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When most comics walk on stage before a roaring audience at a sold-out show, as if they’re the star of their own movie, it is intoxicating for them. Especially if they’ve spent an untold number of years in the comedy trenches. Though Max Amini has every right to carry himself with the air of a movie star and, indeed, looks the part on a recent afternoon decked out in shades and vintage cocktail party attire, he remains deeply humble about his career.
His rise to becoming an arena-level act around the world happened seemingly under America’s nose, despite his roots coming up at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood and pounding the L.A. comedy circuit for decades. His career reached a turning point in the last several years due to an overwhelming presence on social media (a combined 4.4 billion views across all platforms) that spiked with clips of his many huge shows around the globe, including the U.K., Australia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Austria and Turkey, to name a few.
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Even with career markers like 200,000 tickets sold in 2025 alone and five comedy specials, with a sixth to be announced soon on a major streamer, Amini says making a room, be it big or small, erupt with laughter is still his main motivation. He’ll be shattering a Dolby Theatre record this week — by selling out an unprecedented consecutive multi-night run of stand-up comedy shows — when he begins his run of six shows Oct. 3, 4 and 10 (two shows per night).
Recently he spoke about his role in comedy as a two-decade overnight success, being an Iranian American who can make people laugh in trying political times, and finding himself through comedy.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
You’ve been selling out arenas like the Forum, Madison Square Garden, the O2 Arena in London, and now you’re doing six shows at the Dolby Theatre, which must feel like an incredible homecoming for you. How does it not go to your head when you’re in your “arrival era”?
Absolutely, and the way it doesn’t get into my head is watching other comedians destroy their careers because of their big egos. So growing up in the comedy circuit in L.A., every comic [who let the] success and the entertainment talk go to their heads ended up digging their own grave, and it’s so important to learn from other people’s mistakes. And this genuine understanding of staying humble, staying true to the reason you started this journey to begin with, is going to be the best outcome. … So I’m always trying to remember why I started this art form, and I stick to that philosophy and try to be as genuine and as real as I can be, and appreciate the people around me. I think these are the most important elements in our business.
I think your “why” in comedy has a lot to do with your life story. What is the greatest thing to you about sharing your story as an Iranian American?
What’s amazing is when you open up and you first tell the people that it’s OK to share your struggles. It’s OK to share that you don’t have a perfect life, and that alone will bring people closer. So every time you disclose, every time you open up certain difficulties, I think that’s when you allow people in. I do this with comedy. I talk about my parent’s divorce and my upcoming special. I talk about my father’s passing, his funeral. I talk about some heavy-duty topics, but I make them funny. And the most beautiful part is when I get messages back from fans that how much they could relate to these events, how the difficulties I went through were the same scenarios that they had to deal with, and the life lessons that come from it — that is is the whole reason I think this comedy world is magic. It’s a magical space because you get to talk about heavy things, uncomfortable things, and people realize they’re not alone. Everybody will all just have this life journey, and we’re trying to do our best. And it’s the most human part of our connection.
“It’s genuinely connecting to the audience, being in that space, and playing to the moment, telling your story as if you’ve never said it before, and allowing people to really experience the best of you,” Amini says when talking about his live performances at sold-out arenas.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
What are some keys to being able to handle these big crowds and not getting overwhelmed by that situation?
First, you learn who you are as a performer. That takes years, but once that clicks and you sort of understand how you function, then when you play an arena, when you play to a massive audience, it’s not something that you think about, like, “How do I do this?” You just tap into this energy. You know yourself, and you go, “OK, this is what I’m talking about. This is how I connect to people, and this is how this moment of performance is going to be special”… Not taking it for granted is very important. And I think people that are very professional, they treat every show like it’s their last show. And I hit that stage, and the elements that make a show magical for me is authenticity, not being in your head. It’s genuinely connecting to the audience, being in that space, and playing to the moment, telling your story as if you’ve never said it before, and allowing people to really experience the best of you. Frankly, I don’t think about size because it’s it’s pretty much you’re the same guy performing and you’re giving back the same sort of energy that you have.
What’s it like being able to impart some of the truth about Iranian culture in ways that can dismantle stereotypes that have been fed to Americans or what we see on the news?
It’s fascinating. I was born in Tucson, Ariz. I’m American and I’m also Iranian. I’m Iranian American, and in this world today, I’m from two of the most hated countries in the world — Iran and America — but I’m extremely loved as a person. So it makes me realize we are not who our government is, and that goes for every country and every people. You’re representing you as a human being, and if you’re a loving, kind, accepting human, people will treat you the same. Politics aside, my brand is comedy of love. I’ve always found this is one element that has connected me with many different cultures.
“I’m American and I’m also Iranian. I’m Iranian American, and in this world today, I’m from two of the most hated countries in the world — Iran and America — but I’m extremely loved as a person,” Amini says.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
And touring globally, was there a country or a stage that presented hurdles in terms of what you can and can’t say on stage?
If you go to certain countries, there are certain limitations. Middle East and certain countries, they ask you to not talk about certain things. Yeah, to me, first and foremost, if you’re going to another country, you gotta respect that country’s rules and regulations. If you don’t want to respect it, why even bother? But if you are showing up, you have to think: Does my brand of comedy still resonate within these limitations? In my case, I have a very observational humor, I talk about my family. I talk about my life story, and my point of view is I show up, and when I leave the stage, did I make the world a better place with this experience? Did I walk away making a difference in some people’s world? And I think that’s special. And if I could do something positive, I’ll show up. And if the limitation is going to affect me in a negative way, I think it’s a no-brainer. You just pass.
Aside from touring, when it comes to YouTube and social media, you’ve become the most watched comedian in the world. What does that feel like in terms of how you see the conversation unfolding around your comedy on social media?
It’s phenomenal. So the numbers were presented to me, and they said I’m the most watched comedian in the world. And I, frankly, think it should be such a motivating factor for everybody, not just comedians or artists. Meaning, anybody who has a company, anybody that has a product, anybody that’s doing any sort of job … can utilize social media to reach out directly to the people and present their product … and immediately see a result. In other words, quality speaks for itself nowadays. You don’t need a middle person, and if you have something that makes the world a better place, then you will definitely see some very positive feedback.
“I always like to give the disclaimer that I’m not a politician,” Amini says. “I’m not somebody who’s well informed about the world of politics, I’m not the most eligible person, and I try to just stand by humanity — just the basic, fundamental facts that we all know.”
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
You also have such a huge platform and a way to be able to talk to people about issues that are pervading their lives and make them feel better about them. As your platform continues to grow, do you feel any responsibility to talk about certain things that may be hard to talk?
Absolutely, I like to use my platform in the most positive ways possible. However, I want to make sure my head doesn’t get too big and talk about things, and all of a sudden I think I’m the expert on these topics now. Because you can fall in these traps where you’re not the expert, and yet you’re taking a very strong stance. I always like to give the disclaimer that I’m not a politician. I’m not somebody who’s well informed about the world of politics, I’m not the most eligible person, and I try to just stand by humanity — just the basic, fundamental facts that we all know. I stand with the people that are promoting kindness, unity, people that are away from this energy of dividing, and I think we need these sort of basic human elements more than ever before. We need to respect the people that are out there fighting to just be normal humans. I definitely try my best to resonate with some positive energy. I just don’t want to be the guy who’s saying things because he’s out of bounds or he just has his head gotten too big because now he’s got a voice on these platforms. You have to be responsible as a public figure. And if you take on these topics from a place of responsibility, then it forces you to go educate yourself, to look into things, and to be sensitive about whatever you’re talking about.
