Hari Kondabolu is a comedian, writer and podcaster based in Brooklyn, New York. He has performed on "The Late Show with David Letterman," "Conan," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," and more. He's a regular guest on NPR's "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!," and he released his first Netflix comedy special, called "Warn Your Relatives," last year.

In that stand-up special, Kondabolu jokes about serious topics like politics, religion, racial prejudice and white guilt, which, he says, means his comedy may not be for everybody. He joined On Second Thought to talk about touring with his political material, the importance of diversity in comedy and the difference between being funny for a private and public audience.

"On Second Thought" host Virginia Prescott speaks with comedian Hari Kondabolu.

"I think people assume, if you're funny with your friends, you can be funny on stage," Kondabolu said. "With your friends, you have all this context, right? You can use a certain kind of shorthand. When you're performing in front of strangers, they don't know you. They don't know your world. They don't know your point of view. They don't know why something is funny, given a certain set of situations. You have to actually explain it out." 

This week, Kondabolu will be performing two shows here in Georgia. The first will take place at Center Stage in Atlanta on Friday, March 1. The second will be at the 40 Watt Club in Athens on Saturday, March 2.

 

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Tags: Political Divide  racial discrimination  comedian  Comedy  Politics  Atlanta  Georgia  Macon  Savannah