Abby Govindan Exists in the Context of Everything

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology (an effectively useless endeavor, according to some) and deciding to commit to comedy full-time, Indian-American stand-up comedian and viral storyteller, Abby Govindan, was already zero for two in her parents’ eyes. 

While a parent’s job is to support their child’s dreams—whether it’s a Netflix special or a neuroscience residency—when up against social norms, questions of self-worth, and seemingly cavernous cultural divides, as Govindan explains to us, it’s not always that simple. Taking a divergent route in life, as Govindan artfully describes during her solo hour, How To Embarrass Your Immigrant Parents, poses a whole suite of issues and problems for the black sheep in question.

In How To Embarrass Your Immigrant Parents, Govindan walks us through what it’s like to build a bridge between your parents’ expectations of you and your hopes for yourself, as well as tips on how to convince them to believe in your aspirations there alongside you. 

I can relate. I remember telling my Brooklynite Jewish grandmother about my decision to major in International Affairs, her asking what exactly I would be qualified to do with that, and me not really able to answer the question. Much like Govindan, my parents and I have also had our fair share of struggles with regards to my job prospects, especially working in a creative field. 

Within so-called “model minority” communities, such as mine of East Coast Jews or Govindan’s South Asian community, pressures of conforming to a certain kind of professional success bear a lot of weight on the heads of both children and their parents. You’re expected to pursue an education, a high paying job, and “success,” a word with very little wiggle room in its definition, and which comes with a very specific number of zeros in the paycheck. Although, empathizing with Abby’s parents, as well as mine, I imagine it can be incredibly disheartening to witness other kids making upwards of $50k straight out of school, while yours is making funny jokes online and minimum wage.

But, given that her full name in Sanskrit essentially translates to “Overdramatic Shepherd,” one might say Govindan was destined for life in the spotlight. Staying true to her namesake, Govindan has always had a knack for theatrics and a natural instinct for comedy; in her senior year of college, she spent her final exam week at other schools doing stand-up on tour. Nevertheless, what really put wind in the sails of her dreams as a professional comedian were her first, and second, times going viral. Armed with a killer Twitter finger, her humor was now able to reach wider audiences, and Govindan began to see a viable future for herself in the professional (read: paid) world of entertainment. 

On one major occasion when Govindan went viral, she posted an iMessage conversation between her and her dad, whom she calls Appa. While doing her laundry, he found Govindan’s Narcan kits, a free resource distributed in New York to help combat the opioid epidemic, and he automatically assumed the worst. “Please call. Amma is crying,” writes her father in panic mode. 

It’s an inherently hilarious exchange, from her father’s use of terse, dry language via text message, to her parents’ wild assumption and overreaction. But when the tweet took off on the internet, it was no longer about a daughter poking fun at the funny way her dad texts—or how her parents immediately concluded that she was fully on opioids. It very quickly became about her identity, with many people accusing Govindan of mocking her dad’s accent. 

Govindan never set out to represent each and every South Asian person’s experience, but the cultural differences between herself and her parents is something that I’m sure a lot of people can sympathize with. At the core of her hour-long solo show, Govindan tactfully charts her journey navigating the heartache and reward of forging a new relationship with her parents as a young adult, despite their frequent misunderstandings. 

With grace, compassion, humor, and good nature, Abby Govindan regales us of her inadvertent path to comedic legacy in the modern online era, including pranking the public into thinking she wrote and created the hit TV series, Emily In Paris, as well as conning the KKK into giving her a free textbook in college. 

From what it sounds like when I saw her perform her show, How to Embarrass Your Immigrant Parents, to a sold-out crowd, Govindan didn’t necessarily set out to hold up a mirror to society and create such meta-level satire, but her work has certainly taken that turn. The quick-witted comic is insightful in her observations of the world around her, and people respond immediately to her craftsmanship and sharp storytelling. In both internet fame and the stand-up circuit, she’s already creating massive cultural waves, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for this new voice of a generation.

Govindan performas How to Embarrass Your Immigrant Parents at Brooklyn’s Union Hall on Wednesday, August 21. Tickets are available here.

Felicia Reich is an entertainment writer and culture reporter who lives in New York City. Follow her on Instagram @feliciamnqreich or around Whole Foods from a tasteful distance.