So what does it really take to make it in comedy?
I mean, especially when your path doesn't exactly
start center stage, maybe it involves some pretty
big twists. Yeah, it's rarely a straight line,
is it? Exactly. And today, we're doing a deep
dive into someone whose journey is full of those
turns, Nimesh Patel. You probably know the name,
maybe from Saturday Night Live, maybe because
he was a groundbreaking first there, or perhaps
from, well, some headlines involving controversy.
He's definitely a figure who sparks conversation.
He really is. So our mission today is basically
to give you the full picture on Nimesh Patel.
We're going to unpack how he went from, believe
it or not, pre -med to being an Emmy nominated
writer. Quite a jump. Right. We'll get into his,
uh. very distinctive comedic voice and also look
at those key moments the highs and the lows that
have really defined his career so far. So by
the end you'll have a much clearer sense of who
he is as a comedian and writer. Okay so let's
dig in right at the beginning because Nimesh
Patel's story it doesn't kick off with stand
-up it starts with his family's immigrant experience
and a totally different career plan. That's right.
He was born in 86, Parsippany, Troy Hills in
New Jersey. His parents came over from India
back in the 70s. They're Indian Gujarati Hindus.
And his family's story, particularly his father's,
sounds pretty intense. Oh, absolutely. What really
stands out is that resilience. His dad came to
Newark, New Jersey when he was just 17, started
as a cashier at Macy's. Can you even imagine?
Wow, 17. Yeah. In a new country. Yeah. And then
he goes from that to opening his own liquor store,
but in Irvington, which the sources say was a
really high crime area back then. And it wasn't
just tough, it was dangerous. Yeah. The notes
mention he was robbed frequently, even shot at.
That's a heavy background. It really is. And
you have to think, growing up seeing that kind
of struggle, that determination against really
tough odds, that must leave a mark. Definitely.
So then you match these all this, and then he
heads off to New York City for NYU. Initially,
he's thinking pre -med. Right. Pre -med was the
first plan, but he eventually graduates in 2008
and the degree is actually in finance. OK, so
wait. Immigrant roots, father's intense entrepreneurial
struggle, pre -med track, then a finance degree.
That's not the typical comedian origin story.
Not at all. And it's fascinating to think about
how that mixed the family experience, the finance
training might shape a comedic perspective later
on. How do you see that playing out, the finance
part specifically? Well, you know, finance is
all about analyzing systems, right? Finding patterns,
maybe inefficiencies. Comedy, especially observational
comedy, kind of does the same thing with human
behavior and social norms. Huh, that's an interesting
connection. Like dissecting jokes the way you
dissect a balance sheet? Sort of. Maybe not exactly
like that, but there's an analytical rigor there.
A way of looking at the world, breaking things
down, finding the angle, the punchline. It feels
like that finance background, it wasn't a detour.
Maybe it was actually laying some groundwork
for his very precise, sometimes kind of cutting
style. OK, I can see that. So he graduates NYU
in 2008. Finance degree in hand terrible time
for finance by the way right in the middle of
the crisis Yeah, maybe the best time not to go
into finance, huh? right so instead of Wall Street
he He pivots he decides to go for comedy That's
a pretty bold move. It really is. He starts working
a day job, but then at night, he's doing standup
at the stress factory. He's lived in New York
City since his NYU days, so he's really diving
into that scene. And then comes one of those
moments that sounds like it's straight out of
a movie. 2015, he's doing a set in Greenpoint,
Brooklyn. And who happens to be in the audience?
Chris Rock. Just... Chris Rock discovers him.
I mean, that's huge. It's not just luck, it's
validation from a legend. Chris Rock has an incredible
eye for talent, for, uh... for the craft of writing,
not just performing. Absolutely. And that discovery
wasn't just a pat on the back. It led to real
opportunities, fast. Yeah, big ones. He gets
pulled onto Chris Rock's writing team for the
88th Academy Awards, the Oscars. That's like
going from local gigs straight to the Super Bowl
of writing jobs. Pretty much. And it shows, Rock
saw him primarily as a writer, right? A joke
craftsman. And he must have delivered because
he got nominated for a Writers Guild of America
Award in 2017 for that Oscars work. Wow. So recognized
by his peers right away? Exactly. The WGA nomination,
that's other writers saying, yeah, this guy can
write. It's a big deal in the industry. And the
momentum keeps building. 2016, he's a finalist
in Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud network pitch
panel at Just For Laughs. What does that signal?
So Just For Laughs in Montreal is the comedy
festival. And these pick panels, they're like
Shark Tank for comedians. You're pitching show
ideas, concepts to major players like Kevin Hart.
Ah, OK. So being a finalist means people see
him not just as a standup, but as someone who
can create and develop content. Precisely. It
shows he has ideas, a vision beyond just his
own performance. And around the same time, he's
also writing for Hassan Minhaj for the 2017 White
House Correspondents' Dinner. Another high pressure,
high visibility gig. Those jokes have to land
and they often carry a lot of weight. Absolutely.
So you see this pattern. He's proving his writing
chops on some of the biggest, most demanding
stages very quickly. It almost feels inevitable
then what comes next. The call from arguably
the most iconic stage in American comedy. Right.
The trajectory was pointing towards 30 Rock.
And in 2017, it happens. You join Saturday Night
Live. And not just as any writer. he becomes
the first Indian American writer in SNL's history.
That's a landmark moment. Think about what that
means, being the first in that particular room.
SNL is such a cultural institution. He primarily
wrote for Weekend Update, which seems like a
natural fit, given his stand -up background,
sharp topical jokes. Definitely. And being the
first Indian -American writer there, especially
on Update, it's not just about representation,
though, that's huge. It's about potentially bringing
different perspectives, different cultural reference
points into that very influential comedic space.
You mean like changing the flavor of the jokes
a bit? Maybe subtly, yeah. just expanding the
range of what gets observed and commented on.
It broadens the lens for potentially millions
of viewers. And his talent was clearly recognized
there too. In 2018, he gets a primetime Emmy
nomination for outstanding writing for a variety
series for his SNL work. Another major validation.
It confirms that his contribution wasn't just
historic, it was also top quality, critically
acclaimed work. But here's something interesting
there. He only worked at SNL for one season.
Yeah, that is noteworthy. You get this groundbreaking
role, you get an Emmy nod, and then you're gone
after a year. What do you make of that? Why leave
so quickly? Well, it could be a lot of things.
SNL is notoriously demanding. Maybe it wasn't
the right fit long term, or perhaps for someone
with such a distinct voice, maybe he wanted more
creative freedom, more focus on his own standup.
Right, maybe the constraints of a weekly show,
even SNL, felt limiting after a while. It's possible.
It suggests someone who's really driven by their
own path, not just climbing the conventional
ladder, even a very prestigious one. That makes
sense. And his career certainly didn't stall
after SNL. He kept popping up everywhere, shows
like at Midnight, Comedy Knockout, Late Night
with Seth Meyers. Keeping his face and his comedy
out there. And interestingly, not just comedy
stages. In 2018, he was a panelist at a foreign
affairs symposium at Johns Hopkins University
talking about comedy and politics. See, that
Johns Hopkins thing is telling. It shows he's
not just a joke teller. He's thinking about...
the role of comedy, its intersection with politics,
on a more academic or analytical level, it suggests
depth. Yeah, OK. So we've traced this amazing
path, the unusual background, the big breaks,
SNL. Now let's get into his actual comedy. What's
his style like? Who are his influences? Well,
his main influences are comedy titans, right?
Dave Chappelle, Mitch Hedberg, Chris Rock, Larry
David, Patrice O 'Neill. That tells you something
immediately. Yeah, that's a lineup known for
being sharp, observational, sometimes edgy. Definitely
boundary pushing in different ways. Exactly.
And you see elements of that in Nimesh's style.
It's often very direct, observational. One characteristic
noted in the sources is that his humor sometimes
focuses on unchangeable physical attributes,
height, skin color, things like that. OK. That
sounds like it could be tricky territory. How
does he use that? It seems like it's often used
to point out social absurdities or maybe stereotypes,
sometimes subverting them. But it's definitely
a style that relies on precision and reading
the room because if it misses. It can really
miss. And that brings us to a very public instance
where it seemingly did miss. for at least part
of the audience, the Columbia University incident
in 2018. Right. November 30th, 2018, he's performing
at an event called Culture SHOC Reclaim, organized
by Columbia's Asian American Alliance. The event
itself is focused on Asian representation. And
about 24 minutes into his set, the organizers
actually interrupt him and ask him to leave the
stage. Yeah. That's unusual, to say the least.
It became a huge flash point. You had discussions
about free speech, censorship, safe spaces, the
role of comedy, especially around sensitive topics
like race and identity on a college campus. What
was the reported issue? What lines did they feel
he crossed? Based on reports in the subsequent
discussion, the organizers felt some of his jokes,
particularly those touching on race and sexuality,
were offensive and inappropriate for the event's
theme and audience. They felt it undermined the
goal of creating an inclusive space focused on
positive representation. And what was Nimesh
Patel's side of it? How did he react? Well, from
his perspective, and likely reflecting his comedic
influences, the idea is often that comedy should
tackle uncomfortable subjects. He later released
the video of his full set online in October 2020.
He stated he did this because he felt an article
about the incident wasn't accurate. So he wanted
people to see the full context. Exactly. By releasing
the tape, he was essentially saying, judge the
material for yourself. It highlights this ongoing
tension, you know, where's the line between provocative
humor and harmful speech, and who gets to draw
it, especially in specific contexts like a university
event focused on representation. It's a really
complex issue, and that incident definitely put
him at the center of that debate. It did. It
became a significant moment in discussions about
comedy culture. Beyond that specific incident,
let's touch quickly on his personal background
and other commentary. He's not practicing Hindu.
He got married in 2020 to Amy Havel Patel. They
have a kid, lives in Brooklyn, still performs
regularly at the Comedy Cellar. Yeah, the Comedy
Cellar gig is important. That venue is legendary
for fostering raw, unfiltered stand -up. It's
a place where comics are expected to push boundaries.
And it seems like he continues to do that. There
was another instance mentioned during one of
his tour sets involving the Partition of India.
Yes. That's another example of him weaving in
potentially very charged historical and political
commentary. He criticized the partition and the
1947 division of British India, which was, you
know, incredibly traumatic and has deep historical
wounds. And he apparently got into it with an
audience member? According to the source material,
yeah. He criticized a British Indian woman in
the audience who he perceived as defending British
colonialism in India. He apparently brought up
the coven or diamond, called her a self loather.
It sounds like a very direct, very confrontational
moment. Wow. That's taking audience interaction
to a whole different level. It's not just crowd
work. It's a direct political and historical
argument mid set. Exactly. It shows a comedian
who is absolutely unafraid to engage directly,
even aggressively, on issues he feels strongly
about, drawing from his own heritage and perspective.
He's not just there to make people laugh. Sometimes
he seems intent on making them think or maybe
even confronting them. So when we pull back and
look at the whole picture, Nimish Patel's career
is really this compelling arc, isn't it? From
that unexpected start, through the groundbreaking
SNL role, to developing this comedic style that's
clearly provocative and sparks a lot of reaction.
Absolutely. from finance grad to Emmy nominee,
first Indian American SNL writer, but also the
Columbia incident, the direct confrontations.
It's a career marked by both significant achievements
and significant controversy. It really mirrors
the larger conversations happening around comedy,
identity, and free speech. This deep dive, I
think, really shows how intertwined a comedian's
personal story, their influences, and their choices
about what to joke about can be. and how that
can ripple out into bigger societal discussions.
Yeah, it forces you, the listener, to think about
the complexities. How does comedy work best?
When does it cross a line? Who decides? His career
kind of embodies those questions. It really does.
Which leaves us with something to chew on, I
think. Considering the Meshpatel's path and the
strong reactions his comedy sometimes gets. How
do you think comedians should balance that desire
to push boundaries, to be provocative, with a
sense of responsibility to their audience? And
maybe more personally, where do you draw the
line between humor that challenges and humor
that offends? That's the million dollar question,
isn't it? Definitely something to think about.