Russell Peters

Russell Dominic Peters (born 29 September 1970) is a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, and producer. He began performing in Toronto in 1989 and won a Gemini Award in 2008. In 2013, he was number three on Forbes list of the world's highest-paid comedians, and became the first comedian to get a Netflix stand-up special. He also won the Peabody Award and the International Emmy Award for Best Arts Programming for producing Hip-Hop Evolution. He lives in Los Angeles.

Early life Russell Dominic Peters was born on 29 September 1970 in Toronto, Ontario, to immigrant parents from India. His parents Eric and Maureen Peters are of Anglo-Indian descent, who had moved to Canada in 1965 from Jalandhar and Kolkata respectively. His extended family lives in Bhopal, India. Peters was raised Catholic. to North Peel Secondary School in Bramalea for grades 11–12. In school, he was regularly bullied because of his ethnicity. He eventually learned boxing, which helped him resist the bullying. He was undiagnosed for ADHD at the time. Peters also became a fan of hip hop in his youth. By the 1990s, he was a well-connected DJ in the Toronto scene.

Peters's older brother, Clayton Peters, serves as his manager.

Career Peters began performing in Toronto in 1989. He has since gone on to perform in several countries.

In 1992, Peters met American comedian George Carlin, one of his biggest influences, who advised him to get on stage whenever and wherever possible. Peters said he "took that advice to heart, and I think that's the reason I am where I am now." In 2007, 15 years later, he hosted one of Carlin's last shows before the comedian's death the following year.

In 2017, Peters made an appearance on Top Gear America in the third episode of season 1 as one of the guests.

According to Forbes, Peters earned an estimated $15 million between June 2009 and June 2010, continuing his run as one of the highest-paid comedians, after earning an estimated $5 million the prior year. Forbes ranked him as the seventh-highest-paid comedian. In 2013, he earned $21 million, according to Forbes estimate.

Notable performances

Comedy Now! special Peters credits the turning point in his career to his 2004 special on the Canadian TV show Comedy Now!, which was uploaded onto YouTube, where it became popular. While the initial video upload featured his entire 45-minute performance, YouTube users subsequently uploaded segments of the performance in which Peters focused on individual cultural groups. According to Peters, those segments were seen by the targeted cultural groups and were well received by them. The video and its viral nature was referred to by Peters on his performance, Outsourced; when the audience cheered when he referred to earlier jokes. He has also been the one to tell the !Xobile story, and he exclaimed, "Look at you, you filthy downloaders!"

Others In 2007, Peters was the first comedian to sell out Toronto's Air Canada Centre, selling more than 16,000 tickets in two days for the single show. He ended up selling more than 30,000 tickets nationally over the two-day sales period. He broke a UK comedy sales record at London's O2 Arena when he sold over 16,000 tickets to his show in 2009. His show in Sydney on 15 May 2010 had an audience of 13,880, making it the largest stand-up comedy show ever in Australia. Peters's performances on 5–6 May 2012 in Singapore also set attendance records for a single stand-up comedian at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Peters hosted the Canada Day Comedy Festival 2006, and participated in a USO tour of Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, Africa and Greenland in November 2007 with Wilmer Valderrama and Mayra Veronica. He also produced and starred in the radio situation comedy series Monsoon House on CBC Radio One.

Peters was the host of the televised 2008 Juno Awards ceremonies in Calgary on 6 April 2008, for which he won a Gemini Award for "Best Performance or Host in a Variety Program or Series." The show received the second-highest ratings of any Juno Awards broadcast. Following the show's success, Peters accepted an invitation to host the Juno Awards for a second consecutive year; the 2009 Juno Awards took place in Vancouver on 29 March 2009.

He started his RELAX World Tour in November 2024 in the United States and subsequently performing in other parts of the world. The tour is anticipated to end in June 2025 with the last show in Las Vegas.

In 2025, Peters performed as a headliner in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Comedy Festival, an event taking place from September 26th to October 9th. The comedy festival overlaps with the seventh anniversary of the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, prompting Joey Shea, Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch, to say in a statement that the Saudi government is using the comedy festival to whitewash its human rights abuses. Peters has performed in the region before, having spoken of his experience performing for Saudi royalty in a 2017 episode of Comedy Central's series, This is Not Happening.

DVDs and book

Peters released his debut comedy album, Outsourced, of his performance aired on Comedy Central on 26 August 2006. The DVD version is uncensored; it has sold more than 100,000 copies, and remained on the National DVD Chart over one and a half years after its release.

Peters released a second DVD/CD combo, Red, White and Brown, in Canada in 2008, and in the U.S. in early 2009. It was recorded on 2 February 2008, at the WaMu Theatre in New York City's Madison Square Garden. It was self-produced and financed by Peters and his brother Clayton.

On 26 October 2010, Peters published his autobiography, Call Me Russell, co-written with his brother, Clayton, and Dannis Koromilas.

In May 2011, Peters released The Green Card Tour: Live from the O2 Arena, a live performance recorded in front of a total audience of 30,000, over two nights at O2 Arena in London, England. Also in 2011, Peters received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

Comedic style Peters's stand-up performances feature observational comedy, using humour to highlight racial, ethnic, class and cultural stereotypes. He often refers to his own experiences growing up in an Anglo-Indian family, and impersonates the accents of various ethnic groups to poke fun at them. As he told an audience in San Francisco, "I don't make the stereotypes, I just see them." In a 2006 interview with The National, Peters observed that he did not intend to put down or offend different races and cultures, but tried to "raise them up through humour".

Peters is widely known for his punchline, "Somebody gonna get a hurt real bad." It ends a joke he tells about his childhood with a traditional Indian father, who used corporal punishment on his sons. Another punchline he uses is "Be a man! Do the right thing!", which relates to a story of a Chinese man trying to get him to pay more for an item at a shop.

Personal life Peters lives in Los Angeles, California, and owns two homes there. He also owns homes in Las Vegas Valley, Nevada, and Vaughan, Ontario. It will be awarded annually to a student from Judith Nyman Secondary School (formerly North Peel) with a strong academic record and the intention of attending college.

Relationships Peters dated Karenjit Kaur Vohra, a pornographic actress known by her stage name Sunny Leone; the couple broke up in 2007. Peters proposed to girlfriend Monica Diaz on 10 July 2010, at the Los Angeles International Airport and announced their engagement via Twitter. The couple married on 20 August 2010, at A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The wedding was attended by about 20 guests, including an Elvis impersonator. Soon after, Peters told The Canadian Press that Diaz was pregnant, saying, "Did I get married because she was knocked up? I would say that expedited it." Their daughter, Crystianna Marie Peters, was born two months early on 14 December 2010. In a March 2012 interview, Peters revealed that he and Diaz were divorcing.

In October 2016, it was announced that Peters was engaged to Ruzanna Khetchian. After the engagement was called off, Peters announced on 4 December 2018, via Twitter, that he and his new girlfriend Jennifer Andrade were expecting a child. Andrade was the Miss Universe Honduras in 2012. In April 2019 it was announced that Andrade had given birth to a boy, whom they named Russell Santiago Peters. His relationship with Andrade ended in 2020.

On 20 February 2022, Peters married Ali Peters at the Ritz Carlton in Dana Point, California.

Religious beliefs When interviewer Larry King asked Peters, "Is there such a thing as too taboo?", Peters replied, "I don't talk about religion because I think people are a little weird about religion, especially nowadays, and I'm more of a science guy than I am a beliefs guy. I'm more into facts than I am into beliefs." Peters is an atheist.

Works Peters, along with Scot McFadyen, Rodrigo Bascuñán, Shad, Sam Dunn, and Darby Wheeler, at the Peabody Awards. Russell Peters has appeared in many films. Earlier in his career, he had cameo roles in Boozecan (1994) as Snake's Friend, Tiger Claws III (2000) as Detective Elliott, My Baby's Daddy (2004) as the obstetrician, and Quarter Life Crisis (2006) as Dilip Kumar.

He appeared in Senior Skip Day (2008), which starred Larry Miller, Tara Reid, and Gary Lundy. That year he was also in The Take (2008) as Dr. Sharma.

He acted in the Punjabi-Canadian film Breakaway (2011), alongside Rob Lowe, Camilla Belle, Anupam Kher, and Vinay Virmani. That year he also acted in Duncan Jones's Source Code (2011) as Max, an amateur comedian with a bad attitude; and as Pervius in National Lampoon's 301: The Legend of Awesomest Maximus (2011).

Peters has guest-starred on the TV series Mr. D as the school superintendent. In 2011, he starred in a Canadian TV Christmas special, A Russell Peters Christmas. Guests included Michael Bublé, Pamela Anderson, and Jon Lovitz. The show attracted the most viewers of any CTV Canadian holiday special.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1994 Boozecan Snake's Friend 2000 Tiger Claws III Det. Elliot 2004 My Baby's Daddy Obstetrician 2006 Quarter Life Crisis Dilip Kumar Russell Peters: Two Concerts, One Ticket Himself Video documentary 2007 The Take Dr. Sharma Let's All Hate Toronto Himself Documentary Heckler Himself Documentary 2008 Senior Skip Day Uncle Todd Video 2010 The Con Artist Pogue 2011 Source Code Max Denoff The Legend of Awesomest Maximus Pervius Breakaway Sonu Singh Walter & Tandoori's Christmas Tandoori Voice; English version New Year's Eve Chef Sunil Bobby Khan's Ticket to Hollywood Jack the Store Manager 2012 Girl in Progress Emile Yak: The Giant King Zork Voice; English version 2013 My Date with Hugh Himself Documentary TBS Who Gets the Last Laugh: Baby Goats Himself Video Short 2014 Chef Miami Cop Ribbit Deepak Voice; English version Meet the Patels Himself Documentary Wings: Sky Force Heroes - Bringing the Characters to Life Himself Video Short Delivery Himself Documentary Lennon or McCartney Himself Documentary Short Wings: Sky Force Heroes Jumbo/Boss Man Voice 2015 Being Canadian Himself Documentary 2016 Fifty Shades of Black Dean Jordan The Jungle Book Rocky the Indian Rhinoceros Voice 2017 The Clapper Stillerman Ripped Harris Adventures in Public School Mr. Germaine 2018 Supercon Keith Mahar 2020 The Opening Act Randy 2021 Clifford the Big Red Dog Malik 2023 Outlaw Johnny Black Big Chief Drop the Needle Himself Documentary Taking Back the Groove N/A Documentary short Executive producer Street Justice Hasidic Pre-production Don't Suck Himself Collateral Data Luqman Wingman Kazzim

Television Year Title Role Notes 1990 Comedy at Club 54 Himself TV series 1997 Live at Jongleurs Himself Episode: "Episode #1.5" Comedy Now! Himself Episode: "Russell Peters: Show Me the Funny!" Just for Laughs Himself TV series 1999 The Big Stage Himself Episode: "Episode #1.2" Festival of Fun Himself Episode: "Episode #2.2" 2001–02 Network East Late Himself/host TV series 2003 Lord Have Mercy! Ryan Sarma Episode: "Deranged Marriage" 2003–08 Just for Laughs Himself 3 episodes 2006 CBC Winnipeg Comedy Festival Himself/host Episode: "No Place Like Home" 2006–09 Comics Unleashed Himself 2 episodes 2007 Video on Trial Himself Episode: "Episode #3.3" Pulse: The Desi Beat Himself Episode: "Episode #1.9" 2008 Juno Awards Himself/host TV special Def Comedy Jam Himself Episode: "Episode #8.4" Comics Without Borders Himself/host TV series 2009 Juno Awards Himself/host TV special Russell Peters Presents Himself/host TV special Documentary Angelo Tsarouchas: Bigger Is Better N/A Executive producer 2010 The Dating Guy Himself Voice Episode: "20,000 VJ's Under the Sea" 2011 A Day in the Life Himself Episode: "Russell Peters" 26th Gemini Awards Himself/host TV special 8 Out of 10 Cats Himself Episode: #12.9 A Russell Peters Christmas Special Himself/host TV special 2012 Red Light Comedy: Live from Amsterdam Himself/host The Burn with Jeff Ross Himself Episode: "Gilbert Gottfried/Russell Peters/Marc Maron/John Stamos" Just for Laughs: All-Access Himself/host Episode: "Episode #5.2" Bob's Burgers Tran Voice Episode: "Moody Foodie" Are We There Yet? Toby Palmer Episode: "The Nick Gets an Assistant Episode" 2013 Top Chef Canada Himself Episode: "The Indian Feast" Who Gets the Last Laugh? Himself Episode: "Gregg "Opie" Hughes vs. Russell Peters vs. Paul Rodriguez" Mr. D Jody Green Episode: "Gerry's Evaluation" Russell Peters Vs. the World Himself TV series documentary Off Season: The Lex Morrison Story Romulus TV movie 2014 Russell Peters & Friends Himself/host TV special Last Comic Standing Himself/Judge Season 8 Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever Santa TV movie 2015 Just for Laughs: 15 Years of Gags Himself TV special World's Funniest Himself/Panelist Episode: "Gravity: It Kinda Sucks" Pop Culture Underground Himself Episode: "Comedy" Spun Out Ray Episode: "My Brother's Speaker" Codename: Dragon Hacker Ted TV movie Co-producer Royal Canadian Air Farce Dr. Malcolm Sidwell Episode: "Air Farce New Year's Eve 2015" 2016 Family Guy Padma's Father Voice Episode: "Road to India" BoJack Horseman Driver Voice Episode: "The BoJack Horseman Show" Life in Pieces Dr. Tak Oh 2 episodes The Punchline - Where Comedy Hurts N/A Executive producer 2016–2020 Hip-Hop Evolution 16 episodes 2016 This Is Not Happening Himself Episode: "Adventure" Writer Dying Laughing Himself Lip Sync Battle Himself Episode: "CeeLo Green vs. Russell Peters" 2017 Howie Mandel All-Star Comedy Gala Himself Juno Awards Himself/co-host Wild 'n Out Himself The Problem with Apu Himself Documentary film Big in Finland Himself Episode 4: "Näyttiks se siltä et mul on iso kyrpä?" Man of a Funny Age Himself The Indian Detective Douglass D'Mello Executive producer 2018 A Little Help with Carol Burnett Co-host 2019 Corner Gas Animated Gavin Voice Season 2, episode 8: "Bush League" 2020 Gander Himself 2021 Partners in Rhyme Theo Season 2, episode 8: "All Ready" 2021–present Roast Battle Canada Himself Judge 2022 Cooking with the Stars Himself House Out Of Order Mr.Arjun Season 1, episode 7: "Meet the Parent" 2023 The Neighborhood Joe Season 5, episode 13: "Welcome to the Last Dance" 2023-2024 Velma Aman Dinkley Voice 2024–present Late Bloomer N/A Executive producer

Comedy specials Year Title Distributor Notes 2006 Outsourced Warner Bros. Records Executive producer 2008 Red, White and BrownWarner Music Canada 2011 The Green Card Tour: Live from the O2 Arena 2013 Notorious Netflix 2016 Almost Famous 2020 Deported Amazon Prime Video 2024 Act your Age Live in Abu Dhabi Patreon Streamed on Patreon on December 5, 2024; now available on YouTube