Jerome was born in 1997 and raised in the Bronx, New York. He is of Dominican descent and identifies as Afro-Latino. He grew up in a close-knit family with parents who he described as “loving”. His mother suggested he pursue acting when he was in eighth grade, after which he joined the Riverdale Children’s Theatre, a local youth theatre organization. He attended and graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School and commuted to Manhattan each day by train.

Shortly after Jerome enrolled as an undergraduate at Ithaca College, he was cast in his first professional acting role in the 2016 independent film Moonlight, as young Kevin. A.O. Scott wrote in The New York Times that he was “excellent” in the role. Director Barry Jenkins said about Jerome, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, “When you watch Jharrel in that movie, he’s not a guy who’s been over-rehearsing. That’s a dude learning by doing. It’s amazing.”

Since 2017, Jerome has appeared in the Audience series Mr. Mercedes. He auditioned for the role of young Korey Wise in the 2019 Netflix miniseries When They See Us, based on the Central Park jogger case. After his audition the series’ director, Ava DuVernay, asked him to read the lines for adult Korey Wise, and he was subsequently cast in both roles. Jerome grew close to Wise throughout filming, and said in a Los Angeles Times interview, “He’s my brother now. I look up to him. I look up to his courage. He’s taught me so much on how to be strong.”

Jharrel released “For Real” ft. Kemba on September 23, 2020. The song was produced by hit production and songwriting duo Take A Daytrip and marks Jharrel’s first single as a hip hop artist. Zane Lowe premiered “For Real” on his Apple Music radio show. Upon release, Jharrel included this message on his social media accounts:

Jerome won the 2019 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie category for his role in When They See Us. He is the first Afro-Latino actor to win an Emmy for acting. He also won in 2020 at the 10th Critics’ Choice Television Awards for Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries for When They See Us.