Kumail Nanjiani

Kumail Ali Nanjiani (born May 2, 1978) is a Pakistani and American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter. His accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and two Emmy Awards. In 2018, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Nanjiani's breakthrough role came with his role as Dinesh in the HBO comedy series Silicon Valley (2014–2019). He is also known for his performances in the TNT series Franklin & Bash, the Adult Swim series Newsreaders, the comedy series Portlandia, the Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi, the series The Boys, and the Peacock series Poker Face. His voice acting roles include Prismo on the animated series Adventure Time. He also co-hosted the Comedy Central show The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail. In 2019, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in The Twilight Zone. In 2023, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his work in the miniseries Welcome to Chippendales. The BBC radio presenter Shereen Nanjiani is his second cousin. During his childhood, he lived in Karachi and attended St.Michael's Convent School for his O-Levels and graduated from Karachi Grammar School to complete his A-Levels, where he was the class-fellow of Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy. At 18, he moved to the U.S. and enrolled at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, where he graduated in 2001 with a double major in computer science and philosophy. In addition to guest-starring in comedy shows like Portlandia, Nanjiani was featured in a supporting role in the TNT series Franklin & Bash. He played the role of Pindar Singh, an agoraphobic fiction nerd working for the title characters.

Nanjiani guest-starred on HBO's Veep as a statistician. He had the recurring roles of Amir Larussa on Newsreaders and Prismo on Adventure Time. His Comedy Central special Beta Male aired in July 2013.

In 2015, Nanjiani guest-starred in the Broad City episode "In Heat". Starting on March 22, 2015, he provided his voice for the character of Mshak Moradi in the Hunt the Truth audio drama, part of the marketing campaign for Halo 5: Guardians. On May 5, 2015, he appeared on the Inside Amy Schumer episode "12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer", a parody of 12 Angry Men, as one of the jurors. In July 2015, Nanjiani provided guest voices on Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero.

In 2017, Nanjiani starred in the romantic comedy film The Big Sick, which he wrote with Gordon. The film is about their relationship, with Nanjiani playing himself and Zoe Kazan playing Gordon (renamed Emily Gardner). The film was one of the most acclaimed of 2017, and was chosen by American Film Institute as one of the top 10 films of the year and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The film was also the third-highest-grossing independent film released in 2017, grossing over $40 million.

In 2018, he was invited to the actors and writers branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In 2019, Nanjiani headlined the first episode of the CBS All Access revival of the anthology series The Twilight Zone. For his role on The Twilight Zone, Nanjiani received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. In film, Nanjiani voiced the alien Pawny in Men in Black International, which was released on June 14. Nanjiani stated, "I play an alien so you won't see my face but you'll hear my voice, I'm a little alien frog/lizard... thing." Nanjiani also stars in the action comedy film Stuber, released on July 12. In 2020, Nanjiani lent his voice to Plimpton, an ostrich, in the adventure comedy film Dolittle. He also wrote for and produced the Apple TV+ anthology series Little America, which premiered in January 2020. The series is based on the story collection of the same name from Epic Magazine which focuses on stories from immigrants. To promote the series, Nanjiani appeared at the Apple Event of March 25, 2019. Nanjiani starred with Issa Rae in the comedy-chase film The Lovebirds, directed by Michael Showalter, produced by Paramount Pictures, and released by Netflix in May 2020.

In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nanjiani and his wife Emily Gordon launched a podcast, Staying In with Emily and Kumail. The series chronicles their experiences as a couple forced to live in isolation during the global pandemic. The podcast has been widely acclaimed in the media, as a welcome respite during a period of high anxiety. GQ described it as "consistently endearing, actually useful, and often hilarious." New York magazine relates that "all advice is shared via cute and charming banter."

He starred in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Eternals, as Kingo, which was released on November 5, 2021. Nanjiani received widespread attention and went viral after sharing pictures of his body transformation for the shooting of Eternals in 2019. Speaking with GQ, he noted how he has since become less comfortable speaking about his body due to the intense amount of attention it received online. In February 2020, Nanjiani signed on to star in The Independent, a political thriller to be directed by Amy Rice, though he ultimately dropped out of the role.

In 2022, Nanjiani starred in the Hulu miniseries Welcome to Chippendales in the lead role of Somen "Steve" Banerjee, the hitman-hiring founder of the Chippendales dance troupe.

On March 24, 2023, it was confirmed that Nanjiani had joined the cast of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. He appeared in the film, released on March 22 of the following year, as the character Nadeem Razmaadi / Firemaster.

In 2024, Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon formed the production company Winter Coat Films. On July 16, it was announced that Nanjiani would play Mary's Husband in the Broadway play Oh, Mary!. His run began on August 4, 2025. Also in 2025, Nanjiani released the stand-up comedy special Night Thoughts on Hulu.

Personal life In 2007, Nanjiani married writer-producer Emily V. Gordon at Chicago City Hall. She was the producer of The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail.

Nanjiani was raised in a Shiite family and now identifies as an atheist. Nanjiani is an avid video gamer.

In 2018, in the wake of president Donald Trump's anti-immigration policies, Nanjiani tweeted: "It took me 15 years to get my Green Card. Getting any kind of visa is difficult. Becoming a citizen is extremely difficult and rare." In a 2025 discussion with American comedian Hasan Minhaj, Nanjiani spoke about being a naturalized citizen of the United States. At the 41st Independent Spirit Awards in February 2026, Nanjiani joined a group of celebrities, including Tessa Thompson, Natasha Rothwell, and his wife Emily V. Gordon, in wearing "ICE Out" pins in protest of aggressive immigration enforcement under the second Trump administration. The demonstrations came in the wake of the high-profile killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by ICE agents, which sparked widespread national outrage over the agency's tactics.

Filmography Film

Television Year Title Role Notes 2008 Saturday Night Live Indian Reporter Episode: "James Franco/Kings of Leon"; uncredited 2009 The Colbert Report Various characters 2 episodes Michael & Michael Have Issues Kumail Main role 100 Most Shocking Music Moments Panelist 5 episodes 2010 Ugly Americans Neilando Patel Voice role; episode: "Treegasm" 2011 Traffic Light Paul Episode: "Where the Heart Is" CollegeHumor Originals Vendor Episode: "Batman Chooses His Voice" Googy Dwayne Main role 2011–2014 Franklin & Bash Pindar Singh Main role (seasons 1–3), guest role (season 4) 2011–2018 Portlandia Various characters Recurring role; 13 episodes 2012–2016 Adventure Time Prismo Recurring voice role; 7 episodes 2019–2021 Bless the Harts Jesus Christ Main voice role 2020–2022 Little America Executive producer and writer 2020 Death to 2020 Bark Multiverse Television special 2021 Big Mouth Himself Voice role; episode: "No Nut November" 2022 Murderville Episode: "Most Likely to Commit Murder" The Simpsons Theo Voice role; episode: "You Won't Believe What This Episode Is About..." The Boys Presents: Diabolical Vik Voice role; episode: "Boyd in 3D" 2022–2026 The Boys Himself 2 episodes 2023 History of the World, Part II Vātsyāyana Episode: "I" The Eric Andre Show Himself Episode: "Anti-Weed" 2024 Krapopolis Spartan Army Leader Voice role; episode: "Contagion" Only Murders in the Building Rudy "Christmas Guy" Thurber 7 episodes What If...? Kingo Voice role; episode: "What If... Agatha Went to Hollywood?"2025 Poker Face Joseph "Gator Joe" Pilson Episode: "The Taste of Human Blood" Haunted Hotel Leader Todd Voice role; episode: “The Acolytes of Abaddon” Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake Prismo Voice role; 3 episodes Kumail Nanjiani: Night Thoughts Himself Stand-up special Fallout Paladin Xander Harkness 2 episodes 2026 Taskmaster Himself Series 21, 10 episodes Deli BoysDanyalSeason 2 TBA Season 4

Video games Year Title Voice role Notes 2013 The Walking Dead: Season Two Reggie 2017 Mass Effect: Andromeda Jarun Tann Middle-earth: Shadow of War Nemesis Orcs

Web Year Title Role Notes 2008 CH Originals College student "Honest College Ad" 2009 Jake and Amir Kumail 4 episodes 2015 Hunt the Truth Mshak Moradi 2013–2017 Harmontown Himself 2017 Game Grumps 1 episode; on the same episode as Thomas Middleditch Movie Fights 1 episode; on the same episode as Paul Scheer 2019 Achievement Hunter 1 episode Gay of Thrones 1 episode; "Gay Of Thrones S8 E4 Recap" Hot Ones 1 episode 2020 Reunited Apart 1 episode; "Ghostbusters" 2025 Brooklyn Coffee Shop 1 episode

Theater