Aasif Mandvi established himself as a working actor in Hollywood in the 1990s and early 2000s appearing on TV shows like Miami Vice, CSI, Law & Order, The Sopranos and Oz. But he became a household — if often mispronounced — name after joining The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as a “Senior Foreign-Looking Correspondent” in 2006.
Today Mandvi writes, produces and stars in a comedy web series poking fun at 80s sitcoms and anti-Muslim bias called “Halal in the Family” (http://halalinthefamily.tv)
In this interview, he talks with The Young Turks’ Cenk Uygur about:
– Turning down The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’s initial offer for him to audition
– Why his youth spent in the north of England helped him as an adult trying to pick up American women
– How 9/11 changed everything for American Muslims
– How “Halal in the Family” was inspired by news anchor Katie Couric
– Long-standing Muslim traditions that CELEBRATE portraits of the Prophet Muhammad
– What motivates “New Atheists” like Bill Maher and Sam Harris to generalize about Muslims
– How his acting career was inspired in equal parts by The Fonz and Omar Sharif
– Why he once told a casting agent he’d be willing to learn how to be a snake charmer
Check out episodes of “Halal in the Family” here: http://halalinthefamily.tv
Find out all this and much more in the latest fun, funny and fascinating installment of TYT Interviews.
For more interviews, subscribe, HERE: https://www.youtube.com/user/TYTInter…
Support The Young Turks by Subscribing http://www.youtube.com/user/theyoungt…
Like Us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theyoungturks
Follow Us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/theyoungturks
Support TYT for FREE by doing your Amazon shopping through this link (bookmark it!) http://www.amazon.com/?tag=theyoungtu…
Buy TYT Merch: http://theyoungturks.spreadshirt.com/
Support The Young Turks by becoming a member of TYT Nation at http://tytnetwork.com/member-opti… Your membership supports the day to day operations and is vital for our continued success and growth. In exchange, we provided members only bonuses! We tape a special Post Game show Mon-Thurs and you get access to the entire live show at your convenience in video, audio and podcast formats.