The outgoing SNL cast member stood up for Jones on the VMAs red carpet on Sunday

Jay Pharoah Defends SNL Cast Mate Leslie Jones Following Website Hack: 'People Need to Leave Her Alone'

Jay Pharoah is firing back at critics of his former Saturday Night Live costar Leslie Jones.

The comic defended Jones – who has recently fallen victim to both racist Internet trolling and an online hack in which personal photos of her were leaked – on the Video Music Awards’ red carpet Sunday, telling Entertainment Tonight: “That is my friend, people need to leave her alone.”

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Pharoah, 28, continued of the 48-year-old Ghostbusters star: “She is a sweet, funny, talented person, and she has been in the game since I was born. She started doing comedy when I was born – so that was ’87.”

Jones’ personal website was hacked last Wednesday, and and a slew of personal information, including her passport, driver’s license and various iCloud photos (some nudes), were leaked to her website, JustLeslie.com.

Though the website was quickly taken down after the leak, there has been no indication as to who hacked the site or the motive behind it.

Moving forward, Pharoah said Jones “deserves all of her success for real,” .