The son of actress Hilary and agent Michael, Jack Whitehall was a child actor in various television dramas before pursuing stand-up comedy after leaving school.

Whitehall performed his first Edinburgh Festival Fringe show in 2009, receiving a nomination for best nbewcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. He is known for his roles as JP in the Channel 4 series Fresh Meat and as Alfie Wickers in the BBC Three sitcom Bad Education which he also co-wrote. He co-wrote The Bad Education Movie.

From 2012 to 2018, Whitehall was a regular panelist on A League of Their Own. In 2017, he appeared with his father in the Netflix series Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father. From 2018 to 2021, and again in 2025, he hosted the Brit Award Awards.

Whitehall has performed five stand-up tours: Jack Whitehall Live (2010–2011), Gets Around (2014), At Large (2017), Stood Up (2019), and Settle Down (2023–2024)/