Soran Ismail

Soran Ismail is a Swedish comedian, program host, and writer of Iraqi-Kurdish descent. He grew up in Knivsta, Uppsala County. Ismail began his career as a stand-up comedian at age 18 and won the BungyComedy stand-up competition in 2005.

Extra!' in 2008, 'Fredag hela veckan' in 2008, and 'Raw Comedy Club' in 2009. In 2010, he embarked on his first solo tour, 'Soran Ismails underbara resa genom Sverige,' targeting students and colleges, followed by 'Resan fortsätter' in 2011. These tours were released on DVD in 2013. He toured with Magnus Betnér in the critically acclaimed show 'En skam för Sverige' from 2013 to 2014, which won 'Årets föreställning' at the Svenska Stand up-galan in 2014. His comedy often satirized Swedish prejudices against immigrants and was seen by some as an analysis of Swedish society.

Ismail created and starred in the documentary 'Absolut svensk' (2017), exploring ethnic identity and racism, and wrote a book titled 'Absolut svensk : en ID-handling’ (2017). This led to resignations within the Sweden Democrats. He has appeared in 'Sommar i P1' (2012) and 'Vinter i P1' (2012), hosted P3 Guld in January 2013, and was a summer host on P1 in 2012. In 2017, he was reported for several cases of rape, sexual harassment, and procuring sexual services; all investigations were dropped due to lack of evidence. A woman was convicted of gross defamation in 2020 for falsely accusing him of abuse. A two-part documentary series, 'Persona non grata – Soran Ismail,’ aired on SVT in April 2021, exploring the events surrounding the accusations and his subsequent years. He has a daughter born in 2014 and is a supporter of Liverpool Football Club.