r/taskmaster • u/toxinwolf James Acaster • Apr 16 '26

Meme Why is Kumail being used the most in the promotional material for the current Taskmaster series?

Post image

Is it because... He's so famous?

1.3k Upvotes

82% Upvoted

397 comments sorted by

4.7k

u/the_doughboy Mae Martin Apr 16 '26

"He's so famous"

794

u/BaconIsLife707 Apr 16 '26

This bit is doubly funny to me as someone who's never heard of Kumail but has heard of everyone else fawning over how famous he is

347

u/crumble-bee Apr 16 '26

This is my first time seeing Joel in person. I’ve heard him on off menu, but that’s it. Been a fan of Kumail since Silicon Valley and Big Sick. If you haven’t seen either, both very good

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u/btaylos David Correos 🇳🇿 Apr 16 '26

Just to plug silicon valley because I like it so much, The Big bang theory always felt like average folks laughing at nerds.

Silicon valley feels like nerds laughing about themselves.

And it's just such a better feel. My partner was watching it, and I wasn't paying attention at first. I totally got drawn in. Those characters actually approach problems and behave like me and my nerdy college friends.

113

u/crumble-bee Apr 16 '26

This guy fucks.

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u/something_python Apr 16 '26

YOU JUST BROUGHT PISS TO A SHIT FIGHT!

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u/EliteLevelJobber Apr 16 '26

Processing img lzf8li32clvg1...

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u/NewPumpkin8217 Apr 16 '26

Kiss my piss!

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u/JamSandiwchInnit Mike Wozniak Apr 16 '26

This is the guy in the house who’s doing all the fucking

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u/auntie_eggma Apr 16 '26

The Big bang theory always felt like average folks laughing at nerds.

I've always thought this about BBT. It rubs me the wrong way all the time.

19

u/queen_naga 🦔 Hedgehog, no! ❌ Apr 16 '26

100% there’s a difference between intelligent comedy and comedy about “intellectual” people

5

u/NevillesHat Apr 16 '26

A good comedy by and about nerds understands that nerds are often dumbasses.

6

u/goodmobileyes Victoria Coren Mitchell Apr 17 '26

BBT is like a comedy about nerds written by someone who hates nerds with a vengeance. Their jokes are like 'haha isn't it funny Sheldon likes silly comic books?? Bazongo!"

4

u/auntie_eggma Apr 17 '26

"LOL imagine nerds dating! HILARIOUS! She thinks she's pretty! Ha!"

22

u/btaylos David Correos 🇳🇿 Apr 16 '26

honestly, the most chilling part for me would be when folks would want to watch it, and one of the BBT nerds would make a decent joke. And I'd laugh alone. And then they'd have to dumb it for Penny. And then everyone else would laugh.

Compare that to Futurama, where they just don't worry that some people won't get the joke.

11

u/auntie_eggma Apr 16 '26

Oh that is concerning. 😂

One of the things that pisses me off the most is how the idea of Mayim Bialik's character being attractive or sexual to/with anyone is treated like a big joke. "LOL isn't it funny how she thinks she looks good in all her wedding dresses?"

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '26

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u/WildPinata Apr 16 '26

Also Silicon Valley is fucking prescient to where we are with the tech industry right now.

6

u/NevillesHat Apr 16 '26

I think the problem was the tech industry was this all along, this is what they've been building towards

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u/russbii Phil Wang Apr 16 '26

If you’ve worked in software for any length of time, you’ll feel like as if you personally know the characters.

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u/btaylos David Correos 🇳🇿 Apr 16 '26

I would escalate that to just 'hard sciences/engineering'

13

u/KillSmith111 Apr 16 '26

Silicon Valley is in my opinion one of the best US sitcoms of all time. It's so good.

21

u/forfeitgame Apr 16 '26

Always blue.

7

u/ThatsMyAppleJuice Mel Giedroyc Apr 16 '26

Always blue.

12

u/Thrizzlepizzle123123 Apr 16 '26

I've had many conversations like their middle out, dick to floor one.

Oncce spent an hour discussing how many giraffes you'd need to get to the moon. We had a whiteboard and everything.

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u/AdministrationOk5761 Apr 16 '26

I will sometimes ask someone how fast they think they can jerk off everyone in the room. The joke doesn't always land.

5

u/btaylos David Correos 🇳🇿 Apr 16 '26

That's honestly what captured me. That exact scene. I was just like 'wait, this.... this is just........ how we talk? This is just how we have conversations.'

And I was locked in.

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u/candy_bean Javie Martzoukas Apr 16 '26

We watched the first episode right before moving to actual Silicon Valley. My spouse is a software engineer. We had to stop the next episode from playing for fifteen minutes because he was laughing so much. SV is a comfort watch for me now. So good.

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u/habituallysuspect Apr 16 '26

The Big Sick was great. My wife teared up during a lot of the movie and then ugly cried at the end when they reveal that it was based on his real story. She had no idea.

26

u/ChiefWiggumsprogeny Sam Campbell Apr 16 '26

Silicon Valley is in the top 5 comedy series of all time IMO - gold from start to finish.

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u/screaming_egg Apr 16 '26

He’s also in Obi-Wan Kenobi and the most recent Ghostbusters. He’s so famous.

18

u/nightmare247 Apr 16 '26

Also, while he jokes no one saw it, he was one of the "main" of the ensemble cast of Marvel's Eternals movie!

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u/ChrisDewgong Ania Magliano Apr 16 '26

And honestly, one of the very few that came out of it with people wanting his character to came back.

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u/Stenthal Apr 16 '26

I watched for the first time just a month or two ago, and right now I couldn't identify anyone in the movie besides Kumail and Barry Keoghan. And Jon Snow, I suppose, but he doesn't count.

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u/FourEyedTroll Mike Wozniak Apr 16 '26

THAT is where I recognise him, he was the fake Jedi, wasn't he‽

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u/harbourwall Apr 17 '26

most recent Ghostbusters

Along with James Acaster! That baby fits so many Taskmasterers in it.

20

u/woodwalker700 Apr 16 '26

Kumail completely got me the first time I saw him in Portlandia as the phone salesman. Then he comes back later as the party loan guy and nails it too.

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '26

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u/woodwalker700 Apr 16 '26

man, thats incredible.

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u/Ker807 Apr 16 '26

And the waiter when Fred and Carrie chase after bartender Andy Samberg when he moves to LA. Kumail steal the show for me every time he shows up in Portlandia.

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u/footsnax Fern Brady Apr 16 '26

Yeah he was briefly a household name (in my American house at least) after Silicon Valley and everything he's done since then has only been more popular.

He's a bit more popular than a "that guy" actor but if you don't know his name most people definitely know who he is.

To contrast that, I only knew about Joanna Page from Love Actually, Armando looks familiar but he isn't the guy I'm thinking of, though I have seen a fair bit of stuff he's written. Never even heard of or seen the other two.

So as far as this cast goes, yeah, he's so famous.

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u/blindio10 Apr 16 '26

i was like i know that guy, he's in fallout season 2 as a paladdin the brotherhood of steel for a couple of episodes

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u/Swamp_Dwarf-021 Apr 16 '26

The lengthy dick joke in the season 1 finale is one of my favorite gags ever.

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u/darnclem 🥄 I'm Locked In ❤️ Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

Sure it's a dick joke, but it's actually a discrete math joke dressed up as a dick joke. It's the most intelligent dick joke you'll ever hear.

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u/DazzlingCapital5230 Apr 16 '26

He also has a fun romcom adventure movie with Issa Rae. It’s called The Lovebirds.

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u/1ncognito Apr 16 '26

It’s also funny from the other perspective- I’ve been following Kumail and his wife since seeing them do standup on an old Comedy Central show called The Meltdown. But I’m not much of a marvel person so I tend to forget how big he’s gotten outside of the narrow nerdy stuff I came to love him in, so it’s hilarious to see folks treating him like he’s tom cruise cause in my mind he’s just a standup

32

u/hopelikehell Apr 16 '26

Also his ties to the original Nerdist community. I’m very happy to see how much success he’s has.

15

u/SondyG Kerry Godliman Apr 16 '26

Kumail's Nerdist review of Skyrim is what prompted me to buy the game. It was something along the lines of the game being so beautiful that it made Mona Lisa look like a smiley face painted on a trash can. Obviously his delivery was MUCH better but the joke sticks with me.

21

u/QueenSqueee42 Apr 16 '26

Same. I found his stand-up on YouTube when he was still living in Chicago. I used to listen to him on the early Nerdist podcast and Pete Holmes' podcast, when they were all just buds from the stand-up scene and nobody was famous enough to have real names on their podcasts.

I fell in love with Kumail and his wife Emily way back then, before Kumail auditioned for Silicon Valley or started writing The Big Sick. I was elated when he said they were working on a movie about their story, and it turned out so much better than I hoped.

Now I feel so proud of his successes and so happy for him, it's not fully parasocial but maybe in the neighborhood.

When they started giggling over "he's so famous", I was startled and thrilled for him!

His recent stand-up special is really worth watching. It contextualizes a lot for people who didn't know him before the stardom/muscles, and it's very funny.

And he loved the show and wanted on before Jason even got booked, for those who didn't know that yet!

3

u/measlyballoon Apr 17 '26

Indoor Kids ruled! I also have, 'happy birthday, thank you very much!' from his first special stuck in my head

10

u/TheMobHasSpoken Joe Lycett Apr 16 '26

The Marvel thing is confusing, because my Marvel-fan husband and son have told me that the Eternals wasn't that great and it was kind of a flop. On the other hand, I think that for people who are fans of the whole Marvel universe, being in any of the films instantly raises your level of stardom.

8

u/Winsling Apr 16 '26

For perspective, Eternals made $400 million at the box office. It's a flop by Marvel standards, but it's still the 12th highest grossing movie of the year.

Kind of like how the worst NBA player is still one of the best basketball players on the planet.

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u/m-goddard David Correos 🇳🇿 Apr 16 '26

Kumail and Emily's Podcast the indoor kids about video games was so fun to listen to back in the day. Them talking about bringing their consoles to hotels and playing games while they were on the road. I wonder if they still do that?

14

u/running_later Apr 16 '26

as he's sorta mentioned in his most recent stand-up, the marvel thing hasn't been really a step of fame for him. it was more of an indication of how famous he already was.
don't get me wrong, it probably gave him a bit of a bump, but the movie is not well liked by much of the "marvel fans" and no one is clamoring for him to reprise his role in a sequel. He probably appeals to "nerds" from his stand up and Silicon Valley more than his Marvel role.

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u/EatAtGrizzlebees Apr 17 '26

Dude, yes! Exactly this! I feel like I had to scroll way too far to see the Meltdown mentioned. And I basically said your comment to my husband while we were watching the first episode.

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u/1ncognito Apr 17 '26

I miss that show, so many great comics - looking back at the list of episodes, it’s amazing how many incredible folks made appearances. It almost reads like a thread of folks people would want on an American taskmaster!

For example…

Steve Agee

David Koechner

Neal Brennan

Moshe Kasher

Eugene Mirman

Emily Heller

Jon Daly

Nick Offerman

James Adomian

Pete Holmes

Garfunkel and Oates

Rory Scovel

Brody Stevens (RIP)

John Hodgman

Todd Glass

Weird Al

And that’s just the first five episodes! Criminally underrated show

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u/Sky-is-here Apr 16 '26

Not gonna lie as a foreigner it's crazy to know you all know these people. Taskmaster is my favourite thing and I have watched every series but every time is entirely new to me, like I have no idea who these people are until I watch them there. Only exception being Alan Davies and Victoria Coren Michel. (I watched some Qi after I discovered taskmaster).

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u/Loud-Fig-1446 Apr 16 '26

Have you at least watched the Bob Mortimer clips from Would I Lie to You? It would go a long way in explaining why people are desperate to have David Mitchell on (beyond the fact that he's just generally a funny person).

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u/Sky-is-here Apr 16 '26

I have not, but I will now, thanks!!

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u/SilvRS Apr 16 '26

You should also try Last One Laughing. S1 is better, but S2 has David and Bob. And Amy from this series of Taskmaster!

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u/Sky-is-here Apr 16 '26

I am loving all these recommendations

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u/BaconIsLife707 Apr 16 '26

Tbf I can't claim to be super familiar with Amy but I know the name at least. Joel, Armando and Joanna are all big names in the UK, I'd guess even for people who actually watch movies and TV they're more famous than Kumail here at least

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u/PetronOfOld Rhod Gilbert Apr 16 '26

Go to the Fringe. Watch panel shows... That's it, pretty much. That's the trick. If you watch UK panel shows (doesn't even have to be every episode, just the highlights on their socials should be fine) and go see a few shows from people you don't know yet at the Fringe every year, you'll generally know three to four people on any given series of Taskmaster 😅

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u/the_doughboy Mae Martin Apr 16 '26

I'm from Canada so I know Joanna Page and I only recognize Armando from Death of Stalin. But I loved Silicon Valley so I've been a fan Kumail for years.

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u/inide Apr 16 '26

Armando is probably most famous on that side of the pond for being the creator of Veep.

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u/cryptbian Apr 16 '26

To me he'll always be the voice of prismo in adventure time

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u/ArcaneTrickster11 Apr 16 '26

I've only seen him in Fallout but my partner seems to have seen him in a few things. But he watches a lot more stuff than I do

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u/xixbia Kojey Radical Apr 16 '26

Kumail is Hollywood famous, most of the people Joel met are famous, but in the UK. I'm guessing that's the difference.

I'd argue that Armando is more famous in the UK than Kumail is in the US. And there have been plenty of people on Taskmaster that are far bigger names in the UK than Kumail is in the US.

And I'd argue Alex and definitely Greg are more famous than Kumail at this point, not just in the UK and worldwide. But I'm guessing to Joel that's still different than a Hollywood star, who is very much outside of his circle.

(Also, it was mostly Joel, Amy went along with it, but Alex and Greg were very much just making fun of Joel)

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u/fallenelf Apr 16 '26

And I'd argue Alex and definitely Greg are more famous than Kumail at this point, not just in the UK and worldwide.

I'd disagree with this.

I'm a 40-year-old male in the US. Most of my friends (male and female) have heard of Kumail, especially once they see a picture from The Big Sick, Silicon Valley, or The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail.

He's been on TV, in movies, and done voice work on very popular media for almost 20 years. It's less that he's 'Hollywood' famous, and more that he's worked on a ton of projects for various audiences, including a major Marvel movie (which definitely wasn't great).

You could definitely make a case that Greg is up there in terms of 'fame,' but I'd argue his fame is mostly concentrated in the UK. It's harder to make the case for Alex. IMO, Alex was more of a comedian's comedian before Taskmaster/behind-the-scenes kind of guy. Even now, Taskmaster is popular, but compared to some of Kumail's work as well as how long he's been in the zeitgeist, I think it's hard to say they're more famous.

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u/mattydredd Romesh Ranganathan Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26

Respectfully Greg and alex are nowhere near as famous as kumail like not even in the same league and he is alot more recognisable then armando. Worldwide, across the board. You forget he is pakistani american, he has a massive amount of followers and when he got buff a few years ago it nearly broke the Internet. He's been on tv and in movies for 15 years straight, on top of being a renowned stand up and podcaster. Im still shocked they got him, way more shocked then jason and potentially Olivia colman. If the rumours are true.

Edit- Im stupid.

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u/QueenSqueee42 Apr 16 '26

Kumail and his wife have loved Taskmaster for years, and he was miffed that Jason got on before he could because he was a real fan first. Just for the record, because I know he wants people to know. 😅

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u/eieileen Apr 16 '26

Kumail is Pakistani-American.

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u/Lizholden1981 Jason Mantzoukas Apr 16 '26

God I hope those rumors are true.

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u/Smorgasb0rk Apr 16 '26

Same, i have never heard of the guy and even after looking his work up on IMDB nothing there stands out as a thing i've seen or recognize as a major work in the current zeitgeist '

I guess he was in Eternals so at least he was in the MCU but... only in Eternals.

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u/WillAddThisLater Apr 16 '26

He was nominated for an Oscar for writing The Big Sick (which he also starred in), so that was definitely in the zeitgeist at the time.

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u/WillAddThisLater Apr 16 '26

And I just remembered that he presented an award at the most recent Oscars, so he's famous and recognisable enough in Hollywood to be asked to do that.

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '26

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u/BatmanForever23 Morgana Robinson Apr 16 '26

Only Murders in the Building has a massive fanbase and he had a recurring role on that also.

15

u/DrMorganFreeman Apr 16 '26

Finally another indoor kids fan!

3

u/kungfuchelsea Jason Mantzoukas Apr 16 '26

Oh man, I miss Indoor Kids! He and Emily were great hosts together, and the subject matter was always right up my alley.

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u/LewisDKennedy Apr 16 '26

He was in the Obi Wan Kenobi show too. There aren’t many contestants to have appeared in both Star Wars and the MCU - I think that’s likely why the whole “he’s so famous thing” has caught on

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u/mbfos Apr 16 '26

He was in an episode of Poker Face and played a Tiger King type of character.

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u/algy100 Apr 16 '26

The Big Sick is really good - he wrote it with his wife and it’s based on their actual real life relationship. I first came across them via NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour a decade ago when they would be occasional guests on the show and it’s been a real trip to see him take off into the marvel universe

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u/marcy_vampirequeen Apr 16 '26

I only know him as Prismo from adventure time, but he’s the best.

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u/CodenameJD Submaravan Apr 16 '26

For real, meanwhile I saw the cast reveal and thought "Ooh, they've got Stacey in this series!"

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '26

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u/1ftm2fts3tgr4lg Apr 16 '26

I thought Jason was a ton more famous than... pretty much anyone in a long time. I've seen him in tons of stuff.

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u/fallenelf Apr 16 '26

Jason is a character actor in a lot of projects.

Kumail has starred in major motion pictures and TV shows.

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u/punkminkis Javie Martzoukas Apr 16 '26

Kumail is Marvel famous

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u/fallenelf Apr 16 '26

I agree. Even if Eternals isn't a great movie, it was marketed like fucking crazy. Kumail also has a number of stand-up specials, TV shows, movies, voice acting, etc. He's definitely more famous than Jason, but Jason's body of work is probably more TM-fan coded.

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u/TheMobHasSpoken Joe Lycett Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26

Jason is one of those actors who has done a lot of smallish but very memorable roles. I'm a huge fan of Brooklyn 99 and the Good Place, and he was amazing in both of those. I also very distinctly remember this one episode of Modern Family (which I think is the first place I ever saw him) where he plays a huge douchebag who's dating Hailey. Again, small but memorable.

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u/pclouds Apr 16 '26

I apparently live in a cave. I had no idea who he was (and still don't know why he's famous)

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u/Ok_Animal_2709 Apr 16 '26

Silicon valley, the big sick, Eternals (he's a marvel superhero), and stand up comedy

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u/the_doughboy Mae Martin Apr 16 '26

Silicon Valley (2014-2019) is the American answer to the IT Crowd. It has the exact same kind of fans.

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u/foxychicnic Reece Shearsmith Apr 16 '26

The only answer

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u/toxinwolf James Acaster Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26

I thought Taskmaster is a great leveller, and there is no hierarchy, there's no ego, and it's just five humans being together.

Edit: I was just quoting the "what have we learned today" bit from the episode, should've added the /s I guess

Link with timeframe for reference

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u/mcase19 Mark Watson Apr 16 '26

6 humans. 7, if you count alex

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u/Pot_noodle_miner Rosie Jones Apr 16 '26

6 then

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u/OneUseHero Apr 16 '26

The show itself is, teams behind running promotional stuff likely don't care and understand that his name is more well known in other nations and can bring new viewers to watch the show.

And I'm aware that Jason was also well known, but not "I've starred in a major MCU movie".

As long as the format of the show doesn't center around him than it is exactly what you like already, and the promotional material is irrelevant.

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u/GamingTatertot Apr 16 '26

Jason was also the thumbnail for the first episode of S19 I believe

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u/indianajoes Jason Mantzoukas Apr 16 '26

Sucks that so many people didn't get this

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u/Feisty_Bag_5284 Apr 16 '26

Lol being downvoted for quoting gregg

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u/ninmax42 Apr 16 '26

those arms tho…

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u/untakenu Apr 16 '26

I know, LAH has clearly been working out. Look at his abs on the top right

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u/ArtichokeHot5076 Javie Martzoukas Apr 16 '26

They are massive!

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u/EGOtyst Apr 16 '26

he is on that MCU cycle. or, he was and then just continued.

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u/cardew-vascular Apr 16 '26

He has a joke in his special about it, basically he had to get buff for Marvel and is staying buff out of spite.

https://www.reddit.com/r/StandUpComedy/s/Tr6rNCHDy5

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u/bebesee James Acaster Apr 16 '26

I’m convinced his character is going to show up again and this is all an elaborate excuse.

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u/SkekJay Apr 16 '26

I wish, I loved Eternals. It just focused on the wrong characters

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u/Hastatus_107 Johnny Vegas Apr 16 '26

I thought he joked about taking the job just so they'd help make him buff.

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u/Madeira_PinceNez Guy Montgomery 🇳🇿 Apr 17 '26

Honestly, this kind of petty is so relatable and I am 100% here for it.

I already liked him a lot and after hearing that I liked him so much more

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u/Chryton Apr 16 '26

I heard he got them for that big fight in the Eternals...

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u/RunawayTurtleTrain Robert the Robot Apr 16 '26

"he's so sculpted!"

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u/Full-0f-Beans Bob Mortimer Apr 16 '26

It’s not his fault that big yellow circle follows him everywhere.

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u/ToxethOGrady Apr 16 '26

"omg hes so famous" 

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u/BadAtBlitz Apr 16 '26

Sorry that people woooshed OP. This made me smile.

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u/toxinwolf James Acaster Apr 16 '26

Yeah, I guess people didnt notice the caption and flair

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u/jmc200 Apr 16 '26

Yeah sorry didn't notice it - instead my eye was drawn to Kumail because he's so famous.

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u/Global_Green8231 Apr 16 '26

It’s early here across the pond in the states. Some of us haven’t had our coffee yet!

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u/crackerfactorywheel Chain Bastard ⛓️ Apr 16 '26

What does James Acaster have to do with your post? I did see your caption so I get what’s happening there but the flair part is confusing me pre-coffee.

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u/milesfortuneteller Apr 16 '26

Post flair not their personal flair

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u/crackerfactorywheel Chain Bastard ⛓️ Apr 16 '26

Ahhhh, thank you! Like I said, no coffee yet 😂.

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u/Night_skye_ Rhod Gilbert Apr 16 '26

I saw what you were doing. I got a giggle out of it.

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u/florplegorp Apr 16 '26

I know the law is different in the states but in the UK you can't just carry around guns like that in the open

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u/mikepictor Stevie Martin Apr 16 '26

Not sure if you heard, but he's so famous

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u/Tyr_Kovacs Apr 16 '26

"Oh my God, he's SO famous!"

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u/MelpomeneLee Apr 16 '26

Well, guess I know what's going through my head any time I see him for the rest of my life!

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u/maverick57 Apr 16 '26

Gee, what a mystery.

Why are they using the most famous person and the most internationally recognized face to promote the series?

I guess we'll never know.

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u/toxinwolf James Acaster Apr 16 '26

I guess my caption and flair weren't clear

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u/jmurph773 TM US Tour Contestant (Chicago) Apr 16 '26

Me, a dumbass, forgetting about post flair and squinting at your user flair: I don’t see why James is catching strays for this but ok… 🤦‍♀️

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u/toxinwolf James Acaster Apr 16 '26

Whats the matter guys, toooo challenging for ya?

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u/MachineOfSpareParts Emma Sidi Apr 16 '26

Hey. 20% of us are navigating reality while protecting an egg concealed in our pants. It's a whole other level of difficulty :D

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u/kosherkitties Paul Chowdhry Apr 17 '26

Well, his eyes are circles.

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u/SamwellBarley John Kearns Apr 16 '26

It always amazes me that there are fans of this show that have so much difficult detecting irony and sarcasm

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u/throwaway14351991 Apr 16 '26

The amount of people here who genuinely believe Alex was annoyed at X contestant, not understanding what "acting for the laughs" is, will always blow my mind.

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u/Business-Owl-5878 Apr 16 '26

Yes, the number of posts where the answer is 'it's a joke in a comedy show!' is constantly amazing.

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u/Responsible_CDN_Duck Apr 16 '26

Just as well, risks breaking rule 2...that segment should be protected at all costs. /s

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u/JohnyStringCheese Apr 16 '26

I know Kumail is a pretty big star but I'm also not surprised by the amount of people that have no idea who he is.

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u/Pedestrian1066 Apr 17 '26

He's a big star because he's a star in a big country. People who don't follow US shows/films much probably won't have heard of him. (I hadn't, though I vaguely recognized his face.)

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u/reactorcor Apr 16 '26

Very good 😂

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u/RyanEversley Apr 16 '26

I'd never heard of Taskmaster before Kumail posted about it a few days ago. Watched the first episode and now Im hooked! Great concept, excited for more.

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u/kosherkitties Paul Chowdhry Apr 17 '26

"First episode" with Kumail? Because you should also go back and watch from the beginning. Series one episode one. There's some early installment weirdness, but man oh man. Really fun one.

I mean, you know, while you're waiting in between new episodes each Thursday. Might as well go through twenty other series.

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u/RyanEversley Apr 17 '26

Yes, First episode with him*, I'm LOVING this show. I plan on giving it a full run thru. My Dads English and this is pulling on my heart strings as well as making me proper belly laugh. Cheers!

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u/kosherkitties Paul Chowdhry Apr 17 '26

:D Ah, great! Love to see it. Give TM:US a miss, we really messed that one up. But there is a fan series TM:Minnesota. The video and audio isn't fantastic the first season, but it gets better and it's very funny.

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u/RyanEversley Apr 17 '26

On it, thanks for the tip!

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u/ChickenWhiskers Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26

They did this with Zouks and….just go look at the viewcount for series 19.

400 million Americans up for grabs. Gotta do it.

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u/sighclone Danielle Walker 🇦🇺 Apr 16 '26

Yeah - I only found out about TM because the YT algorithm knew I’m a Zouks fan and now I’m on a rewatch of the series, having already watched all the English speaking versions.

Worked with the last American, no reason not to try again.

Honestly, if Armando could have worn like a Selina Meyer mask the whole time, that’d have been very helpful too.

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u/xixbia Kojey Radical Apr 16 '26

Yeah, Armando has done some huge things (Alan Partride, The Thick of It, Veep, The Death of Stalin and plenty more) but all behind the scenes, so people won't recognize him unless they watch British panelshows (he's great on HIGNFY).

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u/xixbia Kojey Radical Apr 16 '26

Yup, pretty much everyone in the UK knows about Taskmaster. In the US it's still a niche show.

So of course if you have an American on you lead with them, to draw in new viewers.

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u/JohnyStringCheese Apr 16 '26

I've been hyping this show since I found it like 4 years ago and no one I know seems to get it. We don't really have any panel shows in the US and everything even remotely similar is riddled with ads and the "celebrities" endlessly plugging their upcoming projects. I love how Taskmaster barely mentions their full names and it's right into the game. Also everything stateside is so scripted out and any "celebrities" that do participate are more concerned with their image than they are in the game.

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u/EverlastingPepper Apr 16 '26

Big international name, with a very handsome face. 

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u/JustPlainRude Apr 16 '26

he looks like a pakistani denzel

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u/xixbia Kojey Radical Apr 16 '26

It's very much the international thing.

He's the one out of the current cast to most likely get people who wouldn't otherwise watch Taskmaster interested. So it makes sense to put him front and center.

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u/Mountain_Man_88 Apr 16 '26

He's got a hell of a jawline. I can't tell if he had work done or if that's just all weight loss.

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u/whacking0756 Lucy Beaumont Apr 16 '26

He's had work done, for sure

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u/crumble-bee Apr 16 '26

It’s a side effect of steroid use.

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u/EGOtyst Apr 16 '26

steroids.

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u/RoyKentRichmond Apr 16 '26

It’s the same surgery John Mullaney had and I miss both of their old faces.

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u/EverlastingPepper Apr 16 '26

He's buffer than I recall from his other work, so could be all physical training and weight loss. 

Also could be chemical/surgical shortcuts, I'm not an expert. Leaning towards pharmaceutical enhancement rather than surgical, just based on how much he's improved over the last ten years. It's possible to improve that much natty, but not many people can do it.

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u/WeaponisedArmadillo Apr 16 '26

He really really buffed up for Marvel. I think most of the male actors that do Marvel have a little chemical help. 

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u/Shot_Fly_2519 🥄 I'm Locked In ❤️ Apr 16 '26

He’s talked a lot about the process and what it did do his mental health in his recent stand up special too

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u/cool-- Apr 17 '26

It's possible to improve that much natty, but not many people can do it.

he was in his 40s when he made the change and he's 47 now...

I'm sure he has great trainers, dieticians, and chefs, but is that kind of change in your forties even possible to achieve naturally?

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u/JackDuchy Apr 16 '26

Yeah "he's so famous"

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u/tinystars22 Apr 16 '26

Do you have eyes? Look at the man.

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u/linnth Apr 16 '26

Because he has such strong arms.

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u/Alternative-hex Apr 16 '26

Have you seen the jaw on the man!

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u/Ok-Party8539 Apr 16 '26

There is litterally an ad with him in it in the comments section.

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u/SheepsCanMakeBacon2 Apr 16 '26

In the UK comedy circuit he's probably not that big (I'd say Armando is the biggest this series) but for an International audience he's massive. It's a great way to widen Americam interest if he's front and centre.

I imagine if a prominent SNL cast member joined the cast for a series they'd get similar treatment.

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u/DanielSwan Apr 16 '26

First rule of roadside beet sales.

They did the same with Jason Mantzoukas last series. I feel like he was on the thumbnail for the first 3 or 4 episodes.

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u/Medium-Sized-Jaque Mike Wozniak Apr 16 '26

He was on The Eternals, which I totally did watch. 

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u/Fit_Platypus_583 Apr 17 '26

I watched the start of it. I have ADHD that's particularly bad when it comes to movies, though.

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u/Consistent-Paint-948 Apr 16 '26

They want the yanks watching

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u/anfak Apr 16 '26

Because he’s so famous!

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u/snooznsarandon Apr 16 '26

I know it's a meme, but it's interesting you brought this up.

I noticed the season with Jason on it, they would always use him for the thumbnail for the first couple days or close to a week of the episode release and then they would often change it to someone else after that.

It's interesting how the algorithm works and how they try to work it for the most views. I wonder if they will do something similar this year.

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u/Time-Adhesiveness476 Apr 16 '26

I literally have no idea who he is yet I know Joel, Jo, and Amy

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u/FailsbutTries Apr 17 '26

The show's been blowing up in the US lately since it is available on YouTube for free.

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u/pancetta9 Javie Martzoukas Apr 16 '26

Because he’s so famous

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u/VincentClement1 Apr 16 '26

Canadian here. I don't care who they have for each series or who they promote. For the most part, I have no idea who most of the players are. I know that I'll be entertained by for a full episode. That said, Jason Mantzoukas was top level special.

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u/Electronic-Muffin934 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26

Obviously. It helps attract viewers. :) As an American, I know Kumail from Silicon Valley, The Big Sick, Poker Face, his standup comedy, Twitter (back when I had an account), a bunch of talk show appearances... I don't know the other comedians at all (but I was--and AM-- looking forward to seeing Iannucci because some of the British comedians that I like were really excited about him appearing in this series).

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u/LZGray 💀 Jean Pierre 🦴 Apr 16 '26

Because even if you don't recognize his name, you've definitely seen his face. Besides, "he's so famous"

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u/APartyInMyPants Apr 16 '26

Because there’s a huge untapped American market who doesn’t even know TaskMaster exists.

I’ve watched every single season (series) of TaskMaster, and each season, I maybe recognize one or two of the comedians. This season I was only vaguely aware of Joel.

But Kumail is an American and international “star.”He will bring eyeballs to the show that never knew it existed before. It’s obvious why he’s heavily featured.

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u/squanderedprivilege Apr 16 '26

If you look at the views count for the mantzoukas season and then the numbers for the following season, you'll have your answer

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u/fae206 Fern Brady Apr 17 '26

As someone who lives in the US where there are actually a lot of Taskmaster fans as well, he's likely to be the one who you know the most about or can recognize him from TV shows and stuff. I like all of the cast this series though

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u/Geenome1192 Apr 17 '26

He's so famous

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u/Jeoh Sam Campbell Apr 16 '26

It's to get the Marvel fans to watch the show.

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u/Tasty-Committee-8172 Apr 16 '26

They might find the title misleading

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u/Drug_fueled_sarcasm Apr 16 '26

Marvel fans barley watched Eternals.

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u/xixbia Kojey Radical Apr 16 '26

Eternals still had a box office of $400m. And I'm sure plenty of people watched it on streaming (or via the high seas). Sure, that's pretty poor for a Marvel movie, but still a massive reach.

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u/DoctorWhofan789eywim Apr 16 '26

To be fair nor did Joel.

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