actor and comedian
Actor and writer, special correspondent on The Daily Show, and creator and star of Halal in the Family
PROFILE
Aasif Mandvi
Guest
FROM Aasif Mandvi
The Business
'Halal in the Family' 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.
Recommended
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
‘A Private War’ director on whether the danger of war reporting is worth it What does it take to be a war correspondent? What kind of person is drawn to cover death and destruction? And does the reporting make any difference? They’re questions raised in “A Private War.” It stars Rosamund Pike as Marie Colvin, who’s covered atrocities in Sri Lanka, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria.
Second Opinion
With a new divided federal government is there any chance that Americans can expect effective health care legislation? While obtain access to affordable health care remains a top priority for a majority of Americans there seems no agreement that basic health care should be a human right and not a privilege.