Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know A Deeply Unserious Britain-America Summit with Riz Ahmed
21 snips
Apr 1, 2026 
Riz Ahmed, actor and musician known for award-winning roles and the Amazon series BAIT, joins to discuss representation, culture, and storytelling. They explore South Asian migration history, contrasts between UK and US right-wing movements, and how specificity and music shape Riz’s new show. Conversations touch on family, public persona, and making fresh brown archetypes.
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Longstanding South Asian Presence In Britain
- South Asians have been in Britain for centuries with major post‑WWII migration shaping a working‑class immigrant presence.
- Riz Ahmed traces family arrival in the 1970s and links it to Britain recruiting labor to rebuild after the war, not recent selective skilled migration.
Representation Means Changing The Room
- Representation without structural change is hollow; what matters is what you do once you're 'in the room'.
- Ahmed contrasts Rishi Sunak's assimilationist approach with Sadiq Khan and Zoran's unapologetic representation that seeks to change systems.
Shared Playbook Different Styles
- Right‑wing movements in UK and US share narratives like Great Replacement and Islamophobia but differ in style.
- Ahmed notes US MAGA is more brazen and armed, while British racism often dresses as 'polite common sense'.