Hari Kondabolu

Hari Kondabolu, an Indian-American performer who works across comedy, acting, filmmaking, and activism, grew up in Queens, New York. He first gained notice as a standup comedian through the Untitled Kondabolu Brothers, a project and later podcast he created with his younger brother Ashok Kondabolu, known as Dap of the electro-hip-hop outfit Das Racist. His brand of observational humor, steeped in social and political commentary, reached larger audiences by the end of the 2010s, surging especially around the 2016 U.S. elections and again in 2017 with the release of his documentary The Problem with Apu.

The son of progressive Telugu physicians, Kondabolu completed a B.A. in comparative politics followed by a master’s in human rights studies. He put those credentials to work first as an immigrant organizer in Seattle and then through television appearances on programs such as Jimmy Kimmel Live and Live at Gotham. His initial half-hour Comedy Central Presents special aired in 2011, the same year he and Dap introduced The Untitled Kondabolu Brothers Project—an improvised talk show staged live in Brooklyn. The venture transitioned into a podcast the next year.

Kondabolu issued his first comedy album, Waiting for 2042, on the Kill Rock Stars label in 2014. Two years later came Mainstream American Comic, whose track list included pieces such as “A Vegan Long Con,” “Hilary, Bernie, and the Illuminati,” and “White People Don’t Like Being Called White People.” The record climbed to number two on the Billboard comedy chart. In 2017 he unveiled the documentary The Problem with Apu, which examined the stereotyped convenience-store owner on The Simpsons. The following year he headlined his own standup special, Warn Your Relatives.