Jus Reign

Jasmeet Singh Raina (born November 4, 1989), professionally known as Jus Reign, is a Canadian comedian and music artist of Indian descent. He is most prominently known as a YouTube personality, and one of Much Digital Studios' original creators.[1]

JusReign
Singh at the 2015 Punjabi International Film Festival
Personal information
Born
Jasmeet Singh Raina

(1989-11-04) November 4, 1989
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Signature
YouTube information
Also known asJus Reign
Years active2009–2018
GenreComedy
100,000 subscribers

Early life

Jasmeet Singh Raina was raised in Guelph, Ontario, Canada into an immigrant Punjabi Kashmiri Sikh family.[2][3] 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. 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, where he originally studied to become a doctor to appease his parents' wishes.[4] 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.[5]

Career

Singh’s upbringing and his Punjabi 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.[6]

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.[7] 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.[1]

In 2015, he was the red carpet correspondent for the Much Music Video Awards.[8] Singh also starred in the web series Dhaliwal '15[9] where he played Bobby Dhaliwal, the first candidate of colour to run for prime minister in the 2015 Canadian federal election.[10] The series was created and directed by Canadian filmmaker Amita Zamaan.[11]

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.[12] 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.[13] On June 19, 2016, he co-hosted the iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards red carpet, speaking to stars like Shemar Moore and Tyler Posey.[14] In 2016, Raina was featured in Playback Magazine's Top 5 to Watch. Also in 2016, he had co-hosted the Scotiabank Giller Prize.

Jus Reign made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, in a creator edition of the show's Mean Tweets segment in June 2016.[15]

In 2017, he and fellow comedian Wahlid Mohammad had started a podcast called Just 2 Boyz.

In December 2018, Raina took an indefinite hiatus from social media, including YouTube. Reasons for his departure are unknown.

In October 2019, Raina (along with other Canadian actors) starred in an interactive web-documentary by the National Film Board of Canada called Supreme Law. Raina plays the role of former Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau.[16]

In 2020, it was announced that Late Bloomer, a comedy series produced by fellow Indo-Canadian comedian Russell Peters, about Raina's rise to fame, was in development.[17] In 2023, it was announced that the show will premiere on Crave and it is currently filming in Hamilton, Ontario.[18]

Personal life

Raina has developed a strong connection with his Sikh heritage, during his visits to Punjab, India with his family and friends (as he portrays in his videos).

Turban controversy

On February 22, 2016, Raina was forced to remove his Turban at San Francisco International Airport, an hour before boarding a flight to Toronto.[19][20][21] Raina, who has a Sikh background, wears a turban for religious reasons.[22][23] After being told to either remove his turban or book another flight, Raina complied, removing his turban in a private room.[24]

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.[25][26] 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.[27]

The incident led to backlash on Twitter and garnered international headlines in Cosmopolitan India,[28] Seventeen,[29] New York Daily News,[30] and BBC Asia.[31] While a TSA spokesperson made a statement explaining the screening processes for religious garments, they did not apologize directly for the incident with Raina. After the incident, Raina took his frustration over the issue over social media, which sparked a media outrage over TSA racial profiling in general.[32]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2015 22g Tussi Ghaint Ho Jus

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2016 Jimmy Kimmel Live! Himself
TBA Late Bloomer

Web
Year Title Role Notes
2015 Anarkali Shaan
Dhaliwal '15 Bobby Dhaliwal
2017 Robot Bullies Robot 2 Short Film
2018 Ultimate Expedition Himself
2019 Supreme Law Pierre Trudeau/ Himself

Awards and nominations
Year Award Show Category Result
2015 Shorty Awards YouTube Comedian Nominated
2016 Streamy Awards Best Collaboration Nominated
The Digi Awards YouTuber of the Year Won
Sikh Heritage Awards Awarded Outstanding Member of Sikh Won

See also

References
  1. Cummins, Julianna. "Jus Reign selected for Sundance-YouTube program". Playback Magazine. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  2. Dart, Chris. "How three local comics found global fame". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  3. Carrington, Julian. "The comedy ceiling: Toronto's comics of colour are ready for their close-up". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  4. Bhandari, Aparita (16 May 2014). "From University of Guelph YouTube sensations to Punjabi movie stars". Guelph Mercury Tribune. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  5. Sufrin, Jon (28 January 2015). "Q&A: Jasmeet Raina, the biggest GTA celebrity you've never heard of (unless you've heard f Jus Reign)". Toronto Life. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  6. Sufrin, Jon (28 January 2015). "Q&A: Jasmeet Singh, the biggest GTA celebrity you've never heard of (unless you've heard of Jus Reign)". Toronto Life. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  7. Exclusive RUPAN BAL Interview | On Jus Reign, Stardom, & Future Plans | Amin Dhillon (Ep. 11), retrieved 2021-04-08
  8. Yeung, Lisa. "Just A Few Of The Times Jus Reign Owned The 2015 MMVA Red Carpet". Huffington Post.
  9. "Dhaliwal '15". Dhaliwal '15. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  10. "Bobby Dhaliwal Wants To Be Prime Minister. Here's Our Exclusive Interview With Him". Huffington Post Canada. 18 August 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  11. "Amita Zamaan". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
  12. Reign, Jus. "THE SIX: Jus Reign makes his pix". 24 Hours Toronto. Archived from the original on 2016-06-16. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
  13. "Bay St. Bull Power 50-Jus Reign: Youtuber, Comedian, Much Music Digital Studios creator". Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  14. Stevenson, Jane. "MMVAs: The best sound bites from the red carpet". Toronto Sun.
  15. Kimmel, Jimmy. "Mean Tweets - Creator Edition". YouTube.
  16. "Supreme Law". supremelaw.nfb.ca.
  17. "Comedy Star Russell Peters to Executive Produce YouTuber Jus Reign's 'Late Bloomer'". 12 November 2020.
  18. "Canadian Comedian Jasmeet Singh Raina Sets 'Late Bloomer' Series with Crave, Pier 21 Films (EXCLUSIVE)". 21 April 2023.
  19. Krishnan, Manisha (23 February 2016). "Toronto YouTube Star Jus Reign Was Forced to Remove His Turban at a California Airport". Vice News.
  20. Kilkenny, Carmel (23 February 2016). "Jus Reign forced to remove his turban at airport". CBC Radio Canada International.
  21. Green, Jason (27 February 2016). "No mirror available for Sikh comedian Jasmeet Raina, aka Jus Reign, during private airport screening". Mercury News San Francisco.
  22. "Canadian comedian asked to remove turban at U.S. airport". CTV News. 23 February 2016.
  23. Varagur, Krithika (8 March 2016). "Why Are Airports Still So Clueless About Respecting Sikhs?". The Huffington Post.
  24. "Canadian YouTube star Jus Reign forced to remove turban to board flight". CBC News.
  25. KAI-HWA WANG, FRANCES (24 February 2016). "Sikh-Canadian Comedian Says He Was Forced to Remove Turban at San Francisco Airport". NBC News.
  26. Joshi, Sonam (23 February 2016). "Sikh YouTube star JusReign asked to remove his turban at San Francisco airport". Mashable.
  27. "TSA Agents Force Sikh Man To Remove Turban, Make Him Walk Across The Terminal To Put It Back On". ThinkProgress.
  28. Mubarak, Salva. "Indian-Canadian YouTuber JusReign was Asked to Walk Across the Airport Without His Turban After a Security Check". Cosmopolitan India.
  29. Devoe, Noelle (25 February 2016). "Youtube Star JusReign Calls Out TSA After Being Forced to Remove His Turban at the Airport". Seventeen.
  30. Good, Dan. "Sikh comedian Jasmeet Raina says airport security made him take off his turban". NY Daily News.
  31. "BBC Asian Network - Nihal, JusReign talks about being asked to remove his turban". BBC. February 24, 2016.
  32. Jenkins, Jack. "TSA Agents Force Sikh Man To Remove Turban, Make Him Walk Across The Terminal To Put It Back On". Think Progress.
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