Comic Hari Kondabolu returns to Olympia as a new dad -- but without the dad jokes

For Hari Kondabolu, performing Tuesday, Dec. 13, in Olympia, the state of the world is at once grim and a laughing matter.

“That’s the adventure of my shows,” said Kondabolu, whom the New York Times has called “one of the most exciting political comics in stand-up today.”

“What is dangerous? What is uncomfortable? What is something that we don’t want to talk about or we don’t know how to talk about? How do I take you there and make you feel weird about it but make you laugh by the end of it?”

His Tuesday show at the Capitol Theater, his fourth in Olympia, will be an hour of new material touching on race, colonialism, oppression — and fatherhood. His first child, a son, was born during the pandemic.

“Hari can distill any topic into a humorous and meaningful discussion,” said Audrey Henley of the Olympia Film Society. “He’s here to make us laugh and think about things that matter in this world from equality to family. We’re thrilled to have him back at the Capitol Theater.”

Kondabolu, who worked in immigrant rights in Seattle from 2005 to 2007, is happy to be returning to Olympia.

“The Northwest historically has been extremely good to me, and Olympia is certainly like bread and butter. It’s an audience that’s thoughtful. It’s a lot of Evergreen kids; it’s people in town who value what I value. It makes it a lot easier to tell jokes. We’ve agreed to certain things I don’t need to convince the audience of. I can just get on with it.”

Kondabolu is polishing material for a special due out next year and is hosting Netflix’s new food-competition show “Snack Vs. Chef.” But he spoke with The Olympian about comedy and how becoming a parent has changed him.

Q. You recently retweeted a comment about your “talent for negating any happiness that comes from laughing with sadness that comes from existing.” Is that a good way to sum up your comedy?

A. I thought that was really funny. I hope it’s not that. If anything, I’m trying to negate the sadness or give you a moment of relief.

I like to create joy and then try to create a hole, which is not the most comfortable place to be, and then get myself out of it.

That’s the game for me. I apologize if I wasn’t able to get this man out of the hole, but the design was to get him there.

Q. How has fatherhood changed your work? Are you making dad jokes now?

A. That was my big fear: Am I just going to turn into a guy who makes dad jokes?

I definitely talk about being a father, but the thing I’ve been proud of is I’m talking about it in a way that only I can talk about it. … How do I avoid well-trod territory? It’s about making sure that I’m in the story. The thing about every comic I love is that their personality — what makes them special — is innate in their standup. Only they could tell it. I’m a character in this.

Part of me is like “Do I even need to talk about it?” Some people don’t put their personal life out there, and historically, I never have, but it feels like this is too big a thing. Why am I pretending that my life isn’t completely different now?

Q. Has being a parent changed your outlook on the bigger issues?

A. It’s forced me to be less cynical. There are moments where the idea of the world being destroyed by a meteor is comic. Let’s tear the bandage off, and finally humanity will do one thing together in unison, which is, you know, the end. That’s part of me. But having a kid, it’s like, “How can I really, truly go to that place?”

You have to be a certain level of hopeful, optimistic, in order to be a good parent. Otherwise, you just couldn’t function. It’s not like I’m looking at the world with rose-colored glasses, but it means that I’m even more invested in things changing. It makes me want to work harder. It makes me want to do better. It makes me want to give him a better experience.

Kondabolu on …

Elections: “Election Day in this country should be held on Halloween, because it is by far the scariest day.”

Sports: “I’m a huge sports fan. My favorite sport, of course, is chess.”

Black Friday: “How about White Friday?”

See Hari Kondabolu in Olympia

• What: The lauded comedian returns to Olympia with a show that mixes a bit of parenting humor with his signature political content.
• When: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, with doors opening at 7 p.m.
• Where: Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia
• Tickets: $25, $20 for Olympia Film Society members
• More information: http://olympiafilmsociety.org, 360-754-6670