Aziz Ansari Talks TV Diversity On The ‘Late Show’; Is One Of The Best Voices In Modern Culture

Aziz Ansari’s transformation from goofy swag king into respected voice of modern culture has been fascinating to watch. In Buried Alive, his 2013 Netflix stand-up special, as well as his book Modern Romance: An Investigation, he embraced the complexities and contradictions of relationships in the age of app dating. It was a logical step forward for the guy who made his name playing perennial lovelorn manchild Tom Haverford in Parks and Rec, and gave a hint that there was more to Ansari than lovably idiotic outfits and catchphrases.

But it’s his newly-released Netflix show Master of None, which has been praised for its thoughtful, nuanced and honest look at issues of race, diversity, gender, family and romance, that has cemented Ansari’s status as one of contemporary culture’s sharpest and most valuable contributors. Slate’s Sharan Shetty writes that while Master of None isn’t about being an Indian-American per se, “its treatment of Indian identity, and race in general, is central and quietly radical”, while Polygon’s Samit Sarkar discusses how it deals with knotty, potentially fraught topics without “com[ing] off like a preachy after-school special”.

Ansari himself seems to be wearing this new gravitas pretty well, using his platform to further the kind of conversations Master of None raises when the camera’s off. In an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night, Ansari and Colbert had a frank, funny and undoubtedly distressing conversation for the network producers about how late-night TV is an overwhelmingly white space. Colbert himself — never usually one to be lost for words — was momentarily speechless at Ansari’s jibe that his appearance brought the ratio of people of colour on-screen to 50 percent, “an all-time high for CBS”: the network that hosts The Late Show.

But it was the kind of conversation about race that we don’t hear often enough — sometimes fumbling, frequently uncomfortable, but conducted in good faith and with respect for people’s uncertainties and imperfections. Watching Colbert and Ansari’s banter made me yearn for more mature conversations around topics like this in Australia, instead of the line-up of cranks and professional outrage-baiters we’re frequently served up on programs like The Verdict.

Shortly after that Late Show appearance Ansari posted a heartfelt anecdote about how working on Master of None with his parents had brought them closer together in real life. It was quintessential Ansari: unashamedly open, surprisingly substantive, and completely adorable.