Aasif Mandvi broke more glass ceilings than you probably realize.
If you watched ‘The Daily Show’ during the post-9/11 era, you likely already know the comedian and actor for his biting commentary on Islamophobia, George W. Bush, and the ‘War on Terror’.
But did you know he was the political comedy show’s first non-white cast member? Or that he served as the “Senior Middle East Correspondent” and “Senior Muslim Correspondent” even though he’s not from the Middle East or a practicing Muslim? At the time, Aasif’s satirical role allowed him to explore politics, society, and Muslim-ness in America like few others had. Now, he joins Mehdi on the new episode of ‘We’re Not Kidding’ in front of a live audience at the Sundance Film Festival for a wide-ranging conversation about being fellow immigrants, Muslim representation, Donald Trump, Zohran Mamdani, as well as take some questions from the audience.
“Are you worried about being denaturalized?” Mehdi asks. “Every time I say anything someone doesn’t like, I have members of Congress saying, ‘Deport and denaturalize Mehdi Hasan.’”
“Yeah, of course. It is always a threat that they hold over our heads,” Aasif says.
Aasif and Mehdi talk about being the children of Indian immigrants who first landed in the UK then ultimately in the US. “My father was fascinated with the American concept of brunch,” Aasif says. They also discuss Aasif’s groundbreaking work on ‘The Daily Show’ as one of the few Muslims with a platform on national television during the mid-2000s. “My Muslim-ness was not something I walked around being like, ‘I am an American Muslim,’” Aasif says. “Suddenly after 9/11, that became very front and center. And I realized, ‘Oh, there’s an opportunity here for me to actually say something.’”
The two also discuss:
The massive protests in Minneapolis against ICE and the killing of Alex Pretti.
The Trump admin’s plans to “denaturalize” foreign-born citizens.
Hollywood’s silence on the genocide in Gaza.
Donald Trump’s meeting with Zohran Mamdani and “bidet-gate.”
They also took some thoughtful questions from the audience, including, “What would Mehdi say to Donald Trump, if he had the chance?” Watch the full episode to hear Mehdi’s response!
2026 Sundance Film Festival. Recorded at The Muslim House® Produced by the MPAC® Hollywood Bureau with the support of the Doris Duke Foundation.
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