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He's spoken out against racial bias.
By Samantha Maffucci — Written on Jan 08, 2019
Since Comedians of the World on Netflix premiered, people just can’t stop talking about how versatile, informative and funny the 30-minute stand-up routines are. With 47 comics from 13 regions of the globe, it’s hard to imagine that there would only be a handful of topics. Because while making people laugh is great, these comics also touch on real-world issues, including racism, homophobia, sexism, and what life is like in different regions.
And one of the comedians who has called attention to racism and bigotry is Nish Kumar. If you live in the UK, you most likely know him from the various shows he’s been on but for those in the United States, you should probably check out his routines! So, just who is Nish Kumar? Here are 5 things to know about the comedian.
1. He’s appeared on television.
Kumar has appeared on multiple programs, including Have I Got News For You, The Mash Report, Virtually Famous, Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled, Russell Howard's Stand Up Central, Sweat the Small Stuff, Live from the BBC, and is a frequent guest on The Bugle.
2. But he’s also been on the radio.
He hosted the topical comedy show Newsjack, and was a regular guest on Josh Widdicombe’s Radio X show from 2013 and 2015, presenting the feature “Nishipedia.”
3. He hasn’t been doing solo stand-up for long.
Kumar has been performing solo stand-up since 2013, particularly Edinburgh shows. He’s also appeared at numerous festivals, including Edinburgh Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Leicester Comedy Festival, and New Zealand Comedy Festival.
4. He had a travel show.
With fellow comedian Joel Dommett, Kumar created a travel series, which also aired on Netflix, titled Joel & Nish vs The World. While Kumar would encourage him, Dommett would perform a series of weird tasks, including sumo wrestling and kung fu.
5. He frequently calls out racism.
In late 2018, Kumar wrote a piece for The Guardian entitled “My name is Nish Kumar – so please stop calling me Nish Patel,” which shone a light on the racial bias in Britain.
“It’s absolute insanity. I don’t mind if people misspell my name. I wouldn’t even mind Nish Kapur – at least that’s an Indian name that’s close to mine. But Patel? It’s literally like they’ve just gone: ‘Ahh, they’re all Patels, in some way they’re all Patels.’ And people don’t think it’s a big deal. In one case that’s somebody I’m paying – and they can’t be bothered to learn my name. They just guess at an Indian name...
We were in denial about the extent to which Britain had cured itself of the poison of racism. We’re definitely not in denial about it now. If that makes people feel uncomfortable, well, they should feel uncomfortable. We should feel uncomfortable as a nation that we sided with the “breaking point” poster. I understand there are people who aren’t racist who voted leave, but ultimately, as a nation, we saw the breaking point poster and we said: I’m going to vote the same way as that guy.”
Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.