In a landmark year for diversity on television, there's still not a sitcom that portrays a Muslim-American family. Aasif Mandvi would like to change that, and believes his new Funny or Die web series, Halal in the Family, is a step in the right direction.
The Daily Show correspondent tells us how a theater kid who grew up in Northern England ended up going on the air with Jon Stewart the very same day he auditioned for the job. Mandvi also shares why someone losing their job after a Daily Show interview isn't always great news for those on the show staff.
Today, Mandvi still makes appearances on The Daily Show, but he's also got a project all his own. Halal in the Family is a new web series on Funny or Die that takes the tropes of a classic American sitcom -- the bumbling father, wise mother, a loud laugh track -- and applies them to a Muslim-American family in a way that's entertaining, but also carries a larger message about battling anti-Muslim bias.
And we couldn't let Mandvi go without asking him about Trevor Noah. Mandvi says if he were America's therapist, he'd tell everyone to relax. He agrees with Jon Stewart and thinks audiences should give Noah a chance.
Mandvi's next project will be the upcoming HBO dark comedy, The Brink, premiering this summer.