Russell Peters still painfully funny

His reputation for doing so has over the years earned him criticism for being a "one-trick pony", who recycles his jokes. But he suggests that he isn't going to change his style.

"You know, if I were really a one-trick pony I would've been long gone from the scene already. But here I am now, 27 years since I first started and on my fourth tour," says Peters, who according to US media earned roughly $40 million in 2013 and 2014.

Humor has admittedly been an integral part of Peters' life, even during his formative years.

Born in Toronto to a father who worked as a meat inspector and a mother who held a job at Kmart, Peters says he would often attempt to use humor as a form of defense against racism he encountered growing up as an Indian-origin child in Canada.

"Sometimes using humor would get me out of getting me bullied. But sometimes it would result in me getting me beaten up even more!" he quips.

"I later picked up boxing and that's when I learned how to combine the sport and humor to defend myself."

He recalls how he used to spar with a particularly skillful opponent during boxing lessons and would resort to utilizing his sense of humor to level the playing field.

"I would force him into a corner and whisper really ridiculous things to him like, 'You smell fantastic'," Peters recalls with a snigger.

"That would throw him off his guard and that's when I took my shot."

He may look more rotund than athletic now, but Peters is seemingly still well-versed at throwing sneaky jabs, albeit visceral ones that evidently manage to inflict physical discomfort as well.

"Oh, my God! I'm in such pain," said a Chinese woman to her friend at the end of the show.

"My stomach is still hurting from all that laughing!"

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