Known for his “fearless” multi-lingual insult comedy, Indo-Canadian stand-up comedian Sugar Sammy aims his sharp-edged humor at American audiences this January and February. Fluent in English, French, Punjabi and Hindi, the comic adjusts his language – and insults – to every setting in which he performs.
Sugar Sammy, born Samir Khullar, has earned acclaim with the global audiences. Sammy’s talent for “provoking both laughter and outrage” and taste for addressing taboos prompted the New York Times to describe him as “a fearless comic.” In fact, his irreverent style has gone so far as to earn the comic death threats.
Sugar Sammy Pokes Fun in Every Language
Sugar Sammy’s comedy frequently focuses on controversial topics. He jokes about race, culture, identity politics, sex and relationships. And he does not tailor his jokes to the opinions of his audience. As a Quebec native, he seems to particularly enjoy is picking on those Canadians he calls “separatists” – French Canadians in favor of a sovereign Quebec.
As a supporter of the idea that Quebec should remain a part of Canada, Sammy jokes that “there are two kinds of Quebecers”: those “who are educated, cultivated, well-brought up,” and “then you have those who voted ‘yes’ [in the 1995 referendum]”.
“Humor allows you to address taboos,” he explains. “In Quebec, the ultimate taboo is identity.”
Inspired by Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, and Dave Chappelle
Sugar Sammy himself grew up in Quebec. He credits his immigrant parents in Montreal with showing him how to connect with his audience. “My dad was always looking for ways to improve business,” he explains. “He welcomed his customers by name, and he’d often share an inside joke with them. He was always personable with them. And it worked! I apply the same principle to my ‘business.’”
Sugar Sammy tailors his comedy to the language and people in every new location of his tour. He recalls that his decision to become a comedian was also heavily influenced by Eddie Murphy. He remembers the first time he saw Murphy’s 1983 stand-up classic “Delirious” as a teenager, and how he was inspired by his raw humor. “Here you had this guy in bright red leather owning the stage with the charisma of a rock star. I wanted to be that guy.”
He also cites Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle as some of his inspirations. In fact, in 2006, Khullar opened for Dave Chappelle. He jokes that he has learned to “say no to drugs” and “say yes to 52 million dollars” from Chappelle.
Sugar Sammy Takes the World Stage
When he first came up with the idea of doing a bilingual show, producers discouraged Sugar Sammy – so he ended up producing the show himself. It became an instant success and brought Sammy a larger international audience. Since then, he has performed in over 30 countries, including Switzerland, France, and Malaysia.
His global appeal and ability to seamlessly speak different languages have attracted the interest of companies as well. In 2014, he performed TV ads for Apple in Canada. The next year, Sammy became the Montreal Canadiens’ spokesperson in a series of international ads targeting the hockey team’s fans across the world.
Sammy will be performing in Atlanta starting on January 16 before continuing on to California and Illinois. For a full list of his US events, see here.
