WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.120 So what does it really take to make it in comedy? 00:00:02.500 --> 00:00:04.299 I mean, especially when your path doesn't exactly 00:00:04.299 --> 00:00:07.980 start center stage, maybe it involves some pretty 00:00:07.980 --> 00:00:10.039 big twists. Yeah, it's rarely a straight line, 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:12.699 is it? Exactly. And today, we're doing a deep 00:00:12.699 --> 00:00:15.439 dive into someone whose journey is full of those 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:18.980 turns, Nimesh Patel. You probably know the name, 00:00:19.160 --> 00:00:21.359 maybe from Saturday Night Live, maybe because 00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:24.519 he was a groundbreaking first there, or perhaps 00:00:24.519 --> 00:00:26.920 from, well, some headlines involving controversy. 00:00:27.050 --> 00:00:29.109 He's definitely a figure who sparks conversation. 00:00:29.410 --> 00:00:32.170 He really is. So our mission today is basically 00:00:32.170 --> 00:00:34.890 to give you the full picture on Nimesh Patel. 00:00:35.009 --> 00:00:37.429 We're going to unpack how he went from, believe 00:00:37.429 --> 00:00:40.609 it or not, pre -med to being an Emmy nominated 00:00:40.609 --> 00:00:43.409 writer. Quite a jump. Right. We'll get into his, 00:00:43.409 --> 00:00:46.479 uh. very distinctive comedic voice and also look 00:00:46.479 --> 00:00:48.600 at those key moments the highs and the lows that 00:00:48.600 --> 00:00:50.600 have really defined his career so far. So by 00:00:50.600 --> 00:00:52.679 the end you'll have a much clearer sense of who 00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:55.380 he is as a comedian and writer. Okay so let's 00:00:55.380 --> 00:00:56.960 dig in right at the beginning because Nimesh 00:00:56.960 --> 00:00:59.659 Patel's story it doesn't kick off with stand 00:00:59.659 --> 00:01:02.359 -up it starts with his family's immigrant experience 00:01:02.359 --> 00:01:05.230 and a totally different career plan. That's right. 00:01:05.469 --> 00:01:08.230 He was born in 86, Parsippany, Troy Hills in 00:01:08.230 --> 00:01:11.150 New Jersey. His parents came over from India 00:01:11.150 --> 00:01:14.469 back in the 70s. They're Indian Gujarati Hindus. 00:01:14.950 --> 00:01:17.950 And his family's story, particularly his father's, 00:01:18.049 --> 00:01:20.829 sounds pretty intense. Oh, absolutely. What really 00:01:20.829 --> 00:01:24.390 stands out is that resilience. His dad came to 00:01:24.390 --> 00:01:26.709 Newark, New Jersey when he was just 17, started 00:01:26.709 --> 00:01:29.010 as a cashier at Macy's. Can you even imagine? 00:01:29.170 --> 00:01:32.359 Wow, 17. Yeah. In a new country. Yeah. And then 00:01:32.359 --> 00:01:34.879 he goes from that to opening his own liquor store, 00:01:34.920 --> 00:01:37.819 but in Irvington, which the sources say was a 00:01:37.819 --> 00:01:39.500 really high crime area back then. And it wasn't 00:01:39.500 --> 00:01:41.439 just tough, it was dangerous. Yeah. The notes 00:01:41.439 --> 00:01:44.019 mention he was robbed frequently, even shot at. 00:01:44.540 --> 00:01:47.140 That's a heavy background. It really is. And 00:01:47.140 --> 00:01:49.340 you have to think, growing up seeing that kind 00:01:49.340 --> 00:01:52.659 of struggle, that determination against really 00:01:52.659 --> 00:01:55.359 tough odds, that must leave a mark. Definitely. 00:01:55.780 --> 00:01:57.000 So then you match these all this, and then he 00:01:57.000 --> 00:01:58.900 heads off to New York City for NYU. Initially, 00:01:58.920 --> 00:02:01.450 he's thinking pre -med. Right. Pre -med was the 00:02:01.450 --> 00:02:03.909 first plan, but he eventually graduates in 2008 00:02:03.909 --> 00:02:06.689 and the degree is actually in finance. OK, so 00:02:06.689 --> 00:02:10.629 wait. Immigrant roots, father's intense entrepreneurial 00:02:10.629 --> 00:02:13.469 struggle, pre -med track, then a finance degree. 00:02:13.650 --> 00:02:15.590 That's not the typical comedian origin story. 00:02:15.789 --> 00:02:17.870 Not at all. And it's fascinating to think about 00:02:17.870 --> 00:02:20.969 how that mixed the family experience, the finance 00:02:20.969 --> 00:02:24.490 training might shape a comedic perspective later 00:02:24.490 --> 00:02:26.569 on. How do you see that playing out, the finance 00:02:26.569 --> 00:02:28.349 part specifically? Well, you know, finance is 00:02:28.349 --> 00:02:31.189 all about analyzing systems, right? Finding patterns, 00:02:31.469 --> 00:02:34.449 maybe inefficiencies. Comedy, especially observational 00:02:34.449 --> 00:02:36.189 comedy, kind of does the same thing with human 00:02:36.189 --> 00:02:38.569 behavior and social norms. Huh, that's an interesting 00:02:38.569 --> 00:02:40.969 connection. Like dissecting jokes the way you 00:02:40.969 --> 00:02:43.770 dissect a balance sheet? Sort of. Maybe not exactly 00:02:43.770 --> 00:02:45.870 like that, but there's an analytical rigor there. 00:02:46.090 --> 00:02:48.030 A way of looking at the world, breaking things 00:02:48.030 --> 00:02:50.909 down, finding the angle, the punchline. It feels 00:02:50.909 --> 00:02:55.009 like that finance background, it wasn't a detour. 00:02:55.090 --> 00:02:56.889 Maybe it was actually laying some groundwork 00:02:56.889 --> 00:03:00.509 for his very precise, sometimes kind of cutting 00:03:00.509 --> 00:03:03.330 style. OK, I can see that. So he graduates NYU 00:03:03.330 --> 00:03:06.259 in 2008. Finance degree in hand terrible time 00:03:06.259 --> 00:03:07.939 for finance by the way right in the middle of 00:03:07.939 --> 00:03:10.039 the crisis Yeah, maybe the best time not to go 00:03:10.039 --> 00:03:13.460 into finance, huh? right so instead of Wall Street 00:03:13.460 --> 00:03:18.680 he He pivots he decides to go for comedy That's 00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:21.060 a pretty bold move. It really is. He starts working 00:03:21.060 --> 00:03:23.620 a day job, but then at night, he's doing standup 00:03:23.620 --> 00:03:25.379 at the stress factory. He's lived in New York 00:03:25.379 --> 00:03:27.439 City since his NYU days, so he's really diving 00:03:27.439 --> 00:03:29.219 into that scene. And then comes one of those 00:03:29.219 --> 00:03:31.000 moments that sounds like it's straight out of 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:34.060 a movie. 2015, he's doing a set in Greenpoint, 00:03:34.159 --> 00:03:36.520 Brooklyn. And who happens to be in the audience? 00:03:36.659 --> 00:03:39.979 Chris Rock. Just... Chris Rock discovers him. 00:03:40.180 --> 00:03:42.300 I mean, that's huge. It's not just luck, it's 00:03:42.300 --> 00:03:45.439 validation from a legend. Chris Rock has an incredible 00:03:45.439 --> 00:03:50.060 eye for talent, for, uh... for the craft of writing, 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:52.419 not just performing. Absolutely. And that discovery 00:03:52.419 --> 00:03:54.620 wasn't just a pat on the back. It led to real 00:03:54.620 --> 00:03:57.819 opportunities, fast. Yeah, big ones. He gets 00:03:57.819 --> 00:04:00.039 pulled onto Chris Rock's writing team for the 00:04:00.039 --> 00:04:02.939 88th Academy Awards, the Oscars. That's like 00:04:02.939 --> 00:04:05.240 going from local gigs straight to the Super Bowl 00:04:05.240 --> 00:04:07.759 of writing jobs. Pretty much. And it shows, Rock 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:10.139 saw him primarily as a writer, right? A joke 00:04:10.139 --> 00:04:12.139 craftsman. And he must have delivered because 00:04:12.139 --> 00:04:14.240 he got nominated for a Writers Guild of America 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:18.600 Award in 2017 for that Oscars work. Wow. So recognized 00:04:18.600 --> 00:04:21.779 by his peers right away? Exactly. The WGA nomination, 00:04:21.860 --> 00:04:23.600 that's other writers saying, yeah, this guy can 00:04:23.600 --> 00:04:26.120 write. It's a big deal in the industry. And the 00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:29.420 momentum keeps building. 2016, he's a finalist 00:04:29.420 --> 00:04:31.660 in Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud network pitch 00:04:31.660 --> 00:04:34.759 panel at Just For Laughs. What does that signal? 00:04:34.949 --> 00:04:37.389 So Just For Laughs in Montreal is the comedy 00:04:37.389 --> 00:04:39.310 festival. And these pick panels, they're like 00:04:39.310 --> 00:04:41.189 Shark Tank for comedians. You're pitching show 00:04:41.189 --> 00:04:44.769 ideas, concepts to major players like Kevin Hart. 00:04:44.910 --> 00:04:47.930 Ah, OK. So being a finalist means people see 00:04:47.930 --> 00:04:50.370 him not just as a standup, but as someone who 00:04:50.370 --> 00:04:53.009 can create and develop content. Precisely. It 00:04:53.009 --> 00:04:55.290 shows he has ideas, a vision beyond just his 00:04:55.290 --> 00:04:57.629 own performance. And around the same time, he's 00:04:57.629 --> 00:05:00.490 also writing for Hassan Minhaj for the 2017 White 00:05:00.490 --> 00:05:03.050 House Correspondents' Dinner. Another high pressure, 00:05:03.230 --> 00:05:06.079 high visibility gig. Those jokes have to land 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:08.420 and they often carry a lot of weight. Absolutely. 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:11.220 So you see this pattern. He's proving his writing 00:05:11.220 --> 00:05:13.459 chops on some of the biggest, most demanding 00:05:13.459 --> 00:05:16.819 stages very quickly. It almost feels inevitable 00:05:16.819 --> 00:05:19.660 then what comes next. The call from arguably 00:05:19.660 --> 00:05:22.480 the most iconic stage in American comedy. Right. 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:25.040 The trajectory was pointing towards 30 Rock. 00:05:25.220 --> 00:05:28.300 And in 2017, it happens. You join Saturday Night 00:05:28.300 --> 00:05:32.069 Live. And not just as any writer. he becomes 00:05:32.069 --> 00:05:34.829 the first Indian American writer in SNL's history. 00:05:35.029 --> 00:05:37.560 That's a landmark moment. Think about what that 00:05:37.560 --> 00:05:40.199 means, being the first in that particular room. 00:05:40.459 --> 00:05:43.660 SNL is such a cultural institution. He primarily 00:05:43.660 --> 00:05:45.939 wrote for Weekend Update, which seems like a 00:05:45.939 --> 00:05:47.899 natural fit, given his stand -up background, 00:05:48.339 --> 00:05:50.759 sharp topical jokes. Definitely. And being the 00:05:50.759 --> 00:05:52.519 first Indian -American writer there, especially 00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:54.980 on Update, it's not just about representation, 00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:57.779 though, that's huge. It's about potentially bringing 00:05:57.779 --> 00:05:59.639 different perspectives, different cultural reference 00:05:59.639 --> 00:06:02.240 points into that very influential comedic space. 00:06:02.399 --> 00:06:04.339 You mean like changing the flavor of the jokes 00:06:04.339 --> 00:06:06.860 a bit? Maybe subtly, yeah. just expanding the 00:06:06.860 --> 00:06:09.100 range of what gets observed and commented on. 00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:11.819 It broadens the lens for potentially millions 00:06:11.819 --> 00:06:15.220 of viewers. And his talent was clearly recognized 00:06:15.220 --> 00:06:18.519 there too. In 2018, he gets a primetime Emmy 00:06:18.519 --> 00:06:20.939 nomination for outstanding writing for a variety 00:06:20.939 --> 00:06:24.240 series for his SNL work. Another major validation. 00:06:24.639 --> 00:06:26.939 It confirms that his contribution wasn't just 00:06:26.939 --> 00:06:29.379 historic, it was also top quality, critically 00:06:29.379 --> 00:06:31.620 acclaimed work. But here's something interesting 00:06:31.620 --> 00:06:34.680 there. He only worked at SNL for one season. 00:06:35.050 --> 00:06:37.509 Yeah, that is noteworthy. You get this groundbreaking 00:06:37.509 --> 00:06:40.050 role, you get an Emmy nod, and then you're gone 00:06:40.050 --> 00:06:42.170 after a year. What do you make of that? Why leave 00:06:42.170 --> 00:06:44.660 so quickly? Well, it could be a lot of things. 00:06:45.019 --> 00:06:47.819 SNL is notoriously demanding. Maybe it wasn't 00:06:47.819 --> 00:06:50.060 the right fit long term, or perhaps for someone 00:06:50.060 --> 00:06:52.899 with such a distinct voice, maybe he wanted more 00:06:52.899 --> 00:06:55.779 creative freedom, more focus on his own standup. 00:06:55.939 --> 00:06:57.699 Right, maybe the constraints of a weekly show, 00:06:57.779 --> 00:07:00.459 even SNL, felt limiting after a while. It's possible. 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:02.579 It suggests someone who's really driven by their 00:07:02.579 --> 00:07:04.819 own path, not just climbing the conventional 00:07:04.819 --> 00:07:07.160 ladder, even a very prestigious one. That makes 00:07:07.160 --> 00:07:09.839 sense. And his career certainly didn't stall 00:07:09.839 --> 00:07:13.000 after SNL. He kept popping up everywhere, shows 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:15.379 like at Midnight, Comedy Knockout, Late Night 00:07:15.379 --> 00:07:17.759 with Seth Meyers. Keeping his face and his comedy 00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:20.420 out there. And interestingly, not just comedy 00:07:20.420 --> 00:07:23.860 stages. In 2018, he was a panelist at a foreign 00:07:23.860 --> 00:07:26.240 affairs symposium at Johns Hopkins University 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:28.579 talking about comedy and politics. See, that 00:07:28.579 --> 00:07:30.759 Johns Hopkins thing is telling. It shows he's 00:07:30.759 --> 00:07:33.560 not just a joke teller. He's thinking about... 00:07:33.279 --> 00:07:36.040 the role of comedy, its intersection with politics, 00:07:36.379 --> 00:07:40.600 on a more academic or analytical level, it suggests 00:07:40.600 --> 00:07:42.939 depth. Yeah, OK. So we've traced this amazing 00:07:42.939 --> 00:07:45.279 path, the unusual background, the big breaks, 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:48.180 SNL. Now let's get into his actual comedy. What's 00:07:48.180 --> 00:07:50.459 his style like? Who are his influences? Well, 00:07:50.500 --> 00:07:53.379 his main influences are comedy titans, right? 00:07:53.579 --> 00:07:56.199 Dave Chappelle, Mitch Hedberg, Chris Rock, Larry 00:07:56.199 --> 00:07:58.480 David, Patrice O 'Neill. That tells you something 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:00.500 immediately. Yeah, that's a lineup known for 00:08:00.500 --> 00:08:03.660 being sharp, observational, sometimes edgy. Definitely 00:08:03.660 --> 00:08:05.279 boundary pushing in different ways. Exactly. 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:07.540 And you see elements of that in Nimesh's style. 00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:10.639 It's often very direct, observational. One characteristic 00:08:10.639 --> 00:08:12.980 noted in the sources is that his humor sometimes 00:08:12.980 --> 00:08:16.360 focuses on unchangeable physical attributes, 00:08:16.680 --> 00:08:19.100 height, skin color, things like that. OK. That 00:08:19.100 --> 00:08:20.540 sounds like it could be tricky territory. How 00:08:20.540 --> 00:08:22.519 does he use that? It seems like it's often used 00:08:22.519 --> 00:08:25.819 to point out social absurdities or maybe stereotypes, 00:08:26.120 --> 00:08:28.040 sometimes subverting them. But it's definitely 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:32.279 a style that relies on precision and reading 00:08:32.279 --> 00:08:34.379 the room because if it misses. It can really 00:08:34.379 --> 00:08:37.919 miss. And that brings us to a very public instance 00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:40.559 where it seemingly did miss. for at least part 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:42.820 of the audience, the Columbia University incident 00:08:42.820 --> 00:08:45.919 in 2018. Right. November 30th, 2018, he's performing 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:50.259 at an event called Culture SHOC Reclaim, organized 00:08:50.259 --> 00:08:53.080 by Columbia's Asian American Alliance. The event 00:08:53.080 --> 00:08:55.480 itself is focused on Asian representation. And 00:08:55.480 --> 00:08:57.379 about 24 minutes into his set, the organizers 00:08:57.379 --> 00:08:59.159 actually interrupt him and ask him to leave the 00:08:59.159 --> 00:09:01.620 stage. Yeah. That's unusual, to say the least. 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:03.659 It became a huge flash point. You had discussions 00:09:03.659 --> 00:09:07.659 about free speech, censorship, safe spaces, the 00:09:07.659 --> 00:09:09.820 role of comedy, especially around sensitive topics 00:09:09.820 --> 00:09:11.679 like race and identity on a college campus. What 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:13.600 was the reported issue? What lines did they feel 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:15.799 he crossed? Based on reports in the subsequent 00:09:15.799 --> 00:09:18.799 discussion, the organizers felt some of his jokes, 00:09:19.220 --> 00:09:21.279 particularly those touching on race and sexuality, 00:09:21.899 --> 00:09:24.799 were offensive and inappropriate for the event's 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:27.419 theme and audience. They felt it undermined the 00:09:27.419 --> 00:09:30.299 goal of creating an inclusive space focused on 00:09:30.299 --> 00:09:33.259 positive representation. And what was Nimesh 00:09:33.259 --> 00:09:36.570 Patel's side of it? How did he react? Well, from 00:09:36.570 --> 00:09:39.629 his perspective, and likely reflecting his comedic 00:09:39.629 --> 00:09:42.710 influences, the idea is often that comedy should 00:09:42.710 --> 00:09:45.549 tackle uncomfortable subjects. He later released 00:09:45.549 --> 00:09:48.470 the video of his full set online in October 2020. 00:09:49.090 --> 00:09:51.070 He stated he did this because he felt an article 00:09:51.070 --> 00:09:53.490 about the incident wasn't accurate. So he wanted 00:09:53.490 --> 00:09:56.509 people to see the full context. Exactly. By releasing 00:09:56.509 --> 00:09:59.000 the tape, he was essentially saying, judge the 00:09:59.000 --> 00:10:01.600 material for yourself. It highlights this ongoing 00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:04.259 tension, you know, where's the line between provocative 00:10:04.259 --> 00:10:07.059 humor and harmful speech, and who gets to draw 00:10:07.059 --> 00:10:10.159 it, especially in specific contexts like a university 00:10:10.159 --> 00:10:12.440 event focused on representation. It's a really 00:10:12.440 --> 00:10:14.779 complex issue, and that incident definitely put 00:10:14.779 --> 00:10:16.620 him at the center of that debate. It did. It 00:10:16.620 --> 00:10:19.179 became a significant moment in discussions about 00:10:19.179 --> 00:10:21.500 comedy culture. Beyond that specific incident, 00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:23.600 let's touch quickly on his personal background 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:26.179 and other commentary. He's not practicing Hindu. 00:10:26.460 --> 00:10:29.399 He got married in 2020 to Amy Havel Patel. They 00:10:29.399 --> 00:10:32.000 have a kid, lives in Brooklyn, still performs 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:34.240 regularly at the Comedy Cellar. Yeah, the Comedy 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:37.000 Cellar gig is important. That venue is legendary 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:40.299 for fostering raw, unfiltered stand -up. It's 00:10:40.299 --> 00:10:42.620 a place where comics are expected to push boundaries. 00:10:42.860 --> 00:10:44.820 And it seems like he continues to do that. There 00:10:44.820 --> 00:10:47.000 was another instance mentioned during one of 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:49.179 his tour sets involving the Partition of India. 00:10:49.379 --> 00:10:52.600 Yes. That's another example of him weaving in 00:10:52.600 --> 00:10:55.220 potentially very charged historical and political 00:10:55.220 --> 00:10:58.019 commentary. He criticized the partition and the 00:10:58.019 --> 00:11:00.899 1947 division of British India, which was, you 00:11:00.899 --> 00:11:03.240 know, incredibly traumatic and has deep historical 00:11:03.240 --> 00:11:05.320 wounds. And he apparently got into it with an 00:11:05.320 --> 00:11:07.000 audience member? According to the source material, 00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:09.740 yeah. He criticized a British Indian woman in 00:11:09.740 --> 00:11:12.259 the audience who he perceived as defending British 00:11:12.259 --> 00:11:15.159 colonialism in India. He apparently brought up 00:11:15.159 --> 00:11:17.419 the coven or diamond, called her a self loather. 00:11:18.039 --> 00:11:20.559 It sounds like a very direct, very confrontational 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:23.360 moment. Wow. That's taking audience interaction 00:11:23.360 --> 00:11:25.639 to a whole different level. It's not just crowd 00:11:25.639 --> 00:11:28.120 work. It's a direct political and historical 00:11:28.120 --> 00:11:31.259 argument mid set. Exactly. It shows a comedian 00:11:31.259 --> 00:11:34.639 who is absolutely unafraid to engage directly, 00:11:34.919 --> 00:11:37.419 even aggressively, on issues he feels strongly 00:11:37.419 --> 00:11:39.740 about, drawing from his own heritage and perspective. 00:11:40.179 --> 00:11:42.059 He's not just there to make people laugh. Sometimes 00:11:42.059 --> 00:11:44.480 he seems intent on making them think or maybe 00:11:44.480 --> 00:11:46.860 even confronting them. So when we pull back and 00:11:46.860 --> 00:11:49.500 look at the whole picture, Nimish Patel's career 00:11:49.500 --> 00:11:51.340 is really this compelling arc, isn't it? From 00:11:51.340 --> 00:11:53.580 that unexpected start, through the groundbreaking 00:11:53.580 --> 00:11:56.700 SNL role, to developing this comedic style that's 00:11:56.700 --> 00:11:58.700 clearly provocative and sparks a lot of reaction. 00:11:59.000 --> 00:12:01.809 Absolutely. from finance grad to Emmy nominee, 00:12:01.889 --> 00:12:04.850 first Indian American SNL writer, but also the 00:12:04.850 --> 00:12:07.009 Columbia incident, the direct confrontations. 00:12:07.389 --> 00:12:09.590 It's a career marked by both significant achievements 00:12:09.590 --> 00:12:12.190 and significant controversy. It really mirrors 00:12:12.190 --> 00:12:14.610 the larger conversations happening around comedy, 00:12:14.990 --> 00:12:17.809 identity, and free speech. This deep dive, I 00:12:17.809 --> 00:12:20.850 think, really shows how intertwined a comedian's 00:12:20.850 --> 00:12:24.309 personal story, their influences, and their choices 00:12:24.309 --> 00:12:26.980 about what to joke about can be. and how that 00:12:26.980 --> 00:12:29.240 can ripple out into bigger societal discussions. 00:12:29.580 --> 00:12:31.980 Yeah, it forces you, the listener, to think about 00:12:31.980 --> 00:12:34.460 the complexities. How does comedy work best? 00:12:34.700 --> 00:12:37.580 When does it cross a line? Who decides? His career 00:12:37.580 --> 00:12:40.000 kind of embodies those questions. It really does. 00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:42.600 Which leaves us with something to chew on, I 00:12:42.600 --> 00:12:45.039 think. Considering the Meshpatel's path and the 00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:48.259 strong reactions his comedy sometimes gets. How 00:12:48.259 --> 00:12:50.480 do you think comedians should balance that desire 00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:53.860 to push boundaries, to be provocative, with a 00:12:53.860 --> 00:12:55.860 sense of responsibility to their audience? And 00:12:55.860 --> 00:12:58.059 maybe more personally, where do you draw the 00:12:58.059 --> 00:13:00.600 line between humor that challenges and humor 00:13:00.600 --> 00:13:02.919 that offends? That's the million dollar question, 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:04.740 isn't it? Definitely something to think about.