Indian American Aziz Ansari to host NBC show

Indian American comedian Aziz Ansari will host the NBC comedy sketch show "Saturday Night Live" (SNL) on January 21, which would make him the first South Asian origin person to host the show.

Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu are the only two Asians who have previously hosted the show (not including Fred Armisen and Bruno Mars, who are mixed-race), and that was more than 15 years ago, reported news portal American Bazaar on Tuesday.

Last year, the standup comedian-turned-television star won his first Emmy for his Netflix series "Master of None" after earning four nominations.

His nomination for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series was the first for an Indian American.

Born in Columbia, South Carolina, to a Tamil Muslim family from Tamil Nadu, Ansari began his career performing stand-up comedy.

His mother Fatima works in a medical shop and his father, Shoukath, is a gastroenterologist.

Ansari graduated from the New York University Stern School of Business with a major in marketing.

In 2007, he created and starred in the MTV sketch comedy show "Human Giant", which ran for two seasons.

He has also acted in several films, including "Funny People","I Love You, Man", "Observe and Report", and "30 Minutes or Less".

--IANS

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