Hari Kondabolu Talks Trump, Twitter and Death Threats

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Photo by Mindy Tucker

Politics and comedy have been intertwined in popular culture for centuries. This could be because humor has a way of alleviating the pain of having the inefficiencies and corruptions of the world’s governing bodies brought to light. Brooklyn-based comedian and writer Hari Kondabolu has been sharpening his political commentary skills over the years through work on Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell , his podcast Politically Reactive and as a standup comedian.

We caught up with Kondabolu ahead of his July 31 show at Turner Hall Ballroom and talked about everything from the death threats he receives on social media, his new comedy album Mainstream American Comic and, of course, Donald Trump. 

Have you performed in Milwaukee before?

I’ve done Milwaukee a couple of times, once at Marquette and once at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but that was a long time ago. Plus, those were colleges so they weren’t like private shows, you know? 

What do you find to be different between college shows and theaters?

At a college show there’s a different set of norms and the crowd is younger. That can be good because maybe they’re studying the things that I’m talking about, but on the other hand there are certain experiences that they just haven’t had yet. So when I do a theater it’s a bunch of people who know what I do, and hopefully came to see me based on some assumptions. It’s not that they just want to see a comedy show because they’ve never seen one before, or that they’ve seen me on TV once.

Theaters feel different because you know that people are there specifically to see you, and they spent money so you know they’re invested. With theaters people treat comedy like it’s an art form. They pay attention, and I’m really appreciative of that. It makes my job easier and allows me to express what I want to express. 

What should we expect from your new album and material?

It’ll definitely be similar to my older material, in that I’m talking about issues I’m passionate about, and those issues are generally seen as controversial. My opinions and points of view are pretty clear. There will definitely be more personal elements and stories about my life and family. That’s the one thing I’ve been doing more of and I feel like I’ve been growing in that way. It’s not just a person stating their point of view in a funny manner. It’s also who I am, how I got here and what forms my beliefs.

What made you want to make the shift into more personal material?

First of all, as an artist you always want to grow. You don’t want to keep doing the same kinds of things. At a certain point it gets kind of boring if the jokes are always a certain way, flow a certain way and sound a certain way. That was one part of it. Also, for years I felt that I didn’t want to talk about my family or personal stuff because I wanted to guard my privacy. But my favorite comics are the ones that are honest not only with their point of view, but also with their lives. They’re willing to open up and share with the audience. That vulnerability leads to a better show. That was something I was always afraid of. Now I want to let the audience see me a little vulnerable.

I also didn’t like talking about my parents because often people have this image of the comedian talking about their immigrant parents and it’s this hacky thing that you almost expect. I was a little stigmatized by that, and I didn’t want to be that comic, but the more I thought about it I understood that my parents are not caricatures. I can talk about them in a way that is complicated, interesting and funny. That’s not because they’re wacky immigrants. It’s because they’re complex people, and as a human being with parents they’re going to be an important part of my life. So I certainly got over some of my own hang-ups and it’s been great.

Also from an audience perspective, if you get to know the performer and feel invested in them as a human being you’re more likely to go along with parts of the show that might be a little tougher, and the things you might not fully agree with. It’s because you care about the person somewhat and understand why they might feel that way. 

It gives perspective on some of the more political stuff you do.

Right. It gives a reason, so you know it’s not just some guy ranting.

Talking about the political commentary you’re more known for, this election cycle must be giving you a ton of material.

[Laughs] Yeah, but I’m also in a battle between, “this is great comedy” and “the world is in a great deal of danger.” That’s constantly a push and pull. My comic side and my human side are at war.

It has certainly been a weird election cycle from the beginning. Trump is a candidate that I don’t think anyone really expected to get this far. It’s like if Mickey Mouse all of a sudden pulled ahead. The stuff he’s saying is just shocking. I think that people are confusing someone being confident and loud with the truth. As someone who goes on stage and loudly says things with confidence I know when someone is just trying to gain attention, and when someone actually has something substantial to say. If Trump were a comic he’d be hacky. There is nothing clever, interesting or complicated about anything he’s saying. As a comedian it’s hard to approach because he’s like a weird mix. He’s an idiot, and he’s an egomaniac and a celebrity. Oh man! He’s just so awful. It worries me.

I’ve always been really clear about my point of view, whether I’m on Twitter, Facebook or the stage, and that’s always pissed people off. Now I’ve noticed that when I post things about race I’m getting more hate mail than ever before. It’s very violent, vile and angry. Of course I’ve gotten that stuff before as a person of color who talks about the things I talk about, but it’s gotten nuts. I got like 30 hate messages over the weekend. Some were people telling me they were going to kill me when they saw me. It’s a bit much! Then I think to myself, “oh wait, this is Trump’s America.” This is the America where people who are maniacs, racists and sexists are empowered because their presidential candidate is saying the same kind of shit. It’s not to say that all Trump voters are the same way, or all maniacs, but there are people like that who all of the sudden feel like this country is danger or that they’re losing their country, as opposed to thinking that this is a complicated country where things have always changed over time and it’s up to us to unite. The rhetoric is kind of horrific, and as much as I want to make fun of him the other part is like, Goddamn!

I hate the fact that even at comedy shows friends have told me that when they talk about the election they have people screaming out Trump. When did we start doing that at comedy shows? We’re not even going to hear what the person has to say? It’s as if Trump is everything. Like that is the only thing you have to say and then the argument is over.

Do you take the death threats you receive seriously?

I don’t take it too seriously. I think that part of me knows that these are people sitting at a computer that don’t have anything better to do, or that they’re angry and venting. I think that what frustrates me is that when you report these sorts of things to Facebook or Twitter, and Twitter is a little bit better, they don’t always take action. It’s really frustrating because if there’s a public comment and there’s a slur in it, that’s something you can report and Facebook kicks the person off.

But once, a person sent me a picture of a gun and said that they were going to make me eat a bullet, and I got an automated message saying that didn’t violate their standards. It’s because Facebook doesn’t know how to deal with a picture of a gun and words that don’t have a slur in it. On one hand it’s social media, and that’s where people are at their worst, but there is a part of me that says, “I don’t know how IP addresses work,” and, “I don’t know how crazy these people are,” and we’re also living in a time where you don’t know if these are people who are absolute fucking maniacs that see hurting another human being as martyrdom. “I’m a martyr because I’m in jail because I did the right thing for our country.” You don’t know what kind of people are out there. From the right you hear so many people talk about free speech, but when you allow for people like that to say what they’re saying you’re restricting the free speech of others through fear.

Hari Kondabolu is performing at Turner Hall Ballroom on Sunday, July 31.