Jemison was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Rosalie (née Centanni) and Edward Francis Jemison.[4] He is of Irish and Italian descent. He was raised in Kenner, Louisiana and attended a Catholic secondary school, Archbishop Rummel High School. He graduated from Louisiana State University where he was a member of the Delta Chi Fraternity.[3][5]

He has made multiple appearances on Late Night with David Letterman, and starred in television pilots for NBC and ABC.

Jemison is a veteran of the Chicago theatre scene. His stage credits include The Wizards of Quiz at the National Jewish Theatre; Only Kidding at the Wisdom Bridge Theatre; Loot at Tulane Repertory; A Christmas Carol at the Goodman Theatre; Talking to Myself and Holiday Memories at the Northlight Theatre; and T Bone N Weasel at Victory Gardens. Jemison also performed in The Two Gentlemen of Verona and As You Like It at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

In the mid-1990s, before starting a film career, he starred in a series of Bud Light commercials with the tagline "Yes, I am". Offered a contract to continue playing the wildly popular character, Eddie instead chose to pursue music for a time, which prompted the creation of the now famous "Budweiser Frogs". Online Eddie recently starred in the web series Self-Storage