Jasmeet Singh Raina (born November 4, 1989), professionally known as Jus Reign, is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

comedian and music artist of

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

descent. He is most prominently known as a

YouTube personality A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 200 ...

, and one of Much Digital Studios' original creators.

Early life

Jasmeet Singh Raina was born and raised in

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

into an

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, the language of the Kashmiris ethnic group People with the nam ...

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

family. When he was 5 years old, his father started paying a maestro to teach Jasmeet and his younger brother, Anmol, in Punjabi classical music. Jasmeet played the

Tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

. He started to dislike playing it and as he has stated in his "Draw My Life" on YouTube, he argued with his teacher to the point where he got a tabla thrown at his face. He studied at the

University of Guelph The University of Guelph (abbreviated U of G) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald I ...

, where he originally studied to become a doctor to appease his parents' wishes. Eventually, the sketches Raina was creating on the side went viral and his parents accepted that their son had found success and have since been supportive of his YouTube career.

Career

Singh’s upbringing and his

roots have provided material for his viral videos (his most popular being "''THE SWAG SONG"'' ). Most of his work contains pop culture parodies, while others provide commentary on race and his struggles with racism. While attending the University of Guelph, Singh first met Rupan Bal and invited him to be in his YouTube video 'A-1 Shopping Cart Driving School'. Singh was impressed by Bal's natural comedic skills and decided to incorporate Bal further into his YouTube videos, creating the fictional character of Jus Reign's stereotypical Indian mother. The two worked together in a number of YouTube videos and later co-starred together in the Punjabi film '22g Tussi Ghaint Ho'. This was Singh's only acting credit in the Punjabi film industry. Singh is also one of Much Digital Studios' original creators, among a roster of various other online influencers. In 2015, he was the red carpet correspondent for the

Much Music Video Awards The iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards were an annual awards show broadcast annually on Much from 1990 to 2018, and Fuse from 2010 to 2013 that honoured the year's best music videos. Originally debuting in 1990 as the Canadian Music Video Aw ...

. Singh also starred in the web series Dhaliwal '15 where he played Bobby Dhaliwal, the first candidate of colour to run for prime minister in the 2015 Canadian federal election. The series was created and directed by Canadian filmmaker Amita Zamaana. In June 2016 Raina was featured as a guest writer in 24 Hours Toronto's daily city snapshot "The Six in Toronto", highlighting hot spots to eat and hang out in Toronto. In summer 2016 Raina was included in The Bay St. Bull's "Power 50" list of most influential Canadians for his entrepreneurial skills and online notoriety. On June 19, 2016, he co-hosted the iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards red carpet, speaking to stars like

Shemar Moore Shemar Franklin Moore (born April 20, 1970) is an American actor. His notable roles include Malcolm Winters on ''The Young and the Restless'' (1994–2002, 2004–05, 2014, 2019, 2023), Derek Morgan on ''Criminal Minds'' (2005–17), and the l ...

and

Tyler Posey Tyler Garcia-Posey (born October 18, 1991) is an American actor and musician. He began his career as a child actor and received recognition for his role as Raul Garcia in ''Doc (2001 TV series), Doc'' (2001–2004) and Ty Ventura in ''Maid in Man ...

. In 2016, Raina was featured in

Playback Magazine ''Playback'' is an online Canadian film, broadcasting, and interactive media trade journal owned by Brunico Communications. It was previously published biweekly as a print magazine for the Canadian entertainment industry. History The first ...

's ''Top 5 to Watch''. Also in 2016, he had co-hosted the

Scotiabank Giller Prize The Giller Prize (known as the Scotiabank Giller Prize from 2005-2023) is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried c ...

. Jus Reign made an appearance on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...

'', in a creator edition of the show's

Mean Tweets ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood ...

segment in June 2016. In 2017, he and fellow comedian Wahlid Mohammad had started a podcast called ''Just 2 Boyz''. In October 2019, Raina (along with other Canadian actors) starred in an interactive web-documentary by the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

called ''Supreme Law''. Raina plays the role of former Canadian Prime Minister,

Pierre Elliott Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...

. In 2020, it was announced that ''

Late Bloomer A late bloomer is a person whose talents or capabilities are not visible to others until later than usual. The term is used metaphorically to describe a child or adolescent who develops slower than others in their age group, but eventually catche ...

'', a comedy series produced with fellow

Indo-Canadian Indian Canadians are Canadians who have ancestry from India. The term ''East Indian'' is sometimes used to avoid confusion with Indigenous groups. Categorically, Indian Canadians comprise a subgroup of South Asian Canadians which is a furthe ...

comedian

Russell Peters Russell Dominic Peters (born 29 September 1970) is a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, and producer. He began performing in Toronto in 1989 and won a Gemini Award in 2008. In 2013, he was number three on ''Forbes'' Forbes Celebrity 100, list o ...

, about Raina's rise to fame, was in development. The show premiered on the Crave streaming service, on January 19, 2024. In 2024, following the premiere of

, Raina was named on View the VIBE's Power 60 list and one of their 2024 People to Watch, alongside Meredith Shaw and Nakissa "Keesa" Koomalsingh.

Personal life

Turban controversy

On February 22, 2016, Raina was forced to remove his

Turban A turban (from Persian language, Persian دولبند‌, ''dolband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Commun ...

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, an hour before boarding a flight to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Raina, who has a Sikh background, wears a turban for religious reasons. After being told to either remove his turban or book another flight, Raina complied, removing his turban in a private room. After completing the security check, Raina asked if security officials could provide him with a mirror so he could re-tie his turban in private. But TSA agents refused, suggesting he walk across the terminal to a public restroom — his head still uncovered — and use a mirror there. Raina noted the experience was an embarrassing and sensitive ordeal, and that a simple fix, like adding a mirror to the private screening area or providing him with a handheld mirror, would have been more respectful. The incident drew global attention.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reign, Jus 1989 births Living people People from Guelph Comedians from Toronto YouTubers from Toronto Canadian male comedians Canadian musicians of Indian descent Canadian video bloggers Canadian male bloggers Canadian people of Kashmiri descent Canadian Sikhs Kashmiri actors 20th-century Canadian people 21st-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian comedians 21st-century Canadian male musicians 21st-century Canadian male writers Canadian Screen Award winning writers