Each week, an immigrant of the United States shares their American origin story. THEY TRIED TO BURY US is a weekly podcast hosted by Egyptian-born comedian Tamer Kattan and his mother Kity. Being the son of a Muslim father and a Jewish mother left Tamer struggling with notions of identity. It’s that…
Tamer and Kity start off season two with a BANG! They had a really cool conversation with hilarious actor, producer and comedian, Emma M Pyne. They dive deep into how differently femininity looks in America Vs. Europe, how lonely it can be to chase your dreams, how complaining about your country is one of the most patriotic things you can do and how much more in touch women are to their intuition than men. Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Tamer and Kity bring season one of the podcast to a close with a great conversation about our favorite episodes, how the podcast has changed our relationship for the better, what we’ve learned from guests, each other and what listeners can expect from our exciting season 2.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Tamer and Kity welcome great friend, model and actor Svetlana Constantine to the podcast! We have a great conversation about how Sveta met the love of her life and current husband Ilia Constantine when she was just 15 years old. The wild romantic risks they took to be with each other, the separation they had to endure and how reuniting in America via their shared passion for acting and filmmaking fueled their relationship forward.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Tamer and Kity welcome great friend, comedian, actor and director Paul Elia to the podcast! We have a great conversation about Paul’s Chaldean roots - it’s fun when Tamer repeatedly, mistakenly and embarrassingly says Caledonian (which actually refers to the Scottish Highlands, sooo not even close). What life was like in Iraq for Catholics. The challenges of finding your identity and faith when you grow up in a different country than your parents and What it’s like to pursue the less traditional / acceptable Middle Eastern path.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Tamer and Kity welcome a great new funny friend, comedian Will J Melendez to the podcast. We have a great conversation about the challenges of having to constantly behave in a way that is acceptable to both American and Puerto Rican culture, coming out to Pentecostal parents and the bittersweet joy behind his lawyer father having to take a stock room job at Disney World.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Tamer and Kity welcome incredible actor and friend Ilia Constantine. Ilia comes from a town in the Russian mountains, not far from Siberia. A town where the natives have a reputation for being tough and stubborn. Ilia’s story is full of his home towns toughness. He sacrificed everything, even a roof to chase his dream, at several points becoming homeless. But it was in that darkness, while camped in Griffith park overlooking Warner Brothers studios that he found his purpose.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Tamer welcomes good friend, podcaster and comedian, Randy Valerio to the podcast. Randy is a native of Queens, NY and is a Boston based comedian. This is a great conversation about the powerful motivation that overwhelms you from witnessing an immigrant parent struggle to make ends meet.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Tamer welcomes long time friend, podcaster and comedian, Chase Abel. This is an amazing story that shows you the massive and lasting impact of war on a family. From being born in a refugee camp to finding out his parents...were not his biological parents at just 12 years old. This is a story of how a beautiful culture with such a rich history can harm its people with politics and war. One of the most inspiring episodes yet.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
On this very special episode Tamer and Kity welcome amazing standup comedian and friend Srilatha Rajamani! And it’s a Live episode recorded at the Comedy Studio in Boston during the Women In Comedy Festival sponsored by HBO! Srilatha’s story is an inspiring story of an introverted Indian girl trying to find herself, becoming a strong Indian-American woman and mother who have her daughter all the things she wished for when she was a little girl back in India.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Tamer and Kity welcome actress, comedian, and content creator Irina Voronina. Irina was born in a small town in Russia known as one of the most toxic places in the world. So toxic, the government would send ex-convicts there to work in chemical plants. In the middle of this dark environment, Irina dares to dream of becoming a model. She would not take no for an answer, and at the age of 20 she moved to Milan, Italy to make her dreams come true. She was immediately signed by a big agency, and was booking print jobs and TV commercials across Europe. While visiting the US, she was introduced to Playboy Studio West in Los Angeles CA became a Playboy centerfold and to this day continues chasing her dreams.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Tamer and Kity welcome One of Tamer’s favorite comedians, Jason Cheny to the podcast. Like Tamer, Jason is also a Winner of the World Series of Comedy and a nationally touring headliner with loads of credits from Fox, Hulu and truTV. We have a great conversation about what it was like for Jason to move to America alone from Taiwan to attend a military academy in Carlsbad, CA. His cross-cultural upbringing super powers his comedy and his worldview which is often optimistic and always very very funny.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Tamer and Kity welcome Alan Angeles to the podcast. Alan is really talented, funny and wise-beyond-his-years, filmmaker, painter and artist who immigrated from Mexico City to Los Angeles with his mom and brothers. Like many, Alan’s family used a Coyote to help them cross the border, but at just 8 years old Alan was separated from his family and kept in a detention center until his father was able to get him out and try again, this time with a special kind of coyote...a beautiful woman.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Tamer and Kity are really excited to welcome Farshid Rafe Rafahi (@rafe_rafahi) to the podcast. Rafe is a really insightful, talented and kind Producer and Talent Manager with possibly, the most international origin story we’ve had on the podcast to date. Rafe was born in Tehran, but moved at just 10 months old to Gothenburg, Sweden (where his mom eventually met the love of her life - world famous Iranian singing star, Ebi) off to Oregon for university, then Los Angeles (where Rafe found the love of HIS life, the soon to be Mrs Rafahi, Grissel) and back to Sweden. This is a conversation packed with wisdom, insights and hilariously funny, but still romantic “how we met” stories.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Tamer and Kity welcome an ex-comedian and comedy show producer turned small-business owner. Patrick’s family immigrated to the United States when he was only three years old. Being the only Iranian in Santa Clarita wasn’t all that bad...until the Iran hostage crisis added death threats and broken windows to their everyday life. Even years later films like, Not Without My Daughter led to mysteriously sudden breakups. Through it all his family kept their amazing sense of humor, hard work and pride.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Tamer and Kity welcome Simone Nobili, a mega-talented creative copywriter who’s worked at some of the best advertising agencies in the world. A fascinating and inspiring story that starts with an 11 year-old boy in Riete, Italy watching a bubble gum commercial that featured a guy on a Harley crossing the Brooklyn Bridge and telling his mom he’d be moving to NYC one day. Simone kept that promise to his 11 year-old self and has since created programs like “the orange vest movement” to rescue immigrants at sea and shelter refugees. Follow Simone Nobili on Instagram @sn_cinqueVideo versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Kity is back! And just in time to have a great conversation with very funny comedian, writer and person Lynn Maleh. The three of them had a great conversation about what it means to fit in, the sacrifices we make to do so and how lonely it feels at times to be an “other.” She’s the Co-creator and Co-host of an awesome comedy show called #WolfDenComedy and you can follow this strong, funny lady on Twitter @heylynnmolly.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Tamer welcomes one his favorite comedians in the world, Ismo Leikola to the podcast. ISMO started his comedy career in 2002 in his home country of Finland. There, he wrote and starred in 2 seasons of his own sitcom, ISMO. He filmed three Specials from 2008 to 2016, and has sold-out numerous concert halls and theaters across the UK and Finland. One day, when he was chopping branches in the woods listening to the Joe Rogan podcast, he felt that he belonged in the American comedy scene. A few years later he won an International comedy competition at The Laugh Factory in Hollywood, made a ton of contacts and moved to the United States. A short time after that and he became the first Finnish Comedian to perform on Conan. That amazing set from Conan has been viewed over 45 million times.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
It rained again in California so, we miss Kity on this episode of the podcast. Tamer finally convinces and sits down with our very own Paul Antonio Verdugo to share his families American origin story. His grandfather was a business owner who was wrongfully arrested for crimes he did not commit. a year later he had the audacity to run for office. That very audacity to dream big seems to be the trunk of the Castro-Verdugo family tree.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Bogdan Grebeniuk was a professional swimmer who died and came back to life. The guy literally fought death...and won. At the tender age of 18, while training in a pool in Ukraine, his heart began to pound so intensely that he could see the skin on his chest rising up and down. He was unaware of a heart condition he was born with and was having a heart attack in the pool. For most, this would be the final chapter of an athletic career, for Bogdan “Shark” Grebeniuk it was chapter ONE of an inspiring new life filled with love, family and an incredible America origin story.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
This is a story of love over politics. A story of a husband and wife who have to fight for the next three years (IF everything goes well) just to live under the same roof and start their lives. Jessica is an American woman in Maryland who is married to an Iranian man in Spain. It’s not the distance that’s keeping them apart, it’s the ban. If after hearing their story, you want to help couples like Jessica and Pouya there’s an amazing campaign happening right now where people who are being impacted by the ban or want more sensible fact-based laws can upload a video to: https://app.in-it.com/missions/StopTheBanYou can also reach out to your Senators and representatives in Congress and ask for clarification of how the ban really works/ waiver process, granting immediate family exemptions and call for the State Department to be held accountable (better reporting on the ban as a whole).Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Tamer and Kity sit down with the amazing Mary Basmadjian, a comedian, actor, writer, producer and Caregiver who’s well known by the moniker #FunnyArmenianGirl. We learn about the Armenian genocide, how it displaced the Armenian people and how important it is to never forget. You can see so much inspiration in her comedy from her life experiences. She’s a strong Armenian woman who fights some traditions, while simultaneously embracing and loving others. In the middle of her hilarious standup and sketch characters you can genuinely see a deep love for her family, her culture and her people.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Tamer Kattan himself filled in this week and Kity hosted an unexpectedly intimate conversation about the child abuse Tamer suffered at his father's hands, how and why it happened and what its like for Kity to hear Tamer talk about it on stage. You may know him as an internationally touring comedian, from his album “brown sheep” or as the co-host of this very podcast, but you’ve never known him like you will after this episode.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://www.instagram.com/kitykattan/https://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Kity and Tamer sit down with Zahra Noorbakhsh for an incredibly personal and shocking conversation about what life was like after 9/11 for her hijab wearing mother and Iranian family. Zahra is a feminist Muslim and Iranian-American comedian. Her one woman show, “All Atheists are Muslim” was directed by W. Kamau Bell, dubbed a highlight of the NYC Fringe festival by New Yorker magazine. She is a contributor to The NY Times featured anthology, “Love Inshallah: The secret lives of American Muslim Women” and we think you’re going to fall in love with her.Video versions of They Tried to Bury Us: https://tinyurl.com/y8kxzelgPodcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/zahracomedyhttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Each week, an immigrant of the United States shares their American origin story. Kity and Tamer sat down with the super talented Fabrizio Copano, one of the most well known comedians in Latin America and the first South American comedian to shoot an original comedy special for Netflix. They talk about why Fabrizio left a successful career in Latin America to move to the U.S. - what it’s like to be in new in the L.A. comedy scene while simultaneously having to learn English and how much better life gets after being a little bit of a jerk.Podcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/fabriziocopanohttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Each week, an immigrant of the United States shares their American origin story. Kity and Tamer sat down with Yahel and Andy Sharabi owners of Soul Pump Fitness, a movement studio in West LA that embodies the very thing that brought this beautiful American woman and beautiful Israeli man together - love. We’ve had new immigrants on before, but on this episode we get a brand spanking new American with Yahel having just become a U.S. citizen. Their love for life, each other and the United States shines through.Podcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/soulpumpfitnesshttps://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Each week, an immigrant of the United States shares their American origin story. Kity missed this week vacationing in Pasadena, so Tamer sat down with comedian and friend John Hastings. A hilarious globe trotting comedian who has appeared at every major comedy festival in the world. We here why John left Canada for the UK, why he left the UK for the USA and how he became a viral sensation after Dennis Rodman heckled him at his first show in Los Angeles.Podcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://twitter.com/TamerKattanhttps://www.instagram.com/thejohnhastings https://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Each week, an immigrant of the United States shares their American origin story. Tamer and Kity sit down with Latina comedian-friend, Michelle Alejandra Stevenson Nuñez, a very funny comedian...and Nurse! Michelle’s American origin story stretches across the globe from Germany to Chile to Miami. A fascinating family history that ends in a great conversation about the responsibility we feel as sons and daughters of immigrants to stand up to racism.Podcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://twitter.com/TamerKattan https://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcasts
Each week, an immigrant of the United States shares their American origin story. Tamer and Kity sit down with Anna Hossnieh, an Iranian-American live comedy/video/podcast producer and cohost of the Ethnically Ambiguous podcast. A powerful and intimate episode about an artist finding her voice and herself somewhere in between Iran and Berkeley, Ca.Podcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://twitter.com/TamerKattan https://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcastshttps://twitter.com/annahossnieh
Each week, an immigrant of the United States shares their American origin story. Tamer and Kity sit down with Servet Fidan, a talented singer-songwriter born in Chicago to a mother and father that immigrated from Istanbul, Turkey.Podcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://twitter.com/TamerKattan https://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/cpupodcastshttp://vettyrocket.com/
Each week, an immigrant of the United States shares their American origin story. Tamer and Kity sit down with poet, filmmaker and co-host of the “Ethnically Ambiguous” podcast, Shereen Lani Younes to hear how her family got from Syria to San Diego.Podcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow us:https://www.instagram.com/tamerkathttps://twitter.com/TamerKattan https://www.instagram.com/comedypopuphttps://www.instagram.com/ethnicallyambig/
Each week, an immigrant of the United States shares their American origin story. Tamer and Kity sit down with actor, director and comedian Leon Mandel (https://www.instagram.com/therealmandelino/) who has been on Modern Family and plays Dmitri Sharanov in The Americans on FX to hear how his family got from Moldova to Dallas.Podcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow Tamer on IG: https://www.instagram.com/tamerkat/ and https://twitter.com/TamerKattan and https://www.instagram.com/comedypopup/ for information about live shows and upcoming podcasts
Each week, an immigrant of the United States shares their American origin story. On this episode Tamer and Kity meet Chris Chele Recinos who immigrated from El Salvador to Texas when he was 8 years. Reuniting with a mom that he only knew as a voice on a phone.Podcast Website: https://www.comedypopupla.com/tamerFollow Tamer on IG: https://www.instagram.com/tamerkat/ and https://twitter.com/TamerKattan and https://www.instagram.com/comedypopup/ for information about live shows and upcoming podcasts
Each week, an immigrant of the United States shares their American origin story. On this episode, Tamer welcomes Valeria Marcial who moved from Bogota, Colombia to America at the height of a fierce civil war. Follow Tamer on IG @TamerKat and Twitter @TamerKattan and @ComedyPopUp for information about live shows and upcoming podcasts
Each week, an immigrant of the United States shares their American origin story. Tamer sits down with Steve Lee (@SteveLeeComedy). A disabled Chinese American comedian who immigrated from Hong Kong to Kansas City in search of a better life.Follow Tamer on IG @TamerKat and Twitter @TamerKattan and @ComedyPopUp for information about live shows and upcoming podcasts
Each week, an immigrant of the United States shares their American origin story. On this episode, Tamer welcomes long time friend Amir to talk about his immigration and the significance of his backpack.Follow Tamer on IG @TamerKat and Twitter @TamerKattan and @ComedyPopUp for information about live shows and upcoming podcasts
Each week, an immigrant of the United States shares their American origin story. Tamer and Kity Kattan introduce the They Tried To Bury Us Podcast and Kity tells her story of coming to the United States via Cairo. Follow Tamer on IG @TamerKat and Twitter @TamerKattan and @ComedyPopUp for information about live shows and upcoming podcasts