Hailing from Tehran, Iran, comedian and actor Maz Jobrani moved to Los Angeles, or as local Iranians call it, Tehrangeles, with a dream to be on the big screen. Jobrani has been in a series of films and TV shows. One of his biggest film roles was playing Jafar, the villain from Aladdin, in the made for TV musical saga Descendants. His film roles are sometimes stereotypical, like playing a terrorist or doctor, or he’s playing an exaggeration of Iranians, like in Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero. Like Nasim Pedrad, another Iranian immigrant turned Hollywood star, Jobrani started in comedy before becoming a household name.
Jobrani’s stand-up comedy specials poke fun at the stereotypes of Iranians and family dynamics. his jokes are more political than American-born comedians because of the assumptions made about Iran and her citizens. He also talks about the reality of growing up in Iran then moving to America. When he jokes about family dynamics, he compares how he was raised versus how he is raising his children in Los Angeles. He stands out among stand-up comedians because he turns the stereotypes into something many Iranian immigrants and their families can both relate to and enjoy. These are his best stand-up comey specials, ranked.
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6 I Come in Peace
Levity Entertainment
His third stand-up special I Come in Peace was filmed in Stockholm, Sweden. His jokes center on why you shouldn’t buy anything from a Middle Easterner, Anderson Cooper, and why people on Facebook say stupid things. He also refers to various experiences with people of different ethnicities and races. One refreshing element to his comedy is it isn’t derogatory, but uplifts that specific culture or people. Each of his jokes are based on his personal experiences, especially concerning parenting. Jobrani loves his family and speaks about them in an honest way that’s also funny. He has the playlist for his special on YouTube.
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5 Brown and Friendly
Salent Media
In his first stand-up special Brown and Friendly, Jobrani focuses on stereotypes across the Middle East. The phrase ‘Middle East’ is a revamped version of the geopolitical terms ‘Far East’, ‘Near East’, and the acronym MENA. 15 countries, that span across two continents, are clumped together despite having their own unique customs, spices, and holidays. One factor, besides religion, that most of the countries have in common is that Arabic is their national language. Of course, Iran and Israel are the exceptions; Iranians speak Farsi and Israelis speak Hebrew. One of the vast differences among each country is their greetings. One of Jobrani’s jokes is about how Kuwaitis, Iranians, and the Japanese greet each other. He opens the joke with an encouraging message to travel to this part of the world as many good people live there, just like anywhere else in the world.
4 The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour
Comedy Central
After the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C. on 9/11, former President George Bush claimed that the Iranian government was part of the ‘Axis of Evil’ organization that funded terrorist organizations, as reported by Politico. As many hopped on this anti-Islamic and anti-Asian narrative, with many still aboard the train going nowhere, a few comedians saw a golden opportunity. Jobrani joined Egyptian-American comedian Ahmed Ahmed and South Korean-Vietnamese comedian Wonho Chung on the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour. One of Jobrani’s best jokes about race and ethnicity describes the difference between Persians and Arabs.
3 Immigrant
Netflix
In his first Netflix special Immigrant, Jobrani centered his jokes on politics and current events. His jokes particularly uplifted Black and brown citizens and immigrants. As much as he joked about the former US president, he spent most of his time discussing policy and the reaction of people in Los Angeles. One of his best political jokes is about the travel bans. Indeed, Jobrani discusses attending a protest against the travel bans held at Los Angeles International Airport, or LAX. According to Immigration History, the former US administration placed a travel ban on seven Muslim countries and suspended Syrian refugees abilities to resettle: “The order sparked protests around the country at airports and immigrant rights, refugee resettlement, and civil liberties organizations undertook several legal challenges to the order on the grounds that it constituted religious discrimination.” Jobrani is a globally recognized comedian who easily could have posted to social media using the right words. Yet, he went to LAX along with thousands of others to protest the ban.
2 Pandemic Warrior
NBC
His most recent special Pandemic Warrior focuses on skateboarding, the early part of the pandemic, and why he feels sorry for turkey. One of his best immigrant jokes is about his embarrassing parents at school functions. This special is particularly interesting as it was filmed in Dubai and from Jobrani’s closet in Los Angeles due to the pandemic ceasing filming. In an interview with Esquire Middle East, Jobrani explained the process of changing the name from Peaceful Warrior to Pandemic Warrior: “Following the shows I was doing on Zoom, we ended up reworking the Peaceful Warrior show and adding some elements from me doing stand-up at my house on Zoom — the way I was doing it during the pandemic, so it felt apt to change the name.” The two-city special is available to stream on Peacock.
1 I’m Not A Terrorist, But I’ve Played One on TV
ShowTime
Shot in Los Angeles, Jobrani’s Showtime special I’m Not a Terrorist, But I’ve Played One on TV is one of his best. He dives deep into Iranian/Persian stereotypes, something he hadn’t done in previous specials. Between discussing the unique love of chandeliers, his latest sideways diet, and discourse on Twitter, this special will have everyone roaring with laughter. As this clip shows Jobrani’s best sports joke, it’s clear audiences aren’t finished hearing from this comedian.
