Comedian Russell Peters doesn't pull punches in climate of 'cancel culture,' 'political correctness'
CTV W5's interview with Russell Peters was one of several we did with members of the comedy industry, for a wide-ranging and nuanced story on how political correctness has changed the world of stand-up comedy. For the full documentary watch "Laugh Attack" in our video player above. To watch Sandie Rinaldo's extended interview with Russell Peters, an online exclusive, read to the bottom of the story.
Russell Peters went from a challenging childhood where he was the target of bullying to become one of the biggest names in comedy, known for his sharp observational humour about ethnicity, race and cultural stereotypes.
Rolling Stone magazine lists the 52-year-old Indo-Canadian who was raised in Brampton, Ont. as one of the 50 best comics of all time. He was also one of the highest paid in the world, according to Forbes Magazine; and in 2007, the first comedian to sell out the Air Canada Centre.
Pretty impressive.
It’s why when CTV W5 decided to look into how political correctness, "cancel" and "woke culture" were affecting the comedy scene -- given the backlash meted out to high profile comics like Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais over their transgender jokes and the notorious slap after actor Will Smith took offence to a comment about his wife, from Chris Rock at the Oscars -- Peters, the man with a reputation for not pulling any punches, became our first choice to interview.
We wanted to know if he was reining in his biting, no-holds-barred humour.
W5 went back and forth with Peters’ people. There were scheduling conflicts on both sides. It took weeks of negotiations and finally we were given a day and time for an interview at Peters’ California home; although it was almost cancelled at the last minute because the comic was juggling touring and down time.
The W5 team arrived at Peters’ sprawling contemporary 8,000 square foot home in L.A.'s San Bernardino Valley. We set up on the main floor in a room jam-packed with Peters' memorabilia next to an open-tread steel and wooden double staircase that ascends to the upper floor against a wall of glass.
Several of his comedy buddies sat outside on the covered patio next to an azure coloured pool.
Peters’ wife Ali, whom he married in February 2022, greeted us warmly. While waiting for her husband to show up, she casually sat on the staircase and chatted about the home’s architecture.
We also talked about the community, where in June of 1994 residents had a front row seat to the infamous OJ Simpson high speed police chase that was followed live on TV and ended with his arrest.
A roar of a sports car pulling into the driveway signalled the arrival of the man-of-the-hour who entered the house and breezed past us to chat with friends and family.
It was only when he recognized us that Peters’ laser focused humour and charm shifted into high gear. He was excited to chat with a group of Canadians about all things Canada; excited to make me laugh.
The interview was quintessential Peters, engaging, energetic and unapologetic. "We are free thinkers. The minute you try to put reins on our brains, you ruin the game."
He went on to emphasize this one important point: if people don’t like his humour, don’t come to his shows. 'I’ve got to service the people that want to hear what I have to say."
Russell Peters speaks with CTV W5's Sandie Rinaldo
Does he have any regrets? Not really. But he tells us, "We made gay jokes freely and we wouldn’t just say gay, we would say 'f—--t.' And that was perfectly normal back then and perfectly acceptable."
"But your job is to push the envelope," Peters added, "and then you understand that the envelope keeps moving away. So I was constantly chasing the envelope."
Peters had lots more to say about political correctness that some will find entertaining, others, offensive, and you can watch "Laugh Attack" in our video player above or on our YouTube channel.
With files from W5 Producer Chad Derrick
—---------------------
Want to see more? Click here to see the parts of our interview with Russell Peters that weren't included in our main story.
You can also watch Russell Peters @ JFL on CTV.ca and the CTV app
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Local Spotlight
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Investigating the tale of Winnipeg's long-running mystery bookstore
Whether passionate about Poirot or hungry for Holmes, Winnipeg mystery obsessives have had a local haunt for over 30 years in which to search out their latest page-turners.
'Love has no boundaries': Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Twin Alberta Ballet dancers retire after 15 years with company
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
Here's how one of Sask.'s largest power plants was knocked out for 73 days, and what it took to fix it
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
Quebec police officer anonymously donates kidney, changes schoolteacher's life
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.