m. phone call to his agent[1]. The bit hinges on the punchline 'uh, khakis' delivered by a real call-center employee, and it later got name-checked by rapper Fabolous on a 2014 DJ Mustard track[2]. ## Origin State Farm first aired the commercial in June 2011 as part of the company's 'Get to a Better State' campaign[3]. The scene opens with a husband on a hushed 3 a.m. phone call; his wife accuses him of talking to another woman, snatches the phone, and demands to know what 'Jake' is wearing, at which point the shot cuts to a call center where the agent quietly answers 'uh, khakis'[1]. Part of what gave the ad a longer tail was that the role was played by an actual State Farm call-center employee, Jake Stone of Normal, Illinois; WMBD-TV identified him on September 7, 2011, and The Pantagraph covered his double life at the local bar Pub II both that year and again in an April 2014 follow-up when the on-screen khakis got framed on the wall[3]. - **Platform:** TV commercial (viral spread on YouTube and Twitter) - **Creator:** State Farm - **Date:** 2011 ## Overview The joke works because the 'evidence' the wife demands, what Jake is actually wearing, produces the least incriminating answer possible: office pants[1]. Online, the character got repurposed as a stock alibi people invoke whenever they need a suspiciously boring cover story, in line with Urban Dictionary's definition of what you say when a jealous partner asks who you were out with until three in the morning[4]. State Farm leaned into the popularity with follow-up commercials, promotional stunts, and an in-character @JakeStateFarm social account run in Jake's voice[5]. The character stayed a company mascot long enough to get name-dropped in music, notably by rapper Fabolous on the DJ Mustard track '4 Digits'[2]. ## How It Spread State Farm launched the in-character @JakeStateFarm Twitter account in February 2013 to keep the bit alive online[5]. In 2014 the company released a follow-up spot sending the same couple to a marriage counselor over the 'Jake' fight[6]. On August 11, 2014, rapper DJ Mustard's album 10 Summers dropped with the track '4 Digits,' where Fabolous name-checks 'Jake from State Farm' in his verse[2]. In April and May 2015, State Farm rebooted the character with the #TuneInEarthlings hashtag campaign, including a version co-starring characters from the Coneheads movie[7]. Away from the ads, 'Jake from State Farm' turned into online shorthand for a comically obvious fake alibi, with Urban Dictionary logging the phrase as what you say when a jealous partner grills you about a late-night phone call[4]. ## How to Use People typically drop 'Jake from State Farm' as an obviously fake alibi when someone asks who they were texting, calling, or hanging out with at odd hours[4]. Extra points if you tag the answer with the 'uh, khakis' line from the original ad[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Jake from State Farm? Jake from State Farm is a catchphrase and character from a 2011 State Farm insurance commercial in which a wife suspects her husband of cheating during a late-night phone call to his agent[1]. ### Where did Jake from State Farm come from? The character debuted in a June 2011 State Farm commercial from the 'Get to a Better State' campaign, played by Jake Stone, an actual call-center employee from Normal, Illinois[3]. ### What does Jake from State Farm mean? Online it works as a stock fake alibi, the person you claim to have been with when a jealous partner grills you about a late-night call[4]. ### How do you use Jake from State Farm? Reply with 'Jake from State Farm' when someone accuses you of shady after-hours activity, often paired with 'uh, khakis' as a callback to the ad[1]. ### Is Jake from State Farm still popular? The character is treated as a classic 2010s ad catchphrase; State Farm released follow-up commercials in 2014 and 2015[7], and the phrase got a shout-out from Fabolous on DJ Mustard's 2014 album 10 Summers[2]. ## References 1. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47cAxRX3aDg]() 2. [https://genius.com/3900049]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/jake-from-state-farm]() 4. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Jake%20From%20State%20Farm]() 5. [https://twitter.com/JakeStateFarm]() 6. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGhl7PnKaS4]() 7. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz62Suyty3U]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/jake-from-state-farm Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library