As we speak, Russell Peters is gearing up to rock Stadium Malawati in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia once again and leave Malaysians bursting at seams with roars of laugher. Funny down to the core, Russell is one comedian whose jokes and pokes never run out or run dry. There’s no question how he previously set records for sales and attendance at a comedian’s performance, which set a benchmark his peers as well as other aspiring comics.
But how much do you really know about the guy?
For example, did you know that he was the first comedian to sell out Toronto’s Air Canada Centre in 2007? And that in 2010, he performed for the largest audience in Australia for a standup comedy show? And to take this even further back, were you aware that Russell Peters was the target of bullies when he was younger?
Yup.
Here are some other little known facts about him:
1. Family
Russell Peters is Catholic and of Anglo-Indian descent. Strangely, despite being Catholic, he’s against organised religions like Catholicism. His late father was born in Bombay (now Mumbai), India and worked as a federal meat inspector. Russell regularly features stories about him in his comedy work. His older brother, Clayton, is his manager.
Clayton is also the co-author of Russell’s memoir, “Call Me Russell”.
2. Ethnicity
He attended Chinguacousy Secondary School for grades 9 – 10, and North Peel Secondary School in Bramalea for grades 11 – 12. In school, he was regularly bullied because of his ethnicity. In “Call Me Russell”, he wrote that he was often called a “Paki”, which he refers to as his “N” word, by the bullies. Adding insult to injury was his undiagnosed ADD/ADHD, for which he was sent to “retard school”.
Thankfully, the young Russell Peters eventually learned boxing, which helped him resist the bullying.
3. Music
Before he became a comedian, he used to be a hip hop junkie and a famous DJ in Toronto in his youth. By the 1990s, he was a well-connected DJ in the Toronto scene. What? Yes. Russell Peters was a DJ.
We can’t imagine him playing at any major music festivals though.
4. Bollywood
Ironically, Russell Peters hates Bollywood movies and its music. The only thing he probably didn’t hate about Bollywood was one woman named Sunny Leone. Sunny Leone, real name Karenjit Kaur Vohra, is a porn star-turned-Bollywood actress whom Russell used to date. She was named by Maxim as one of the 12 top porn stars in 2010 and she has also played roles in independent mainstream films as well as TV shows.
Oh, also, Sunny Leone is bisexual but she has said that she prefers men.
5. Breakthrough
Russell Peters’ big breakthrough came after clips from “Comedy Now!”, a TV series he had taped in Canada, began finding their way onto YouTube and went viral. While the initial video upload featured his entire 45-minute performance, YouTube users subsequently uploaded segments of the performance where Peters focused on individual cultural groups.
Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYECNZVKjWE
It was the turning point in his career
6. Murder
No, he didn’t kill anyone, but he did reveal the shocking number of people close to him who have murdered, attempted murder or been murdered. Of his friends from high school alone, one stabbed an ex-girlfriend; another kidnapped his ex-girlfriend and stabbed her father to death; another murdered a man he was trying to rob; another beat his own father to death for no apparent reason. His own grandfather was beaten to death in India, and his favourite cousin was murdered in the Dominican Republic.
Just when he thought the curse might be over, his close friend, US boxing champion Vernon Forrest, was murdered during a robbery in 2009.
7. Success
Of course, any Russell Peters fan would already know this by now – he’s considered one of the most successful and highest-paid comedians in the business. According to Forbes, he 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.
In 2013, Forbes ranked him as the third-highest-paid comedian.
Mindblown yet? We know, right?
Maybe it’s high time you made the call to get those tickets to see his “The Almost Famous World Tour” live in Malaysia, huh? 😉
The 10th April show’s tickets have already sold out. In fact, it was sold out in less than a week, with 90% of tickets purchased in 24 hours! But that’s okay, because Russell Peters’ “Almost Famous World Tour” is extended to a second night! The second show will be on Saturday, 11th April 2015 at Stadium Malawati, Shah Alam, Malaysia, one day after the first show.
Ticketing deets here.
Also, in collaboration with LOL Events, Tourland Travel Malaysia is offering comedy fans a tour package promo which includes Platinum tickets to the “Almost Famous World Tour” in Malaysia. The packages ranging from RM928 to RM837 will include accommodations, a city tour as well as transfers from the hotel to the airport and show venue.
Interested individuals can contact Tourland by email at outbound@tourlandmy.com 😉
For more information, visit LOL Events’ Facebook page.
Sources: Russell Peters Wikipedia, Sunny Leone Wikipedia, The Globe And Mail.
