You might be familiar with Russell Peters who is hands down one of the funniest comedians alive today. Talented and diverse Russell has succeeded in amassing a large following of fans and social media followers. Much like Trevor Noah is arguably the powerhouse when it comes to South African comedy, this funnyman may very well be the king of Canadian comedy. However, it is important to state that his jokes and comedy have universal appeal – which is why he has managed to become very successful.
Russell Peters is not only a comedian but an actor and author as well. He is known for incorporating his Canadian heritage into his comedy. Peters began performing in 1989 and since then his accolades and achievements have grown exponentially. In 2013, he received a Netflix Stand up special. Other comedians with stand-up specials on Netflix include Dave Chappelle, Jack Whitehall, Craig Ferguson, DeRay Davis, Patton Oswalt, Marc Maron, Tracy Morgan, Hasan Minhaj, Trevor Noah, Katherine Ryan, and Ali Wong.
He is known for using observational comedy to highlight ethnic, cultural, racial, and class stereotypes; his brand of comedy sits well with audiences across the world. Russell Peters won a Gemini award in 2008.
Russell Peters Bio – Parents & Age
Russell Dominic Peters was born on the 29th of September 1970 in Toronto to Maureen and Eric Peters. At the age of four, his family relocated from Toronto to Brampton. He has an older brother, Clayton, who is also his manager.
Russell, who is of Anglo Indian descent, was raised as a Catholic. His father was born in Mumbai and worked as a federal meat inspector in Toronto.
From grades 9-10, he attended Chinguacousy Secondary School, and then for grades 11-12, he attended North Peel Secondary School. Unfortunately, he was bullied quite often in school because of his ethnicity; this led to him learning boxing to protect himself.
He also became infatuated with the hip-hop scene by the 90s and became a DJ in Toronto.
Career
Russell Peters’ career as a comedian began in 1989. In the early days of his career, he met one of his biggest idols – George Carlin, a comedian, and social critic – who told Russell to get on stage ‘whenever and wherever possible, which the Canadian has called one of the greatest career advice he has gotten. In 2007, Russell Peters hosted one of George Carlin’s last shows before his death.
In 2004, his performance on Comedy Now!, a Canadian television show was uploaded to Youtube and the video went viral which essentially became the turning point of his career and turned him into a star.
In 2010, he performed in Sydney, Australia to a crowd of 13,880 people – the largest attendance in a stand-up comedy show ever in Australia. He has also set similar records in several countries he has visited including Singapore where he set the record for the most attendance in a single stand-up comedian at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
He is admittedly one of the first South Asians to receive his level of international success, especially in comedy and as a result, he was awarded the Trailblazer award by the Association of South Asians in Media, Marketing, and Entertainment (SAMMA) in 2013.
In 2010, he published his autobiography, Call Me Russell.
Russell Peters’ Girlfriend, Wife, and Divorce
For a while, Russell Peters was in a relationship with Sunny Leone (birth name: Karenjit Kaur Vohra), a former porn star turned Bollywood actress. At the height of her career, she was one of the most famous porn stars in the world.
After his relationship with Sunny ended, he began dating Monica Diaz. The two announced their engagement on Twitter after Russell proposed at the Los Angeles International Airport.
They got married on the 20th of August, 2010 in Las Vegas. It was a small wedding with about 20 guests and even an Elvis impersonator. Shortly after the wedding, the couple announced that Diaz was pregnant. By December 2010, Diaz gave birth to their daughter – Crystianna Marie Peters – two months earlier than the expected date.
By 2012, Monica Diaz and Russell Peters got divorced. He later began a relationship with Ruzanna Khetchian; the two announced their engagement in 2016.
His Net Worth
Russell Peters currently has a net worth of $40 Million which tracks with him being one of the highest-paid comedians in the world.
Between June 2009 and June 2012, Russell earned an estimated $15 million, according to Forbes. The year before, he earned $5 million. But for the year 2013, Russell earned $21 million. These are just selected dates from Forbes‘ annual estimation of the star’s earnings showing how well in demand he is and just how successful he has become over the years.