with his first show taking place on December 8 at the Foxwoods Theatre. Epstein referred to the role as a "childhood fantasy come true." He played his final performance on August 12, 2013, to begin rehearsing for a new musical titled Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which opened on Broadway on January 12, 2014. This marked his second Broadway show in less than a year. The musical was based on Carole King's life, and Epstein portrayed her former husband Gerry Goffin. He noted that it was not easy playing the man who broke King's heart. Epstein said that "...it was tough, because Goffin was alive at the time. I was in touch with Carole King, who kept encouraging me, 'Do everything you can not to make him the villain.'" Beautiful had undergone major script changes and the version of Goffin that appeared in the final show was different from the part that Epstein had first auditioned for. Epstein said, "I'm trying to make his struggle clear, so people understand why he did the things he did. He's not just a villain. I hope people see it's more complicated than that." He remained with the cast until September 21, 2014. Many of the characters Epstein portrayed were troubled types. He said in December 2013, "I'm a pretty upbeat person. I think I sometimes get cast as these brooding types because I bring light and joy, which hopefully makes them more likable." Epstein played "geeky FBI computer nerd" Chuck Russink in the American TV show Designated Survivor (2016–2018). It was cancelled by ABC after two seasons, and he was no longer in the show when it was picked up and aired by Netflix for a third season. In 2016, Epstein starred as a closeted gay man in the off-Broadway show Straight. He said of the script: Critic Michael Glitz described Epstein's performance as "immensely appealing" and wrote that the three-member cast "elevated the show considerably with their charm and chemistry, led by Epstein's increasingly substantial stage chops." New York Times critic Andy Webster wrote, "Mr. Epstein ably embodies a vaguely passive-aggressive, noncommittal male archetype." In July 2019, Epstein debuted his original one act autobiographical show Boy Falls From the Sky: Jake Epstein Live at Supermarket at the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival. The show in part detailed his experiences on Broadway with the title referring to his time performing in Spider-Man: Turn Off