How Russell Peters' daughter got him Deported

Russell Peters. Photo / Supplied

Russell Peters is a comedy star, a film star and has his own TV series but he insists he's still living a normal life - so much so he's built his whole tour around it.

Peters' last tour was Almost Famous so it could've stood to reason this one would've been about actually being famous, especially given he's just produced and starred in his own Netflix comedy-drama The Indian Detective.

But instead Peters has "taken a more personal tone with this show".

He says: "I'm writing from my real real life now. It's all about, you know; my daughter, she's seven now and she's starting to ask questions that I'm not prepared for as a father, and I have a fiance who wants children and I don't, so it's all about my inner struggle," he laughs.

"I'm not caught up in it," he says, of fame and success, "My friends are more caught up in what they think my life is - as opposed to the reality of it - so that's funny for me. Like, 'wait; you think I live that way? No no, here's exactly how shitty it can be'."

As if to prove his point, Peters is interrupted during our interview when he notices his daughter, Crystianna slipping all manner of random items into his bag. They're on a shopping trip at the dollar store and while he's distracted, she's nabbed a large fake flower, a heart of some kind and even a goldfish.

View this post on Instagram

Happy Birthday to my goofy little gene mutation, the reason I wake up everyday, Daddy’s little Poopy Butt... I can’t believe it’s been 7yrs already! I love u my baby!!! Happy Birthday Tooty!!! #ShesNotOnInstaButIPostedItAnyway #SappyDadMoments #7yrsOldAlready

A post shared by Russell Peters (@russellpeters) on Dec 14, 2017 at 5:25am PST

It could well be a joke in the making, but while she may inform much of Peters' comedy, Crystianna is definitely still not allowed to listen to it - it hasn't gone so far toward family that it's lost its edge.

This is still a Russell Peters show and he's still coming in as hot as ever with the Deported Tour, the latest in a long run of tours with names like Outsourced, Red, White and Brown and The Green Card Tour. He explains with a laugh: "I was entered, I was registered, and now I might be kicked out."

The comic is known for his edgy, often race-based humour and has known his fair share of controversy, particularly after causing an uproar last year when he referred to young girls at an award ceremony as "a felony waiting to happen".

"Listen, you can't get caught up in what offends other people because I don't know what offends you and I can't live my life worrying about what's going to offend you," he says.

"I've got to worry about what's going to offend me and since nothing really does, it's going be a rough ride for you because I'm just gonna keep talking. It's about intent, it's not about the words."

View this post on Instagram

Chillin in Chile... Santiago that is! Going to the Atacama Desert to look at the stars and try to process how insignificant we are to the universe... I shall return with a new perspective... hopefully!!! #SantiagoDeChile #Paranal #TelescopesNShit #Poser #VLT 🇨🇱

A post shared by Russell Peters (@russellpeters) on Dec 8, 2017 at 2:01pm PST

Beyond that, as any Russell Peters fan knows, there's no preparing for one of his shows, given a good third of it is an off-the-cuff, audience banter-driven free for all.

"That's just who I am. I want to include you, I want you to feel like each show is a personal experience, so each show is tailored to each city, to that audience. And - I'm not just saying this - they're off the hook in Auckland," he says.

"The beauty of it is I don't know what's going to happen, I don't know who's going to be there or what's going to trigger my brain so it's kind of a fun little experiment for all of us at that point. It's great, I can't wait to come back to New Zealand."

LOWDOWN:
Who: Russell Peters
What: The Deported Tour
When: February 16, 17 at The Civic, Auckland