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Dina Hashem

Deadpan setups that make her darkest punchlines sound like casual accidents.

1 special · 2023

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Dina Hashem controls a crowd by speaking just under the volume they expect. She stands perfectly still, looks out with a flat expression, and delivers setups that sound like she is reading a mildly annoying text message. When the punchline hits, she does not smile or gesture to signal the joke. She simply waits for the room to catch up. By refusing to project or perform excitement, she forces audiences to lean forward and adjust to her frequency.

Specials

  • Dark Little Whispers

    Quiet, low-energy deadpan about family, religion, and absent fathers.

    Prime Video · 49 min

On stage

She occupies a specific lane of minimalist standup. While many comics lean into high-energy pacing, Hashem anchors the opposite end of the spectrum. Her 2023 Amazon hour Dark Little Whispers proved that an entirely low-energy, deadpan act can sustain a large theater. She is the comic to watch when you are tired of being yelled at.

She talks about her strict Muslim upbringing, fielding death threats, and her absent father, but she removes the weight from those subjects through her tone. She will describe childhood tension with the exact same detached irritation she uses to discuss loud talkers. She strips out performative emotion, leaving only the bare bones of a setup and punchline. If a bit gets a huge laugh, she might offer a slight nod, but she never breaks her quiet baseline.

She broke through by quietly dismantling a loud, aggressive opponent in a New York roast battle. That dynamic still drives her act. She steps on stage as the quietest person in the room, taking apart whatever she is talking about without raising her voice.

Turning points

  1. Viral Stand NYC Roast Battle Victory

    A video of Hashem titled 'Shy deadpan girl viciously defeats a big loud guy' garnered over 5 million views on YouTube, introducing her deadpan comedic style to a national audience.

  2. Debut Special Dark Little Whispers Premiere

    Hashem released her debut hour-long comedy special on Amazon Prime Video, executive produced by Sam Morril and featuring her own metal drumming on the soundtrack.

At a glance

On stage
since 2010
Style
dark comedy, deadpan, observational, satire
Breakout
Dark Little Whispers
Influences
Norm Macdonald, Nathan Fielder
Topics
Elsewhere
Website, Wikipedia

Fans also like

  • Sam Morril

    Morril executive produced Hashem's debut special Dark Little Whispers and shares a kindred New York club joke-writing efficiency and sharp delivery.

Also on screen

#1 Happy Family USA Lamby (voice)
–
Central Park Voice role

A clip to start with

Dina Hashem On Growing Up Arab In New Jersey | CONAN on TBS

4 min · 936K views · on Team Coco