A Sharpie, a clean shirt, and a crowd of adoring fans. That’s all it took for Jake Shane to have what he called “the most embarrassing moment” of his life — and turn it into the kind of internet event that kept unfolding for days.
The 26-year-old podcaster, comedian, actor and influencer had just finished his February 28 performance in All Out: Comedy About Ambition on Broadway. He was outside the theater doing the stage door thing: signing playbills, taking selfies, being generous with his time.
He had two pens in his hand. He tried to pop the cap off one Sharpie with his mouth so he could use the other pen to sign a playbill.
He fumbled. He caught the Sharpie — with his shirt. The marker tip left a black dot on what had been, seconds earlier, a clean shirt. But did he stop? He did not.
He put the Sharpie in his mouth and signed the playbill with the other pen, because what else are you going to do at that point?
Shane posted a video of the whole thing on Instagram. His caption: “Oh ummmmmm it’s really bad.”
It was really bad — after all, the shirt was only part of the damage.
Shane posted a photo from the car ride home that revealed a black dot on his cheek — from holding the Sharpie in his mouth. On his face. In front of people. While trying to look cool signing autographs.
His caption read like someone whose soul had briefly departed their body:
“I cannot describe the amount of aura I just lost while getting sharpie on my face in front of a group of people. It was genuinely the most embarrassing moment of my life. I’m like freaking out,” he wrote in the caption.
The comments section became its own spectacle.
Fans started calling the incident “Sharpie gate.” Others joked that a “Sharpie partnership” was coming, because nothing screams brand deal energy like publicly fumbling a marker onto your own face.
One Day Later, the Sharpie Incident Still Haunts Him
The next day, Shane posted another video of himself lying in bed, still processing. His caption: “Sharpies will haunt my dreams.”
The video was paired with audio from a fan who attended the March 1 show — one full performance after the original incident. The update?
“When Jake got over to us, he did unfortunately almost get sharpie on himself again. Not on his face and shirt this time — just on his shirt,” the fan said in her original TikTok video.
Almost. Again. This man and Sharpies have a genuine ongoing conflict.
There is one small victory in all of this. The same fan shared an update that will comfort anyone who has ever stress-searched “how to get permanent marker out of clothing” at 1 a.m.
“We did ask him for confirmation on whether or not he got the Sharpie out of his shirt from the other night and he did because somebody named Riley helped him with a laundry tip. So, shout out to Riley,” the fan added.
Riley, wherever you are: hero status. Shane seemed to agree, commenting under the fan’s TikTok: “I love you!!! Thank you for coming!!”
Shane made his Broadway debut in All Out: Comedy About Ambition on February 17 alongside Ray Romano, Nicholas Braun and Jenny Slate, all of whom also debuted that same night.
His rotation continues through March 8 — which means a few more shows, a few more stage door sessions, and a few more chances for Sharpie-related chaos.
