Yassir Lester

Yassir Lester is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor, producer, and director whose career spans live performance, television, and feature film. Lester began writing jokes at age 17 and performed his first professional stand-up comedy gig at 19, traveling across the country for shows before focusing on Hollywood. He appears regularly at The Hollywood Improv and The World Famous Comedy Store in Los Angeles, as well as other clubs nationwide, building a reputation as a sharp and versatile live performer.

Lester's television writing career began with the Adult Swim animated series "Black Dynamite," providing hands-on experience in TV comedy writing. He later joined the writing staff of "Girls" on HBO and worked as a story editor on the NBC sitcom "The Carmichael Show." His writing credits also include "Detroiters" on Comedy Central and "Black Excellence" on Netflix.

Lester achieved his first major on-screen breakthrough with the lead role of Chris Parrish in the Fox sitcom "Making History," a time-travel comedy. He then starred as Yassir X, a Muslim stockbroker, in Showtime's "Black Monday," a satirical series about the 1987 stock market crash. Initially brought on to punch up scripts, Lester was later cast as a stockbroker character, demonstrating his ability to transition between writing and acting roles.

Lester has also written for series such as "Loot" and "Kenan," and serves as head writer for the Marvel Cinematic Universe film "Armor Wars." He co-wrote and co-directed "The Gutter" with his brother Isaiah Lester, a bowling-themed comedy starring Shameik Moore that premiered at SXSW and later streamed on Hulu. The film's cast includes Susan Sarandon, D'Arcy Carden, and Paul Reiser. Lester's career bridges stand-up comedy, television writing, and film direction, establishing him as a versatile voice in contemporary comedy and entertainment.