Nemr Abou Nassar is a Lebanese-American stand-up comic who now performs globally using only his first name, Nemr. He has always performed in English, and now performs regularly in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East in multi-languages. On October 7, 2017 Nemr premiered his brand new hour comedy special, No Bombing in Beirut, across the United States on Showtime, and across Canada on CraveTV and The Movie Network. It is currently available on demand and streaming as well as regular play across these networks. Filmed in both Beirut and Los Angeles, No Bombing in Beirut was made to show that we are much more similar than we have been led to believe. Nemr believed that if you showed two crowds on opposite sides of the planet laughing together at the same material, and as he cut back and forth between the two, that if it felt like one show, there would be no better proof that we have so much more in common. Nemr has written and performed seven full feature shows, the latest of which was a world tour that took Nemr to many major U.S. cities, Europe, and across the Middle East. He has also released two feature specials as cinematic experiences, EPIC and Victorious Secret and had his own prime time TV show on the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation. In May 2014 he was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. He is currently touring his new show, No Politics No Religion One Love. He currently has a show "Nemr in the Aftrnoon" on Mix FM Lebanon
Nemr was born in Lebanon, to Joseph Abou Nassar and Hiam Kabban. He has one sibling, his sister Maria Abou Nassar, who is a fashion photographer. His family migrated to the United States of America in 1985 seeking refuge and social support from the civil war going on at the time in Lebanon. He and his family returned to Lebanon following the end of the civil war there and the country's return to relative stability. During his time in America, Nemr and his family lived in San Diego, California. It is here that Nemr became passionate about stand-up comedy with his earliest influence being American actor and stand-up comedian Dana Carvey. Nemr would often say during his childhood, "When I grow up, I will either be a ninja turtle or a stand-up comedian!"
A war leads to a career in comedy
It was during his freshman year at the American University of Beirut that Nemr would first start performing stand-up comedy publicly by hosting an annual event known as the AUB Outdoors that was a three day concert featuring local bands. Nemr used the stage time to hone his skills and, by the end of his years at the university, had amassed a respectable following as a result. He graduated from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon with a major in finance and a minor in philosophy in 2005. Nemr went on to practice stand-up comedy professionally in 2006, following the 2006 Lebanon War. The war became the catalyst for him to spread the art form throughout his country and the Middle East. Getting started was a challenge, as there were no established comedy venues before Nemr brought the concept to the public there. Thus, there were no comedy clubs, or open mics, or other easily accessible opportunities for comedians could try out their talents and material and learn in the process.
I could never go to a comedy club; it doesn't exist, where there other comics and I can do 10, 15 minutes. Every show I've ever done has had to be at least an hour and a half long. Every single show. I've never had the luxury of walking in and trying a few jokes and then leaving....I've been forced to reinvent myself and it's made me, I think in my opinion, a great comic as a result of it. I've had to train in harsh conditions, and I think it was great....I want to do what I'm setting out to do, but to be a man of principle. That when I'm done with this, I did it with my principles intact, being somebody who set an example.
He has hoped that his comedy serves as a medium where people could escape the everyday challenges of the region and come together regularly. He became known for his slogan, 'No Politics No Religion One Love', which he would incorporate into all his shows' branding as a sort of trademark. Initially, he brought together diverse university groups for a concert to benefit Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon and St. Jude’s Children’s Cancer Center, partially because his grandfather died of cancer. "I was able to use that to go into the universities in Lebanon, where all the clubs are very, very political and the students are very divided and a lot of fights would happen and everything was religious, sectarian and political..." Nemr was able to bring a diversity of students together, forgoing wearing representative colors and banners, into one large group to enjoy his comedy. However, trying to create a positive place to bring people together across different groups has not been easy:
When you're working under these circumstances, the game is a lot different, especially when you start to get very successful and you're not political, and you're not religious, it makes people upset because there is an independent voice that's becoming very, very strong; so they try to bring you down and... It's been one hell of a ride.
The theme of unity and embracing a future of hope through change is constantly an undertone in Nemr's shows.
In parallel, Nemr gained notoriety also for his work on his radio show, The Mix FM Phone Taps with Nemr which became the Middle East's No. 1 concept show on the Middle East's No. 1 radio station, Mix FM 104.4, where he would call unsuspecting individuals and spend the duration of the phone call drawing them into one hilarious scenario after the other with different characters by way of his voice with many becoming names throughout the Middle East; most notably his Japanese character Mitsurugi in the famous phone tap on Burger King and many others such as Mick Dagger, John Di Maglie, I.P. Freely, Pep of his Si Max Tribe, and MC Chakich to name a few.
