Canadian stand-up comedian Russell Peters has made his name on poking fun at race and racial stereotypes. Why does he do it? Why does it work? Under what circumstances would he censor himself? Is an interview on The Current one of them? And all jokes aside, what are his real thoughts on race? We go deep into the mind of one of this country's top funny men.

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Part Two of The Current

Russell Peters

Russell Peters may have been raised in suburban Brampton, Ontario, but these days he's at home in the world. The clip we aired at the top of this segment was from a sold-out performance in London. And there are plenty more where that came from in the last year, Russell Peters has played to packed venues from Las Vegas to Lebanon. These days, he averages about 150 performances a year and it's paying off. He's now among the top ten highest grossing comics in the world.

And race has a lot to do with it. Race is - of course - a staple of his act... always has been. His own journey is part of Canada's demographic change and so today he's part of our project, Shift. Through his humour, Russell Peter explores how we feel about skin colour, ethnicity and stereotypes while making some people very uncomfortable. He's one of the most politically incorrect people this country has produced and he's proud of it. Russell Peters joined us in our Toronto studio.

Russell Peters' latest DVD is called The Green Card Tour, Live from the O2 Arena.

Related Links:

• Lighten up: The ethnic joke, reinvented By Robert Hough - Toronto Life
• As he releases 'O2 Arena' DVD, Russell Peters eases into fatherhood and film By Victoria Ahearn - The Canadian Press
• Russell Peters releases third DVD, panic ensues By Lorianna De Giorgio - Toronto Star

Other segments from today's show:

• Tale of Two Hockey Cities
• Fraternities & Frat Culture