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Konstantin Kisin
British comedian and podcaster (born 1982) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Konstantin Vadimovich Kisin (/ˈkɪsɪn/; Russian: Константин Вадимович Кисин; born 25 December 1982) is a British–Russian satirist, author and co-host with Francis Foster of the Triggernometry podcast. He is also a former translator and stand-up comedian. Kisin has written for a number of publications, including Quillette, The Spectator, The Daily Telegraph and Standpoint; he has also appeared on the panel of the BBC political programme Question Time and been interviewed on TV media such as the BBC, Sky News and GB News. He speaks and writes on issues relating to tech censorship, comedy and culture war.
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Early life and education
Kisin was born in Moscow under the Soviet Union to parents Marina and Vadim into a family of Russian and Jewish descent and grew up in the USSR. His experiences in the country inform much of his own political worldview today.[2] Kisin who has Jewish, Atheist and Christian family described his religious views as "a not-very-practicing Orthodox Christian".[3][4] At the age of 11, he moved to the United Kingdom.[5] He attended Clifton College boarding school, and subsequently Edinburgh University, which he left around a year short of finishing a degree.[6]
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Career
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Translation and interpreting
Kisin has worked as a Russian-English legal, financial and video game translator, and interpreter, and has regularly given talks about the business side of translation.[7]
Podcasting
Since April 2018, Kisin has been co-presenter with Francis Foster of Triggernometry, a YouTube channel and podcast. The primary format of the channel is the prerecorded interview; the channel brands itself as holding "honest conversations with fascinating people",[8] and has been described as "anti-woke" by The Times and "hard-right" by openDemocracy.[9][10] Guests have included Reform UK leader and Brexiter Nigel Farage,[11] Jordan Peterson,[12] Ben Shapiro,[12] Stephen Fry[13][14] and Sam Harris.[15] A 2023 interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson on the subject of "Have We Lost Trust in Science?"[16] was widely reported upon both by other YouTube channels and the mainstream media because of Tyson's statements on the subject of transgender rights.[17][18][19]
Stand-up comedy
In 2019 Kisin took his show Orwell That Ends Well to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to mixed reviews. The Daily Telegraph included the show in its list of best comedy shows of the Edinburgh Festival,[20] The Student described it as "hilarious and refreshing,"[21] while Fest Magazine called it "ill-considered, reactionary nonsense,"[22] and The Jewish Chronicle described Kisin as an "antagonist" and rated the show 2 out of 5.[23][24][25]
Dispute with SOAS student group
In 2018, Kisin made headlines when he refused to sign a "behavioural agreement" form explaining a "no tolerance policy" concerning racism, sexism, classism, ageism, homophobia, biphobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-religion, and anti-atheism,[26] when asked to perform, free of charge, at a fundraising gig for UNICEF at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. The form explained those topics were not banned, but stated the topics should be discussed in a "respectful and non-abusive way", and presented in a way that is "respectful and kind".[26][27]
After Kisin refused to agree to those terms and chose not to perform, the UNICEF on Campus society at SOAS apologised and clarified they did not wish to "impose that guests would have to agree to anything they do not believe in". The SOAS Students' Union said it did not require external speakers to sign any contract before appearances, and that the UNICEF on Campus society had been "overzealous" in interpreting the guidelines.[28][29][30][31]
After it was claimed that Kisin had agreed to similar restrictions for a different gig in 2017, he stated he was "absolutely certain there was nothing about religion, atheism, respect or kindness in the rules [of the 2017 contract]. Had there been, I would not have agreed."[32]
Politics and punditry
In March 2022 Kisin appeared as a panellist on the first edition of BBC Question Time following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He described feeling shame for his birth country Russia and discussed the bombardment that his family in Ukraine was undergoing.[33]
Kisin's 2023 speech at the Oxford Union student debating society in favour of the motion that "Woke Culture HAS Gone Too Far" went viral.[34][35] In the speech, Kisin asserted that "woke culture" stifles free speech, and that reducing climate change was incompatible with reducing poverty in poorer countries. An article by Will Lloyd in the New Statesman, praised Kisin's speech as "not banal, not weighed down by predictable culture-war talking points", while concluded that "[a]way from his targets, Kisin’s observations on politics and history are relatively banal".[6]
In a keynote speech in London in late 2023 at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship, Kisin argued that the moment for restoring Western civilisation is at hand, describing it as "the fight for our lives".[36] In September 2023, the New Statesman named him as the 46th most influential right-wing figure in British politics.[37] Kisin has repeatedly rejected his characterisation as right-wing, instead describing himself as a "Remainer with liberal and centrist views who has only voted Lib Dem or Labour" and criticised the use of the "right-wing" label as a "smear for those we disagree with".[38]
In February 2025, Kisin interviewed Fraser Nelson on his Triggernometry podcast. During the interview, Nelson discussed Rishi Sunak and said "He is absolutely English – he was born and bred here". Kisin responded by saying "He’s a brown Hindu; how is he English?"[39] before stating that he himself as a Russian immigrant could similarly never be English, nor could his British-born son, which Nelson later described as a "perfectly fair point".[40] Kisin's remarks about Sunak were criticised by Sangita Myska, Dan Hodges, and David Aaronovitch.[39] Kisin insisted he was making a distinction between the British nationality and the English ethnicity.[41] Rishi Sunak affirmed that he does consider himself English, saying that he found Kisin's position "ridiculous".[42]
Author
Kisin is the author of An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West, which became a Sunday Times bestseller in the first week of its publication.[43] A review in The Daily Telegraph in July 2022 had Douglas Murray writing: "Kisin asks why people in the West so often spit on their luck."[44]
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Bibliography
References
External links
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