Shaun Majumder is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his role on ''

This Hour Has 22 Minutes ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' (commonly shortened to ''22 Minutes'' since 2009) is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics wi ...

,'' where he worked from 2003 until 2018. He won a

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in t ...

for his work on the series in 2006.

Early life

Majumder was raised in Burlington,

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

by his mother Marian Bartlett, a European-Canadian woman from Newfoundland, and Mani Majumder, a

Bengali Hindu Bengali Hindus () are adherents of Hinduism who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. They make up the majority in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Assam's Barak Valley ...

Indian father, originally from

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

. His parents separated after seven years. Majumder has an older sister named Rani. Majumder has said that because he was raised by a white mother and around white people, he had no idea he "was anything but white".Shaun Majumder, every word really is absolutely true
Posted by John Doyle, April 30, 2012. In his standup acts, he jokes about joining his schoolmates in chanting racist slurs before realizing that he was the victim they were talking about.
Posted by Richard Ouzounian for The Star Edition. Dec. 5, 2014. Majumder was very close to his mother who he says raised them selflessly so that he and his sister were unaware of the extreme poverty in which they lived. His mother died of a heart attack in 2003.Comedian Shaun Majumder shows emotional side in new HBO documentary
Posted by Whatson for Guelph Mercury Tribune.com. Apr 27, 2012. Majumder feels a debt of love to Newfoundland which has influenced him and his work, and has given him a rhythm of appreciation for what he has.

Career

Majumder started his entertainment career as an announcer for the YTV game show ''CLIPS'', and soon was hosting the network's popular morning kids show ''Brain Wash'', where he was known as Ed Brainbin. He also hosted the "Slime Tour" segments on the popular game show '' Uh Oh!''. Eventually he joined ''

'' in 2003, and also hosted 15 episodes of the '' Just for Laughs'' specials on television and participated in the Comedy festivals in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. He was also a star of ''

Cedric the Entertainer Presents ''Cedric the Entertainer Presents'' is an American sketch comedy television series featuring dance numbers starring Cedric the Entertainer. The series premiered September 18, 2002 on Fox and after the first season, Fox renewed the show for a sec ...

'', aired in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

on the

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

network, and appeared in an NFB documentary on aspiring Canadian comics, ''The Next Big Thing''. Majumder has also starred in the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

comedy

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

'' Hatching, Matching and Dispatching'' and the short film ''Plain Brown Rapper,'' as well as playing Kumar's brother in the 2004 comedy '' Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle''. Majumder often plays an

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate Self (psychology), self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original Personality psychology, personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other ...

called Raj Binder. Binder is an awkward, nervous and usually excessively sweaty

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n reporter with a strong accent. Binder first appeared in a sketch from a comedy showcase with some former YTV costars called ''The Bobroom'', and also appeared on ''Just For Laughs'' and ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes''. Majumder caused some minor controversy when "Raj" posed in the MegaStars group picture during the

2003 Heritage Classic The Heritage Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played on November 22, 2003, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, between the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens. It was the first National Hockey League (NHL) game to be played outdoors as a p ...

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

outdoor ice-hockey game. In 2006, Majumder won a

for his work on ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes''. Majumder made a guest appearance on two episodes of the television series '' 24'', playing Hasan Numair. He also played Dr. Freddy Sahgal in the short-lived

Fox TV Fox Broadcasting Company, LLC (commonly known as Fox; stylized in all caps) is an American commercial broadcast television network serving as the flagship property of Fox Corporation and operated through Fox Entertainment. Fox is based at Fo ...

series ''

Unhitched ''Unhitched'' (previously known as ''The Rules for Starting Over'') is an American sitcom that aired as a mid-season replacement on Fox from March 2 to 30, 2008. The series was originally scheduled to premiere at 9:30 p.m. ET, but aired 3 ...

'', which aired in March 2008. In 2010, Majumder had a guest starring role as Benny Natchie in ''

Republic of Doyle ''Republic of Doyle'' is a Canadian comedy-drama television series set in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, which aired on CBC Television from January 6, 2010, to December 10, 2014. The show stars Allan Hawco as private investigator and f ...

'', and from 2010 to 2011 starred in the American TV series ''

Detroit 1-8-7 ''Detroit 1-8-7'' is an American police procedural drama series about the Detroit Police Department's leading homicide unit, created by Jason Richman for ABC. It featured an ensemble cast of actors including Michael Imperioli and James McDani ...

'' as Detective Vikram Mahajan. In the summer of 2011 Majumder was cast in ''

The Firm The FIRM is a brand of exercise videos and equipment currently owned by Gaiam. First released in 1986, the video series is best known for popularizing a hybrid of aerobic exercise and weight training. History In 1979, Anna Benson founded th ...

'', a Canadian-American co-production, in the recurring role of Andrew Palmer, the lawyer at the firm who befriends Josh Lucas' character Mitch McDeere. The show ran for one season. From 2013 to 2014, Majumder starred in the documentary TV series ''Majumder Manor'', which documented his quest to develop the tourism potential in his picturesque hometown of Burlington, Newfoundland. The show also featured his family, friends, and community. In December 2016, Majumder starred in a controversial satirical short produced by ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'', titled "Beige Power", which called for

white supremacists White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine o ...

to "embrace the beige" and accept that

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

s will all "look the same by the year 3000". The short received mixed reviews, with some criticising it for being racist, and others finding it humorous. In August 2018, Majumder was not hired back for the next season of ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' after he sent a letter to the producers with suggestions on the future direction of the show. Citing creative differences with Majumder, the production team chose to cut ties.

Personal life

On 21 December 2012, Majumder married American actress Shelby Fenner. They have two daughters. Majumder lived in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

but moved to

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

in 2025. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6675937

Filmography

Films

TV

Radio

References

External links

Shaun Majumder
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Majumder, Shaun Canadian people of Bengali descent Canadian Hindus Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Canadian stand-up comedians Canadian television personalities Dalhousie University alumni Canadian Screen Award winning writers Canadian male actors of Indian descent Living people People from Newfoundland (island) Male actors from Newfoundland and Labrador This Hour Has 22 Minutes Canadian sketch comedians Canadian male comedians 21st-century Canadian comedians 21st-century Canadian male actors Comedians from Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian Comedy Award winners Year of birth missing (living people)