Aasif Mandvi established himself as a working actor in Hollywood in the 1990s and early 2000s appearing on TV shows like Miami Vice, CSI, Law & Order, The Sopranos and Oz. But he became a household — if often mispronounced — name after joining The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as a “Senior Foreign-Looking Correspondent” in 2006. Today Mandvi writes, produces and stars in a comedy web series poking fun at 80s sitcoms and anti-Muslim bias called “Halal in the Family” (http://halalinthefamily.tv) In this interview, he talks with The Young Turks’ Cenk Uygur about: - Turning down The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’s initial offer for him to audition - Why his youth spent in the north of England helped him as an adult trying to pick up American women - How 9/11 changed everything for American Muslims - How “Halal in the Family” was inspired by news anchor Katie Couric - Long-standing Muslim traditions that CELEBRATE portraits of the Prophet Muhammad - What motivates “New Atheists” like Bill Maher and Sam Harris to generalize about Muslims - How his acting career was inspired in equal parts by The Fonz and Omar Sharif - Why he once told a casting agent he’d be willing to learn how to be a snake charmer Check out episodes of “Halal in the Family” here: http://halalinthefamily.tv Find out all this and much more in the latest fun, funny and fascinating installment of TYT Interviews. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices