Hari Kondabolu is a Brooklyn-based comedian and writer who the NY Times has described as “one of the most exciting political comics in stand-up today.” His new album Mainstream American Comic is a follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut Waiting for 2042, which was also released on legendary indie label Kill Rock Stars. Paste Magazine named the album one of the Top 10 Standup Albums of 2014 and The Portland Mercury wrote that “the marriage of careful joke structure and fiercely intelligent commentary elevates this album from a collection of solid progressive punchlines to a work of art.” It is currently on high school and college curriculums around the United States.
Hari recently released his documentary film, THE PROBLEM WITH APU, about the stereotypical Indian character on The Simpsons, on TruTV to rave reviews (The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times, The New Yorker). Hari’s standup special, HARI KONDABOLU: WARN YOUR RELATIVES, was released on Netflix on May 8th, 2018 and was filmed at the historic Neptune Theatre in Seattle.
Hari was a writer and correspondent on the Chris Rock produced TV show Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell on the FX network. Kamau has described his long-time friend and collaborator as “the comedy equivalent of a punk rock concert that breaks out at a human right's rally.” The duo are currently co-hosting a weekly political podcast through First Look Media called “Politically Reactive.” He also is a co-host of “The Bugle” podcast with Andy Zaltzman.
Hari has appeared the Late Show with David Letterman, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live, John Oliver’s NY Standup Show, @midnight and has his own half-hour Comedy Central Presents special.
On the podcast front, he has made appearances on WTF with Marc Maron, Death, Sex and Money, You Made It Weird, Too Beautiful to Live and 2 Dope Queens. His podcast The Untitled Kondabolu Brothers Podcast with his brother Ashok (Dapwell from Das Racist) is currently on hiatus.
In the UK, he has established himself with a month-long run at 2011 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and TV appearances on Russell Howard’s Good News, Live at The Electric and 8 out of 10 Cats. He has also been profiled in The Guardian and New Statesman.
Hari attended both Bowdoin College and Wesleyan University, graduating from the former institution with a BA in Comparative Politics in 2003. A former intern with then-Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and a former immigrant rights organizer in Seattle, Hari received an MSc in Human Rights from the London School of Economics in 2008. He was named the NYU APA Institute’s “Artist in Residence” for the 2014-2015 Academic Year. In 2015, political website Mic named him one “the next generation of impactful leaders, cultural influencers, and breakthrough innovators.” In 2016, he was chosen to have a public dialogue with legendary feminist academic and writer bell hooks as part of St. Norbert College’s "Delight in the Fight: Disarming Injustice with Humor & Joy” series.
Hari Kondabolu’s website is www.harikondabolu.com and he can be found on Twitter at @harikondabolu.
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