A Career of Unapologetic Humour
Nish Kumar, a comedian known for his sharp wit and unfiltered opinions, has carved out a unique space in the British media landscape. His career spans panel shows, standup tours, and even appearances on Taskmaster, where he famously kicked over a water cooler. Despite his high profile, Kumar remains refreshingly candid about his tendency to speak his mind, often at the expense of his colleagues.
“I think many people in my life wish I was less willing to slag off my co-workers,” Kumar says with a mix of mischief and defiance. In this context, “co-workers” refers to fellow comedians. Over the course of their conversation, Kumar reveals that he frequently criticizes them by name. “People wish I kept my opinions to myself or kept people’s names out of my own mouth. I just, like… I don’t know,” he grins, throwing his hands up. “I’m a d. Like, I’m just a piece of s. My agent once said to me, ‘At the end of the day, you love being annoying.’”
Kumar’s reputation as an “annoying” comedian is somewhat ironic given his sustained success. At 40, he has become a familiar face across various platforms, from TV to podcasts. This level of exposure can sometimes dull a comedian’s edge, but for Kumar, it seems to have only sharpened his voice.
Navigating the Challenges of Public Life
The interview takes place on a late afternoon, with Kumar still eating lunch. “We’ve got to keep my blood sugar stable so I don’t libel anyone,” he jokes between mouthfuls. His unkempt beard and disheveled hair give him the look of someone who has spent the day battling the elements. The day had been particularly challenging due to Tube strikes, which left him stranded in traffic for hours.
“I’ve spent hours in traffic, taxiing around town from my home to a podcast studio and then here,” Kumar says, exasperated. “When the Tube drivers have gone on strike, it’s always like… just give them whatever they want. This city is not traversable by road. It’s a rat hotel – so you have to traverse London like a little rat and go through underground tunnels. Please give them what they want. I beg of you.”
New Show and Reflections on Comedy
In the coming months, Kumar will be touring his new standup show, Angry Humour from a Really Nice Guy. His previous show, Nish Don’t Kill My Vibe, was recently added to YouTube in full. The title of his new show, he explains, was chosen as a placeholder before the routine took shape. “You try not to box yourself into something too specific – you don’t want to promise an exhaustive history of irrigation or something.”
Despite the title, it aptly captures Kumar’s appeal: he is a transparently nice guy, yet one who is fueled by a sense of righteous anger. “Sometimes when people write about progressive politics, there’s a sense that by describing it as ‘angry’ you kind of delegitimise it,” he says. “But it’s pretty hard to not be angry when you respond to the basic facts of the 21st century of politics. Anger is sometimes the only rational response to a lot of what’s going on.”
The Role of Comedy in Society
Comedy, according to Kumar, has always been a lightning rod for debates about free speech and offensiveness. “Standup in particular will always be the vanguard of any conversation about free speech, just because it’s just people giving their opinions,” he explains. He references the late comedians George Carlin and Lenny Bruce, both of whom faced legal challenges for their work.
“There’s always been a stink of controversy around comedy,” Kumar continues. “In the past 15 years, the power and influence of comedy has grown exponentially. There are arguments to be made that comedian podcasters in America helped make Donald Trump president. I’ve always argued that comedy doesn’t really have the power to effect social change… but in the past two years, I’ve started to worry that I might be wrong – and the changes it’s making are for the worse.”
The Culture Wars and Transphobia
Kumar reflects on how comedy has increasingly become a battleground for issues like transphobia. He notes that some comedians, such as Ricky Gervais, Jimmy Carr, and Dave Chappelle, have made divisive jokes about trans people. “There’s this idea that comedy is always about punching up,” he says. “It’s not. Comedy’s sometimes about punching down. It’s a more complicated artform than just one type of engagement with power.”
He argues that the latest bout of transphobia is just the latest example of marginalized communities falling into the crosshairs of bullies. “If you come from any sort of minority, marginalised background, we’ve all got to have each others’ backs. Prejudice is a contagion.”
Personal Reflections and Regrets
Despite his sharp tongue, Kumar describes himself as a “people pleaser.” This irony is evident in his choice to tackle the most divisive subjects in his comedy. “Most of my regrets are just times I’ve been rude to people when I didn’t need to be,” he admits.
Kumar grew up in Croydon, south London, the child of Keralan immigrants. He attended St Olave’s, a boys’ grammar school in Orpington. “I do think single-sex schools are weird,” he says, “and I think there’s something unnatural about segregating genders.” However, the school also instilled in him an appreciation for the performing arts.
Legacy and Future
Kumar’s first standup show came in 2012, and over the following decade, he built a steadily growing fanbase. He hosted The Mash Report, a topical BBC comedy that ran until 2021. “The ending of that show was so strange,” he remarks. “There’s still some sense of unfinished business that I have with that group of writers.”
Swipes at Carr and co aside, Kumar is generous when talking about many of his peers. When he speaks about the comedian James Acaster, a friend of his, he is positively glowing. “I will admit this through gritted teeth, but I think a lot of those Acaster specials, people will still be talking about those shows in 20, 30 years’ time,” he says.
Looking Ahead
On the subject of his own body of work, Kumar is less sure. “I’m very interested in the history of comedy, the legacy of it. The stuff that lasts and endures. I don’t know if anything I’ve done will last 30 years into the future,” he says, blithely.
“When we used to do history in school, you’d study Victorian Punch magazine cartoons. It wasn’t necessarily that the jokes lasted, but it was, in some ways, a window into what people found funny about political figures at the time. And maybe the stuff I’ve done…”
He pauses, furrows his brow. “It sometimes feels so foolish to talk about people’s place in history when you’re like, we’re all going to die in a climate explosion. But… if there is any value in my comedy, maybe it will be as a sort of historical document, of what people were thinking about subjects at a certain point in time.”
Kumar will perform ‘Angry Humour From a Really Nice Guy’ at the Edinburgh Fringe from 6 August until 30 August, and will tour the UK and Ireland from 9 September onwards.
