Hairy Butthole Ep. 31: My Dad Wasn’t There for Me Until He was There for Me (with Sameer Naseem)

Different expressions of love can’t be quantified or judged as ‘better’ or ‘worse’

This week, Youngmi Mayer talks to Sameer Naseem (comedian, host of Halal Cartels podcast) about standup comedy. Sameer and Youngmi chat about their nontraditional processes as comedians and judging themselves for being different. Sameer also discusses the nuances of growing up with an immigrant father whose expression of love differed from the other dads in his community. Ultimately, both of them realize that different expressions of love cannot be quantified or judged as “better” or “worse.”

Words by Youngmi Mayer

Youngmi Mayer is a standup comedian and single mom based in New York City. She explores topics of Asian identity, biracial identity, feminism and growing up poor in her work.