Skip to content
Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Promotional art for Night Thoughts
Cover image credit:

Source

Night Thoughts

Kumail Nanjiani

Hulu · 2025 · 55 min

Kumail Nanjiani brings his late-night anxieties back to Chicago.

Kumail Nanjiani returned to stand-up after a twelve-year absence, during which he became an Oscar-nominated screenwriter, an Emmy-nominated actor, and surprisingly muscular. Recorded at the Vic Theatre in Chicago, the city where he started his comedy career, this hour marks his first solo special since 2013. Nanjiani spends the set trying to re-establish himself as a working stand-up rather than a movie star trying out a hobby.

He structures the hour around the low-stakes anxieties and heavy regrets that keep people awake at 3:00 a.m. His material ranges from pre-legalization weed buying and the absurdities of cat medication to the very public psychological toll of starring in a critically panned Marvel movie. Notable bits include his panicked pandemic habits, like washing bananas and microwaving cheesecakes, and a running joke about his own physical transformation, specifically the danger of getting his newly formed abs caught in his belt.

Directed by Bill Benz, the special was released on Hulu in late 2025. It earned Nanjiani a Golden Globe nomination, praised by critics for its warmth and vulnerability, even if some felt his observational material leaned a bit safe.

The set list

8 bits

  1. Decorative muscles

    Advises the crowd not to get weird about his muscular physique, explaining that they cannot hurt anyone and are merely decorative spite muscles.

  2. Getting high and going out to eat

    Describes feeling like an approachable goofball asking silly questions about where the sun will set.

  3. Concert encores

    Questions the fragile egos of musicians requiring extra clapping from audiences who already paid just to finish the show.

  4. Medicating his 16-year-old cat Bagel

    Details the difficulty of giving pills to an aging cat and riffs on the supplement name 'Easypill Giver Cat'.

  5. Pool intruders

    Recounts remotely catching a young couple illicitly having a picnic near his backyard swimming pool, while self-consciously noting his reluctance to mention owning a pool.

  6. Legalization of marijuana

    Jokes about the societal rules and danger of buying pot before legalization versus regulated marijuana.

  7. Green Card interview

    An improvisational decision to change the conversation during his final interview after waiting 14 years for a Green Card.

  8. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Dissecting the fallout from Eternals and going to therapy closer

    Breaks down public and internet criticism into five main categories and defends his right to feel sorry for himself.

How it plays

Tone
Honest, vulnerable, tongue-in-cheek, anxious, and candidly defiant.
On stage
Self-aware, emotionally vulnerable, approachable goofball balancing self-regard, pettiness, and authentic disclosure about fame and anxiety.
Pace
Slow, careful unearthing of stories that ping-pongs between wild-eyed rants and succinct stand-alone musings, building longer narrative sections.
About
Anxiety and nighttime ruminations, The perils and culture of buying marijuana pre-legalization, Medicating an aging, geriatric cat, Dealing with fame, public perception, and internet criticism, Body transformation and workout regimens, Therapy and processing collective trauma

What the critics said

Highly praised by critics as an impressive, self-aware, and thrilling return to stand-up comedy that effectively balances vulnerability, relatability, and humor concerning fame and anxiety.

In the room: Supportive and engaged Chicago hometown crowd at The Vic.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: pro.imdb.com, themoviedb.org, tv.apple.com, disneyplus.com, vulture.com, decider.com, laughingplace.com, hyphenonline.com, imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, press.hulu.com.

Backstory

Processing the aftermath of public scrutiny over his physical transformation for Marvel's Eternals, the critical and box-office failure of the film, navigating therapy, internet criticism, and dealing with anxiety and aging pets.

Details

Released
Taped
The Vic, Chicago
Runtime
55 min
Where
Hulu
Director
Bill Benz
Honors
Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television
Topics
Before
Poop Talk (2017)

More from Kumail Nanjiani

If you liked this