Azhar Muhammad Usman (born December 23, 1975) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer of Indian descent.[1][2] He is a former lecturer, community activist and lawyer and has been referred to as the "Ayatollah of Comedy" and "Bin Laughin".[3] He is best known as one third of comedy trio Allah Made Me Funny. In December 2020, Marvel Studios announced that Usman had joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, agreeing to play Najaf on the cast of the studio's Ms. Marvel original streaming series for Disney+.[4][5]
Usman was born in Chicago, Illinois, to immigrant Indian Muslim parents. As a child, his family lived in the Chicago suburb of Skokie.[6] In the 1970s, Usman's veterinarian father Zia Usman (a graduate of Aligarh Muslim University[7]) and school-teacher mother Atiya Usman left Bihar, India, and emigrated to the United States.[8]
He chose not to practice law after graduating from law school. Instead he did a dot-com start-up. He turned down six-figure salary offers to pay himself $35,000 working for his own dot com. He then folded the dot-com business and started practicing law briefly as a solo practitioner, whilst doing stand up as a hobby.[10]
Stand-up career
Since 1996, Usman had a friend who was an amateur comic and he would take him to a comedy club in Minneapolis.[11] This inspired him to write an act in 2000.[12] Usman started performing stand-up comedy in early 2001,[11] a few months before September 11,[13] initially as a hobby. However, in 2004, he had enough bookings to make a run at it.[12] In early 2004, Usman stopped practicing law full-time.[14] He has performed in many major cities in the U.S. as well as in over 20 countries on five continents.
In May 2004, Usman along with Preacher Moss and Azeem Muhammad (later replaced by Mohammed Amer in 2006) launched a comedy tour titled Allah Made Me Funny.[15] He also co-wrote and produced a feature-length documentary/concert film based on the live tour, which was theatrically exhibited at Landmark Theatres in over a dozen top US markets in 2008. The film was directed by award-winning documentarian Andrea Kalin and funded by the Unity Productions Foundation. Allah Made Me Funny toured 30 U.S. cities during its first year, and also in Canada, Europe, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Middle East.[16][17]
In 2008, CNN aired an hour-long special, entitled America's Funniest Muslim, on its Turkish affiliate, which included both performance clips and an extended Q&A session with Usman. In November 2008, he toured India, debuting at the American Center in New Delhi.[7]
Film career
Usman and Matt Sunbulli founded a production company called 9 Saints.[21] (now defunct). In 2008, Usman produced a short film, The Boundary (directed by Julius Onah), which was selected as a finalist by the HBO Short Film Competition, and aired on that network several times.[21] Usman also appeared in the critically acclaimed, independent feature film Mooz-lum (directed by Qasim "Q" Basir) in 2011, starring opposite Roger Guenveur Smith, Evan Ross, Nia Long, and film legend Danny Glover. He also appeared in several documentaries as himself, including It's My Country Too: Muslim Americans (directed by Ruhi Hamid for BBC), Me and the Mosque (directed by Zarqa Nawaz for CBC), and STANDUP: Muslim American Comics Come of Age (directed by Glenn Baker for PBS).
Television career
In June 2013, Usman featured on an interfaith special, What's So Funny About Religion?, alongside Lewis Black and Mohammed Amer, which was broadcast on the CBS Television Network.[22]
In February 2017, Usman appeared in the recurring role of Kkyman Candahar in the Amazon original seriesPatriot, created, written, and directed by Chicago screenwriter and producer Steven Conrad. He returned the following year to reprise his role in the second season of the show.[23]
In 2018, he served as a Creative Advisor on the Hulu original series RAMY, created by and starring Egyptian-American standup comedian and actor, Ramy Youssef. In 2019, he served as an Executive Creative Advisor on the show's second season, as well as a staff writer, and co-wrote an episode of the show, co-starring Egyptian screen legend Amr Waked and two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali,[24] with the show's eponymous creator.[23]
Usman talks about family histories[26] and his American-Muslim childhood.[27] He jokes about being mistaken for a terrorist,[28] customs, religious holidays, families and himself.[29][30]
Usman's character comedy includes "Sheikh Abdul, the radical imam", who intersperses vitriolic lectures with announcements about double-parked cars and meetings to re-elect the mosque committee that has remained unchanged for 37 years. There is also "Uncle Letmesplainyou", an antique Muslim who barely speaks English, has crazy political views and a voracious desire to share them, elbowing others aside to embarrass the community in television interviews. He also brags about the growth of Muslim America to people who don't care.[13]
Other activities
Usman is an artist and an activist and was a co-founding board member and director of The Nawawi Foundation, an Illinois non-profit dedicated to contemporary Islamic research[31] and private Muslim think tank.[32]
Usman wrote a one-man show titled "Ultra American: A Patriot Act starring Azhar Usman" and premiered it at Silk Road Rising in Chicago in September 2016.[35] The show was recommended for a Jeff Award.
In May 2017, Usman appeared on comedian Pete Holmes' podcast You Made It Weird, for a wide-ranging interview that covered many topics.[36]
In the beginning of 2020, he announced the formation of Numinous CompanyArchived November 14, 2022, at the Wayback Machine , a boutique services firm offering creative producing and humor consulting services to fellow creatives, such as comedians and creators, startups, non-profits, and other clients.
Awards and recognition
In March 2005, ABC Nightline ran an entire episode about Usman called "MUSLIM COMIC." In 2008, CNN's Turkish affiliate (CNN Türk) ran a one-hour special starring Usman, entitled "America's Funniest Muslim," which included a portion of live standup, followed by a lengthy Q&A session with the audience. In 2009, Usman was listed as one of The 500 Most Influential Muslims by Georgetown University's The Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim–Christian Understanding and Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre of Jordan.[34] In 2010, fellow comedian and legendary standup icon Dave Chappelle remarked: "Azhar Usman is untouchable, he's like a comedian from the future," after a show at The New Parish in Oakland, California. Usman has opened for Chappelle over 40 times since first meeting him in 2005.
Netflix original standup comedy special (written and performed by Hasan Minhaj)
Theatre
Year
Title
Director
Role or Title
Notes
2016
ULTRA AMERICAN: A Patriot Acts
Aaron Todd Douglas
Playwright & Actor
One-man show written and performed by Azhar Usman, produced and presented by Silk Road Rising Theatre Company in Chicago (recommended for Jeff Award)
Personal life
Usman is an Indian AmericanSufiMuslim.[21] He is divorced with four children. His ex-wife is a lawyer.[10] In the spring of 2020, it was announced on his personal Instagram account that he is now married to visual artist Jennifer Hoffman Usman (f/k/a Jen Jackson),[39] a graduate of The Prince's School of the Traditional Arts.
David Khari Webber Chappelle is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He starred in and co-created the satirical comedy sketch series Chappelle's Show (2003–2006) before quitting in the middle of production during the third season. After a hiatus, Chappelle returned to performing stand-up comedy across the U.S. By 2006, Chappelle was called the "comic genius of America" by Esquire and, in 2013, "the best" by a Billboard writer. In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked him No. 9 in their "50 Best Stand Up Comics of All Time".
Dane Jeffrey Cook is an American stand-up comedian and film actor. He is known for his use of observational, often vulgar, and sometimes dark comedy. He released six comedy albums: Harmful If Swallowed (2003), Retaliation (2005), Vicious Circle (2006), Rough Around the Edges: Live from Madison Square Garden (2007), and Isolated Incident (2009).
Bryant Reginald Moss, best known by his stage name Preacher Moss, is an American stand-up comedian and writer. He is best known as one third of comedy trio Allah Made Me Funny.
Neal Brennan is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, and podcaster. He is best known for co-creating and co-writing the Comedy Central series Chappelle's Show (2003–2006) with Dave Chappelle and for his Netflix stand-up comedy special 3 Mics (2017).
MuslimFest is an annual three-day festival that celebrates the best in Muslim Art, Culture, and Entertainment. The event showcases Muslim artists, musicians, and comedians, and takes place every summer in Mississauga, Ontario. MuslimFest is a signature event in Canada that won various awards including Top 100 by FEO and also Greenest Festival in Canada award. The 2023 event will take place at the Mississauga Celebration Square from July 07 to July 09.
Humour in Islam refers to the act of doing things that are considered humorous under the guidelines set by the Quran and the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
John Edmund Mulaney is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Mulaney first rose to prominence for his work as a writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2008 to 2013, where he contributed to numerous sketches and characters, including Stefon, a recurring character that he and Bill Hader co-created. Since his departure from SNL, Mulaney has hosted it several times, becoming a member of the SNL Five Timers Club in 2022.
Allah Made Me Funny: Live in Concert is a 2008 American concert documentary film directed by Andrea Kalin and produced by Unity Productions Foundation. The live concert features American comedy troupe Allah Made Me Funny.
Mohammed Mustafa Amer is a Palestinian American stand-up comedian. He is best known for his Netflix comedy special Mo Amer: The Vagabond, and his role as one third of the comedy trio Allah Made Me Funny. He also starred for two seasons, alongside comedian Ramy Youssef, in the Hulu sitcom Ramy as Ramy's cousin Mo, who owns a diner. He stars in the film Black Adam. He also created and stars in a Netflix TV show called Mo. The show is loosely based on his own experience growing up as a Palestinian refugee and was released in August 2022. Amer hosted the 2023 season of Doha Debates' flagship series, filmed before a live audience in Qatar's Education City.
Omar Laquon Regan is an American stand-up comedian, actor and former musician.
Prince Abdi is a British stand-up comedian and actor.
Riaad Moosa is a South African comedian, actor and doctor.
Aamer Rahman is an Australian stand-up comedian of Bangladeshi descent. He is best known as one half of comedy duo Fear of a Brown Planet, along with Nazeem Hussain.
Fear of a Brown Planet are an Australian stand-up comedy duo consisting of Aamer Rahman and Nazeem Hussain.
Allah Made Me Funny are an American stand-up comedy troupe consisting of Bryant "Preacher" Moss, Azhar Usman, and Azeem Muhammad, who was later replaced by Mohammed "Mo" Amer. They are the longest-running artistic collective of Muslim comic performers in the world.
Allah Made Me Funny: The Official Muslim Comedy Tour is a 2005 American concert film directed by Tariq Jalil, and produced by Francisco Aguilar and Jaime Maldonado. The live concert features American comedy troupe Allah Made Me Funny.
Allah Made Me Funny - Official Muslim Comedy Show - Live HMV Apollo is a 2009 American concert film. The live concert features American comedy troupe Allah Made Me Funny.
Rajiv Satyal is an American comedian. He is the first person ever to perform standup comedy on all seven continents.
↑ Donadoni, Serena (2008). "Comedy With a Mission". Dispatches. The Cinema Girl. Archived from the original on August 30, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
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