About Tissa Hami

Tissa Hami has blown up the comedy scene with her explosive talent, sharp wit and enlightening perspective on her heritage, religion and personal experiences. 

Hami performed at UNC Tuesday for Women's History Month and is one of the few female Muslim stand-up comics. Hami is passionate at what she does and knows how to entertain audiences with her clever repartee and unconventional humor.

Through her struggles as a minority, she's been able to foster creative and influential ideas that have gained her popularity and provided a rich insight into her Iranian-American background, Islamic faith and successful career in comedy.  

Hami was born in Iran in 1973 and moved to the U.S when she was 5 years old.  She grew up in Boston in a predominately-white neighborhood and was raised Muslim. Although Hami said she's often felt dissimilar as a minority, she said she values her Middle Eastern roots and enjoys occasional visits to her birth country.

"I love Iran," Hami said. "Last time I was there was two years ago, and I love it because when I'm there, there's just an ease — it feels natural, and that's where I'm comfortable."

Hami received her college education at Brown and Columbia and earned degrees in international relations. She said she has always had an interest in comedy, but feared that her parents would disapprove of the profession because they hoped for her to become a doctor.

 "People had always told me that I was funny and that I should do stand- up, but then I thought, ‘No I shouldn't because I'm an Ivy League graduate, and that's not what we do," Hami said. "However, once I had a vision for it, I thought, this is a way for me to speak up, to speak out, to be outspoken, to send a message, to get people to think, and that's what made me want to do it."

Hami started to perform comedy in 2002 shortly after the September 11 attacks, as a way to tackle issues that Americans were scared to talk about. 

She said the attacks were a leading motivation, as well as her painful childhood experience during the 1979 hostage crisis in Tehran, where she was relentlessly teased by her Massachusetts classmates about her Middle Eastern appearance and accent. 

Hami has performed in 25 states and has been featured in mainstream media, such as BBC World News, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, ABC and the Hallmark Channel.

"There's not a whole lot of diversity in the comedy scene," Hami said.  "Women have to create their own opportunities, believe in themselves and be their own cheerleader."

Hami said she views her comedy as a form of self-expression and a tool to voice her ideas. She addresses heavy issues that include skewed stereotypes and misconceptions about Muslims in a lighthearted and entertaining fashion. 

She recalled a memorable incident with a young fan at a past shows that serves as an example that keeps her going as a comedian.

"He stuck out his hand and said, ‘You were the best comedian on the show, by far,' and I thought that's it — that's the reaction I want," Hami said. "He didn't come up to me and say, ‘Hey, you were the best female comedian on the show' or ‘You were the best ethnic comedian on the show'; he just came up to me and said, ‘You were the best comedian on the show.' That's the type of reaction that I'm going for."