Tissa Hami

“Hami joins a long tradition of ethnic performers whose material stems from a provocative, irreverent look at stereotypes and discrimination…. Her zingers are fresh.” - The Boston Globe

Tissa Hami is one of the world’s few female Muslim stand-up comics. Her unique act and fresh perspective on life as an Iranian American woman leave audiences in shock and awe.

The Washington Post called her “feisty” and the Boston Globe magazine called her “sassy, sexual, sarcastic.”

From Islamic fundamentalists to white liberals to old-school racists, no one is safe from Tissa’s sharp wit.

Hami, who performs in Islamic hijab, hopes her comedy will help break down stereotypes about Muslim women and foster understanding between Iranians and Americans. She has been featured in the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, Washington Post, and Chicago Tribune, as well as on BBC radio and Australian and European television.

In the US, Tissa has appeared on ABC's The View, the Hallmark Channel, and NPR. Her radio interview on Commonwealth Journal was awarded first place in the Public Affairs category for 2004 by the Associated Press of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Tissa is one of five comedians featured in the documentary, Stand Up: Muslim American Comics Come of Age. The film, which won a prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award, aired on PBS in May 2008 and on BBC World News in September 2008.

Hami grew up in a traditional Iranian family in a predominantly white suburb of Boston. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in international affairs from Ivy League universities. Her parents are thrilled that she is using her expensive education to pursue a career in comedy.

People who disapprove of her act will be taken hostage.

PRAISE FOR Tissa Hami:

• "Tissa was OUTSTANDING!!  We loved having her here and it was refreshing to have a different type of lecture for our students.  We had a GREAT turnout for our event.  She was super easy to host and the students really liked her." - Austin Peay University