Ask A Genius 1495: From Comedy Writer to ER Doctor and Hollywood Consultant: The Story of Jake
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/08/20
Jake’s journey is extraordinary: once a comedy writer on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he secretly prepared for medical school while working full time in television. He left comedy, completed med school and residency, and became an ER doctor. At the same time, he sold a screenplay that turned into a film starring John Cena and Alison Brie. Today, Jake balances medicine with consulting on The Resident, ensuring authenticity in medical scenes by teaching both technical accuracy and emotional nuance. His unique ability to merge creative storytelling with real-world expertise makes him one of the most remarkable behind-the-scenes figures in entertainment.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So, who is Jake?
Rick Rosner: Jake is a fellow writer from Jimmy Kimmel Live!. While working there—which is more than a full-time job—he was secretly taking pre-med classes to get ready for medical school. Freaking Jake. For him to be quietly prepping for med school while writing comedy at that level is insane.
But that is precisely what he did. He left Kimmel as a skilled, successful comedy writer, went through med school and residency, and became an ER doctor—which is fantastic. Then he sold a screenplay that became a movie starring John Cena and Alison Brie. And he is still a practicing ER doctor. On top of that, he works on The Resident—the Fox medical drama starring Matt Czuchry and Emily VanCamp—as one of the on-set medical consultants.
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Jacobsen: And here’s the kicker: he is not even a writer on the show.
Rosner: Right. He is one of three medical consultants making sure everything looks and feels authentic. He is incredible.
I wonder if the people on the show realize what they have. He is not just there to walk them through the intricacies of a spinal tap or inserting a tracheostomy tube. In an interview, he described teaching actors how their shoulders should move to realistically mimic the pressure of punching through the chest wall to reach a lung. He explained whether a procedure was routine or rare, where a doctor would outwardly appear calm but be terrified inside. He provides both technical accuracy and emotional truth. He also helps shape the medical scenarios so they fit the show’s character arcs.
And through all of this, people may not realize that Jake could as easily write the show as consult on it. He is remarkable. Freaking Jake.
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