Jake from State Farm was replaced as a performer, not because of a documented scandal. The original Jake, State Farm employee Jake Stone, appeared in the famous 2011 commercial. In 2020, State Farm relaunched the character with professional actor Kevin Mimms—widely known professionally as Kevin Miles—to turn Jake into a larger, recurring advertising spokesman.
Jake from State Farm was not documented as being fired or replaced because of a scandal. State Farm changed the person playing the character when it relaunched Jake as a recurring, professionally performed advertising spokesman. The original Jake was Jake Stone, a real State Farm employee who appeared in the famous 2011 commercial. Beginning with the 2020 campaign, the role was played by actor Kevin Mimms, who is also widely known professionally as Kevin Miles.
The original Jake was a State Farm employee
The Jake viewers first met was not a conventional commercial actor. Jake Stone worked in State Farm’s call center in Bloomington, Illinois, and was selected through an internal casting process for the company’s 2011 “State of Unrest” advertisement.
The commercial’s setup was simple: a husband is speaking to “Jake from State Farm” at 3 a.m. His suspicious wife takes the phone and asks what Jake is wearing. Jake replies, “Khakis.” The scene worked partly because Stone’s performance felt like an ordinary customer-service interaction rather than a polished celebrity endorsement. He was portraying a job he actually understood.
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That authenticity helped turn a short customer-service joke into a memorable advertising character. “Jake from State Farm” became a name and phrase that audiences recognized well beyond the original commercial.
What changed in 2020?
On February 3, 2020, State Farm announced that “Jake from State Farm is officially back” and identified Kevin Mimms as the actor portraying him. The announcement framed the campaign as a return to familiar State Farm elements, including Jake, the khakis, and the company’s “Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm Is There” identity.
This was not simply a new version of the same one-off commercial. State Farm was relaunching Jake as a continuing brand character. The new Jake could appear repeatedly in national advertising, interact with celebrities and athletes, and carry storylines across television, social media, sports, gaming, and entertainment campaigns.
Later coverage commonly refers to Mimms as Kevin Miles. State Farm’s original 2020 announcement used the name Kevin Mimms, while subsequent entertainment and advertising coverage has frequently used Kevin Miles as his professional name. These references describe the performer who took over the role; they do not indicate that two different actors replaced Stone.
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Why did State Farm recast the character?
1. Jake had grown beyond the original commercial
The original Jake was created for one memorable advertisement. After the commercial became recognizable, however, the character had value as a larger brand asset. State Farm and its agency wanted to build on that recognition with a campaign that could run for years rather than repeat the same late-night phone-call premise.
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A professional actor was a better fit for that expansion. A recurring spokesperson may need to perform in many formats, memorize more demanding scripts, work with celebrity partners, and maintain the same character across a large production schedule. That is a different assignment from appearing in a short commercial after being selected from the company’s own workforce.
2. The new campaign required consistency and availability
The post-2020 Jake appeared in campaigns involving NFL stars such as Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes, as well as celebrity-driven advertising and social-media projects. State Farm also used the character in gaming-related programming and entertainment collaborations, including a 2026 collaboration connected with Netflix’s Running Point.
That documented expansion makes the strategic explanation clear: State Farm needed a performer who could reliably sustain Jake across multiple campaigns and partnerships. This is a business and production inference supported by the scope of the later work—not a verbatim statement from State Farm that lists “performance consistency” as the company’s single official reason.
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State Farm’s 2020 announcement described Jake as more than an individual person. The character represented the company’s agents and employees, which allowed State Farm to preserve the name, wardrobe, tone, and basic idea while changing the performer.
That distinction matters. In advertising, a recognizable character can become a continuing brand property even when the actor or employee originally associated with it changes. State Farm retained “Jake from State Farm” as the identity audiences knew, but recast the role for a more ambitious campaign.
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Was Jake Stone fired?
There is no reliable evidence in the available reporting that Jake Stone was fired for misconduct, poor performance, a scandal, or a public disagreement with State Farm. There is also no authoritative public statement establishing that he was “fired.”
The careful description is that State Farm recast or relaunched the character with a professional actor. Reporting indicates that Stone eventually left State Farm, but the exact employment timeline and any private contract details should not be treated as established facts without stronger documentation.
The 2020 campaign also reportedly included Stone in a cameo. That cameo is significant because it presented the original Jake as part of the character’s history rather than as a disgraced former spokesperson. It helped connect the familiar 2011 commercial with the new campaign.
Jake Stone and Kevin Mimms compared
| Detail | Original Jake | 2020 relaunch and afterward |
|---|---|---|
| Performer | Jake Stone | Kevin Mimms, widely known professionally as Kevin Miles |
| Background | State Farm call-center employee | Professional actor |
| First major appearance | 2011 “State of Unrest” commercial | State Farm’s 2020 “Welcoming Back a Good Neighbor” campaign |
| Original role | A memorable employee-centered commercial appearance | A recurring national brand spokesperson |
| Relationship between versions | The source of the original character’s recognition | A relaunch that retained the character’s identity and visual cues |
Why the khakis mattered
Jake’s khakis became one of the character’s defining visual details because of the original exchange in which his caller asks what he is wearing. State Farm continued to use that association when it brought Jake back.
For viewers interested in recreating the recognizable look, men’s khaki pants are the relevant wardrobe item. That is only a costume or style reference—not an official State Farm product, and not an indication that State Farm endorses any particular pants.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The simplest explanation
Jake Stone made Jake memorable because he was a real State Farm employee in a commercial built around an authentic customer-service situation. But once the character became a major advertising asset, State Farm needed a performer who could carry Jake through a broader, long-running campaign.
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- TV, simplified: With setup that only takes minutes, a simple-to-navigate Home Screen, and an uncluttered remote control that does all you need—Roku makes it easier to watch the TV you love.
- A world of free entertainment: Enjoy a huge selection of free live TV, news, sports, movies, shows, and much more—all just a click away.
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Kevin Mimms—later commonly credited as Kevin Miles—became that performer in 2020. The evidence supports a planned recasting and brand expansion, not a documented punishment or scandal involving Stone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the original Jake from State Farm?
The original Jake was Jake Stone, a State Farm call-center employee from Bloomington, Illinois, who appeared in the company’s 2011 “State of Unrest” commercial.
Who plays Jake from State Farm now?
Kevin Mimms played Jake in State Farm’s 2020 relaunch. He is also widely known professionally as Kevin Miles.
Was Jake from State Farm fired?
There is no reliable evidence that Jake Stone was fired for misconduct, poor performance, or a scandal. The safer description is that State Farm recast or relaunched the character with a professional actor.
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Why did State Farm change Jake actors?
The character continued in sports, celebrity, social-media, gaming, and entertainment campaigns after 2020. State Farm’s later campaigns show that Jake became an ongoing brand spokesperson rather than a one-commercial character.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: State Farm replaced the original performer, Jake Stone, with professional actor Kevin Mimms/Kevin Miles in 2020 because it was expanding Jake from a memorable employee cameo into a durable, multi-platform advertising character. There is no reliable evidence that Stone was replaced because of misconduct or a public dispute.
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