Aziz Ansari is definitely paying close attention to politics this year. In an interview on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” the comedian compared the election to “watching WWE wrestling” with all of its scandals and feuds. Ansari also praised the Khan family’s handling of Donald Trump, saying that the Khans are “destroying Trump” like “the Drake to Donald Trump’s Meek Mill.”
This isn’t the first time Ansari has spoken up about politics. In an op-ed for the New York Times, the actor slammed Donald Trump for his “hate speech” and “prejudice,” stating that Trump’s rhetoric makes people conflate Muslim Americans with terrorism — which in turn makes him scared for his own family.
Ansari’s family has also come into the spotlight recently for their roles on his Netflix series “Master of None.” During his interview with Fallon, Ansari admitted that he approached Netflix with an idea: “What if we push my dad to get an Emmy for supporting actor? And they, like, really went for it. They got him a billboard in LA.” At one point, The Hollywood Reporter listed Shoukath Ansari as a "major threat" for an Emmy nomination in the best guest actor in a comedy series category. While his father Shoukath ultimately did not get the nomination, Ansari says that he’ll still be taking his parents to all the awards ceremonies. “My dad texted me, like, three photos of tuxedos on Bradley Cooper and asked me ‘which one of these would be nice for me?’,” he said.
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In November 2015, Ansari also posted an emotional letter about his parents on Instagram, stating that the “Parents” episode of “Master of None” had “increased the quantity of [his] relationship to [his] parents” in real life. In the same letter, he also stated that he hasn’t “always had the best, most open relationship” with his parents but urged people in similar situations “to work at it and get better because these are special people in your life.”
The “Parents” episode of “Master of None” is nominated at the 2016 Emmys for outstanding directing for a comedy series, as well as outstanding writing in a comedy series. At the same awards, Ansari is nominated for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series, and his show is nominated for outstanding comedy series. The 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards is scheduled to be broadcast on ABC on Sept. 18.
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