// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Pax Assadi a peaceful person? Pax-ibly.
Pax Assadi | |
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 Assadi in 2018 | |
| Born | 1990 or 1991 (age 35–36) Auckland, New Zealand |
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| Known for |
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| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 2012–present |
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| Website | www |
Pax Assadi (born 1990 or 1991) is a New Zealand comedian and writer.
Early life
[edit]Assadi was born in 1990 or 1991[1] in New Zealand to an Iranian father and Pakistani mother. He grew up on the North Shore of Auckland before moving to Hamilton as a teenager, where he worked at his father's vacuum cleaner store.[2][3][4] Later the family moved again to Christchurch.[5]
He was inspired by comedians Omid Djalili, Jo Koy, Dylan Moran, and Dave Chappelle.[3][2]
Career
[edit]
Assadi has been performing comedy since 2012.[6] He won the NZ Comedy Guild's Gag of the Year award in 2016.[7] He is part of the comedy trio Frickin Dangerous Bro with James Roque and Jamaine Ross.[7]
In 2016, Assadi was nominated for the Fred Award for his show In Mid-Season Form.[8] Frickin Dangerous Bro were nominated for Humble in 2018.[9]
He was a co-presenter with Nicola Toki on the TVNZ series Endangered Species Aotearoa,[10] and co-hosted The Great Kiwi Bake Off.[4] In 2022 he created and starred in the series Raised by Refugees, which is based on his own childhood.[11][4][3] He has also appeared on Word Up, 7 Days, The Project, Crack Up, 60 Seconds, Have You Been Paying Attention?, and Brown Eye.[6][12] Scripted programmes Assadi has acted on include Jono And Ben, Funny Girls, and Tongue Tied.[5]
In 2025, Assadi appeared on the sixth season of Taskmaster New Zealand.[3] The same year, he declared he was "bored" doing stand-up and wanted to focus on film and television.[3]
Assadi also did commercial voice work for a 2degrees ad campaign.[12]
He is set to star in an upcoming television show alongside Hannah Marshall.[3]
Personal life
[edit]Assadi has lived in New Lynn, West Auckland since 2020. He practises Baháʼí, and he and his wife Sholeh, whom he met in Dunedin, have two daughters, Vaha and Lua.[13][7][3][2][12] He is a fan of NBA basketball team the Utah Jazz.[2]
References
[edit]- ↑ Mitchell, Thomas (10 August 2022). "'I went from Aladdin to Osama overnight': The TV show finding humour among tragedy". The Sydney Morning Herald.
In reality, the comedian was 10 years old when 9/11 changed the world forever ...
- 1 2 3 4 Assadi, Pax (24 July 2017). "Pax Assadi Only Feels Like a New Zealander 90 Percent of the Time". Vice. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sowman-Lund, Stewart (16 August 2025). "Mic drop: Why Pax Assadi is taking a break from stand-up". The Post. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 Bennett, Paula (29 March 2025). "Pax Assadi talks comedy, endangered species and being raised by immigrants – Ask Me Anything with Paula Bennett". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- 1 2 Nealon, Sarah (8 August 2018). "Tongue Tied's Pax Assadi career choices didn't amuse his family". Stuff NZ. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Bio". Pax Assadi. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 Wilkes, Mikaela (6 February 2021). "At home with comedian Pax Assadi". Stuff NZ. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ↑ NZ Comedy Trust (2016). "Pax Assadi". 2016 NZ International Comedy Festival Programme: 45.
- ↑ "Rose Matafeo named as finalist for Fred Award for second year running". Stuff. 19 May 2018.
- ↑ Casey, Alex (4 March 2025). "Is Endangered Species Aotearoa home to the best comedy duo on TV right now?". The Spinoff. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ↑ "Fast Favourites with Raised by Refugees creator Pax Assadi". 15 October 2023. RNZ.
- 1 2 3 "Pax Assadi's TV style icon is 'a weird one'". The Spinoff. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ↑ Bunny, Sarah (18 March 2022). "Pax Assadi on racism, refugees and what it's like turning your life into a sitcom". Stuff NZ.