Renowned stand-up comedian Russell Peters, a household name in the comedy world, remains unfazed by the possibility of deportation back to Canada from his Los Angeles home under the administration of Donald Trump.
"In all fairness, given the substantial taxes I contribute to that country, it would be incredibly foolish for them to deport me. That would be a terrible business decision," quipped the Canadian comedian of Anglo-Indian descent during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter while on a global stopover in Amsterdam for his Relax tour.
Peters, whose earlier global tours like Outsourced, Red, White and Brown, The Green Card Tour, and The Deported have tackled the contentious topic of immigration, is not concerned about being removed from the U.S. as a legal immigrant under Trump's second term.
"Alright, so what if they send me back to Canada? Whoop-de-do! What a loss for them—not me. I get to return home. That’s how I see it," remarked Peters, who hails from Brampton, Ontario. This July, he will be returning to Canada for the prestigious Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal.
Once a dominant showcase for Hollywood stand-up comedians, Just for Laughs is set to make a comeback under its new owner, ComediHa!, following financial restructuring and the cancellation of its 2024 event. "It's the best. It was the largest and most exceptional comedy festival ever. Let's just say it took a year off. Now it's back, hopefully better than ever or at least as good as it always was," Peters told THR.
Just for Laughs originated in the 1980s as an annual festival where talent scouts from Los Angeles and New York discovered the next big names for Hollywood sitcoms and movie roles. However, with the rise of the internet and social media as platforms for self-promoting comedians, the JFL festival gradually lost its prominence in discovering nascent comedy talent.
Nowadays, taking to the road or leveraging TikTok and YouTube to refine their craft and build a fan base with aspirations of global stand-up tours has become the pinnacle of the comedy profession. This approach has proven lucrative for global talents like Peters, enabling them to demonstrate to studio scouts, streaming executives, and club bookers gathered at JFL each July how their comedy resonates with audiences beyond the confines of comedy clubs.
Although Just for Laughs did not discover Peters—he broke out in 2004 when his performance on Canada’s Comedy Now! series went viral—he has graced the Montreal comedy event over a dozen times across three decades. He fondly recalls a pivotal moment in 2000 when the late Jerry Stiller visited him backstage at JFL to commend his performance and predict his future stardom.
"He [Stiller] told me I was going to succeed. And I believe that was the first time anyone of significance in this industry had said something positive about my career. It truly meant a great deal to me," reminisced Peters. In 2016, Peters encountered Jerry Stiller's son, Ben Stiller, and his wife in a Los Angeles restaurant. Knowing that the Zoolander and Night at the Museum star prefers not to be disturbed in public, Peters approached their table nonetheless.
"I apologized for interrupting their dinner but wanted to share something about his dad. After hearing my story, he graciously thanked me, saying he appreciated hearing it. At least I got the chance to tell him while his father was still alive," Peters reflected on the poignant conversation before Jerry Stiller passed away in 2020 at the age of 92.
