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Hari Kondabolu Stands Up For Political Comedy

Comedian Hari Kondabolu talks politics, Indian accents, and why his mom is the funniest person on earth.
Photo Yoon Kim

Comedian Hari Kondabolu has performed on the Late Show with David Letterman, Conan, and Jimmy Kimmel Live. His work explores his experience being raised in Queens, New York by Indian parents. And though his parents have provided him with plenty of comedic gems, Kondabolu does not use Indian accents in his stand-up.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Kondabolu about his new documentary on the Simpson’s character “Apu”, his comedy album “Mainstream American Comic,” and about getting political onstage. Kondabolu performs on Feb. 18 in Asheville at the Diana Wortham Theatre.

Laura Pellicer is a digital reporter with WUNC’s small but intrepid digital news team.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.