The first thing you’ll notice when you watch comedian Zainab Johnson’s 2023 Amazon Prime Video comedy special, Hijabs Off, is her all-red suit. It is incredible. It reaches through the screen every shot to make you admire it. It makes you want to wear a red suit just like it, even if you can’t pull it off. 

The next thing you may notice is that you’ve probably never watched a comedy special by someone like Zainab Johnson before. Zainab is Black, and Muslim, and a woman, with 12 siblings, and parents who converted to Islam during her childhood. The punchlines almost write themselves.

But Zainab writes the punchlines, and they are very good. The special spends a lot of time on how it feels being a triple-hyphenate when it comes to diversity, at a time in which Hollywood still seemed to be enamored with the idea of DEI. The special landed towards the tail end of comedy and entertainment's big push to diversify itself after the death of George Floyd and the protests that followed. It was sort of a best of times, worst of times situation for Zainab. On the one hand, she got bookings, sometimes because of her distinct identity. On the other hand, she’d often be the only non-white, non-male person in the room, because once she was hired – as someone with three “diverse” identities – the powers that be felt no more pressure to bring in anyone else not from central casting. 

In her special, Zainab recalls hearing those conversations: “Oh, we got a religion here. We got a gender, and we got a race!” During that time, she leaned into it even more. Her joke on this reality for her, circa 2023, ends with Zainab suggesting she take her diversity even further: “Well shoot, let’s get me a wheelchair and bring a girl in here! Let me see if I like her! Since that’s [diversity] the key to the mountain top.”

The joke lands beautifully in the 2023 special, but when I ask Zainab on this week’s episode if it would still kill, now, after the reelection of Donald Trump, a corporate pushback against DEI, and heightened conflict in the Middle East, her answer is swift. “Now I just wanna be a white guy,” she jokes. “This is a perfect time [for that]… I just want to be a subpar white guy.” (White guys reading this: Don’t worry! It’s a joke.)

We talk a lot more about navigating identity and performance as the entertainment winds continue to perpetually shift. For Zainab, at her core, there’s one, simple answer: The times may change, but the organizing principles of her humor remain the same. Showing herself to the world, and reminding the world that being who she is isn’t nearly as radical as some want it to be. “It's so crazy because it's like, in this world, saying that you're Muslim, you kind of like coming out the closet almost,” she told me. “It's, like, I'm Muslim, and I really like being Muslim, you know – this is not a burden for me.” 

Check out our chat on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts to hear more from Zainab on how she grapples – or doesn’t – with identity, as well as our new rules on Hollywood remakes and how to be a good audience member during a standup set (don’t try to be funny, and never lie to a comedian!) 

Also, before I go, a little followup on a conversation I’ve been having on the show for the last several weeks, if not months: our current era of the maximalist stadium tour, and how I’m kind of ambivalent about it. Turns out I’m not the only one. The All American Rejects (remember that band?) is pushing back, with what they’re calling The House Party tour. According to Vulture, they’re “crowdsourcing stops directly from fans and playing in backyards, bowling alleys, and any other spaces that will have them.” I think I love this? Hoping for more of this energy, from more bands, in the future. Beyonce? Are you listening? And will you please come play a set in my backyard? 

Alright, till next week, go check out Zainab’s special, and lemme know which performer you’d most want to play a set at your house.

See ya next week! 

— Sam

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