Azhar Usman

Described as "America's Funniest Muslim" by CNN, AZHAR USMAN is among the "500 Most Influential Muslims in the World," according to Georgetown University. Standup comedy icon Dave Chappelle-for whom Azhar has opened over 50 times-commented in 2010: "Azhar Usman is untouchable. He's like a comedian from the future." Since that time, he has emerged as one of the pioneers of "Muslim comedy," working with a veritable Who's Who in the comedy business: Hasan Minhaj, Hannibal Buress, Ramy Youssef, Mo Amer. As a comedian, actor, and television comedy writer, he now provides creative producing and consulting services through his boutique services firm, Numinous Company, based in Chicago. As an actor, he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the recurring comedic role of NAJAF THE GYRO KING in Disney+'s historic 2022 limited series, "MS. MARVEL." As a versatile media professional, Azhar is as comfortable in front of the camera as he is behind it, serving as writer, producer, and talent on diverse creative projects throughout his career. He served as an executive producer and co-founding principal of KALIJAGA MEDIA LLC, an independent production company he ran with his longtime collaborator, Mo Amer. Those efforts led to Mo's first one-hour Netflix stand-up special in 2018 ("The Vagabond"), for which Azhar served as Consulting Producer. Additionally, he served as a Creative Advisor on Season 1 of Hulu's award-winning, A24-produced original series "RAMY" (starring Ramy Youssef), a Staff Writer and Executive Creative Advisor on the show's second season (co-writing an episode with Youssef), and as Co-Executive Producer and Staff Writer on Season 3 (once again co-writing an episode with Youssef). During the Pandemic of 2020, he served as a Staff Writer on another A24 project, MO, for Netflix. The series debuted to critical acclaim (100% on Rotten Tomatoes) in the Fall of 2022. As a stand-up comic, Azhar has been profiled by over 100 major media outlets, including The New York Times, The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, The Times of India, DAWN (Pakistan), Al-Ahram (Egypt), Jawa Pos (Indonesia), and The Economist. In 2005, ABC's Nightline dedicated an entire episode to exploring his life and burgeoning comedy career. A former attorney, Azhar continues to perform at comedy clubs, theaters, festivals, campuses, conferences, conventions, and private events all over the globe. Over the past two decades, he has performed in over twenty countries, on five continents. He released his self-produced, underground comedy album "SQUARE THE CIRCLE" in 2003, which went on to gain a cult following among English-speaking Muslim communities worldwide. He went on to become a paid regular at the world famous Comedy Cellar in New York City in early 2017. Azhar appeared in numerous documentaries (BBC, CBC, ABC, Al-Jazeera, PBS), starred in the award-winning, independent feature film "MOOZ-LUM" (starring Danny Glover and Nia Long, directed by Qasim Basir), and portrayed original sketch characters both on television (MTV, E4) and online (Tinku's World). In character as "Vijay the VJ," he served as a veejay for MTV Desi in 2005, interviewing such mega-celebrities as Snoop Dogg, Shakira, Hulk Hogan, Pitbull, Carmen Electra, and several others, at the MTV Video Music Awards. He served as a producer on critically acclaimed short films, including "THE BOUNDARY" (starring Alexander Siddig, directed by Julius Onah-sold to HBO); co-wrote and produced the stand-up comedy concert film "ALLAH MADE ME FUNNY: LIVE IN CONCERT" (directed by Andrea Kalin-limited 2008 theatrical release in the United States); recorded an appearance in "Triumph's Election Special 2016" for Hulu (produced by Funny or Die; executive produced by Conan O'Brien and Robert Smigel); served as creative consultant on Hannibal Buress' 2016 Netflix special "Comedy Camisado" and his 2020 indie special "Miami Nights"; appeared in Bassem Youssef's 2016 comedy series "Democracy Handbook" on Fusion's new digital platform, F-Comedy; and played a recurring role in both seasons of Amazon Studios' big-budget original series "PATRIOT" (created, written, and directed by Steve Conrad). He holds a BA in Communication (with a minor in Spanish) from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a JD from the University of Minnesota Law School. He speaks four languages and lives with his wife, Jennifer Usman, a visual artist, in the southwest suburbs of Chicago.