Nine years, one promise made in the back of an Uber, and a sold-out Radio City Music Hall. This is the real story behind the biggest lineup change in comedy podcasting this year.

Quick answer

Akaash Singh left Flagrant, the podcast he co-hosted with Andrew Schulz since 2017, to go all in on stand-up comedy. Schulz confirmed the exit on the May 6, 2026 episode after Singh had been missing from the show for months. Singh is now headlining his Generational Triumph tour, signed with UTA in June 2026, and has a new special slated to film this fall.

Key takeaways

  • Singh co-hosted Flagrant for about nine years before leaving in May 2026.
  • The official reason: he wants to be a full-time headlining stand-up.
  • His marriage to Jasleen Singh went viral repeatedly from late 2025 on. No one on the show has tied it to his exit.
  • His Generational Triumph tour has sold out 50+ cities, including Radio City Music Hall on April 18, 2026.
  • His YouTube specials Bring Back Apu and Gaslit have passed 11 million combined views.

Years ago, not long after Mark Gagnon moved to New York, he and Akaash Singh were sharing an Uber. The podcast was already taking off. Singh wasn’t satisfied. As Gagnon later remembered it, Singh told him the pod was cooking, but he wanted something else: “I want to be that guy.”

He meant the guy who stands alone on a big stage, with no co-hosts, no mics on a coffee table, and nobody to bail him out when a joke dies.

On April 18, 2026, he was that guy. Singh headlined Radio City Music Hall in New York, the 6,000-seat room that comics treat as proof they’ve made it. Less than three weeks later, his seat at the Flagrant table was empty for good.

Why did Akaash Singh leave Flagrant?

Singh left Flagrant to focus full time on stand-up. That’s the reason the people who know him best gave on air, and it fits everything his career has been building toward.

He wasn’t a podcaster who started telling jokes. He was a comic first. He did his first open mic as a college freshman in Denton, Texas, and left the pre-med track at Austin College to chase comedy. Flagrant made him famous, but the stage is where he started.

By spring 2026 the math had changed. His tour was selling out theaters on several continents. Splitting time between two podcast tapings a week and a world tour stopped making sense. One of those had to give.

What did Andrew Schulz say about Akaash leaving?

Schulz addressed it head-on during the May 6, 2026 episode. Fans had noticed Singh’s absence for months, and Schulz opened by saying the crew had to “address the elephant in the room.”

He was candid that Singh “really went through it earlier this year,” without saying exactly what that meant. Then he pointed to the wins: the sold-out Radio City show and record-setting dates in Toronto. He called the split bittersweet and signed off with “Love you, brother.”

Alex, who was there the first day the show was recorded, said it plainly:

“It’s bittersweet because this is my brother.”

Gagnon shared the Uber story and said the group understood the decision as fellow comics. He also predicted that Singh would be playing Madison Square Garden “like soon.”

There was no drama on air, no feud, and no shots fired. It sounded like a band losing its frontman to a solo career: people who were sad to see him go and also clearly proud of him.

Did his marriage have anything to do with it?

This is the question the internet keeps asking. The honest answer is that nobody involved has said so.

Here’s what’s on the record. Singh married Jasleen Singh (née Chawla) in New Jersey in July 2021. Starting in late 2025, the couple became a regular target of online commentary:

  • November 2025: Fans picked apart conflicting comments the two had made about their dating histories, a story Complex covered. Jasleen later addressed it herself on TikTok.
  • November 2025: Singh’s old feud with Fresh & Fit host Myron Gaines flared up again after Gaines went after Jasleen’s podcast, Main Character. Singh fired back on X, and Jasleen posted a video defending how the couple jokes with each other.
  • Early 2026: Clips of Jasleen talking about their home life kept circulating on TikTok and YouTube, often with commenters mocking Singh.

Some YouTube commentary channels have built whole videos around the claim that his wife “ended his career.” Those are opinions, not reporting. Schulz’s line that Singh “went through it” was enough for fans to draw their own conclusions, but the Flagrant crew framed the decision around stand-up, not his home life. That’s worth keeping in mind before believing the loudest version of the story.

Singh, for his part, has publicly defended his wife more than once, including a viral moment where he credited her with sticking by him when he was broke.

Who is Akaash Singh?

Akaash Singh was born May 4, 1984, in Dallas, Texas, to an Indian family with roots in Uttar Pradesh. He got his first laughs in school talent shows, took the stage at an open mic during his freshman year of college, and eventually traded medical school plans for a comedy career.

Before Flagrant, he spent years doing TV work, the kind of credits that pay rent but rarely make you famous:

Year Milestone
2014 Cast in Fox’s Good Medicine and appeared in HBO’s The Leftovers
2014–2015 Appeared on MTV’s Wild ‘N Out, later a creative consultant
2015 Joined season 5 of MTV’s Guy Code
2016 Played Mookie in Netflix’s Brown Nation
2017 Launched Flagrant with Andrew Schulz, first pitched as a sports podcast
2022 Self-released Bring Back Apu on YouTube, which hit 1 million views in its first week
2024 Released his second YouTube special, Gaslit
April 2026 Headlined Radio City Music Hall on the Generational Triumph tour
May 2026 Exit from Flagrant confirmed on air
June 2026 Signed with United Talent Agency (UTA)

Flagrant changed everything. What started as a sports show became one of the biggest comedy podcasts on YouTube, known for unfiltered talk about culture, politics, and current events. Singh was the counterweight to Schulz: louder, more emotional, and often the guy getting roasted. That role made him a fan favorite. It also made him a target.

What is Akaash Singh doing now?

He’s doing exactly what he said he would: headlining.

The Generational Triumph tour

Singh’s Generational Triumph tour has sold out clubs and theaters in more than 50 cities, including Radio City Music Hall and the Chicago Theatre. Early 2026 took him to Australia and New Zealand, with stops in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Auckland. North American dates are listed through the end of 2026. His official site, akaashsingh.com, is the safest place to check dates, since many ticket aggregators carry outdated lists.

A new agency

In June 2026, Singh signed with United Talent Agency for global representation across live touring, filmed entertainment, brand partnerships, and podcasting. He left The Gersh Agency to do it. That deal includes podcasting, so his days behind a mic may not be over. They just won’t be on Flagrant.

A third special

According to trade coverage of the UTA signing, a new stand-up special was slated to film in fall 2026. Singh released his first two specials himself on YouTube instead of selling them to a streamer. Bring Back Apu has drawn about 4.9 million views and Gaslit about 6.5 million. With a major agency behind him now, whether the next one stays on YouTube or lands on a streamer is a real question.

Acting

Singh also appears in Prime Video’s #1 Happy Family USA, the animated series from Ramy Youssef and Pam Brady, which keeps a foot in scripted work while he tours.

Is Akaash Singh coming back to Flagrant?

No return has been announced. The tone of the goodbye suggests he’s welcome back as a guest at any time, and the crew spoke about him like family. As a full-time host, though, that chapter is closed.

The bigger picture

Podcasts have become the fastest way for a comic to build an audience. Leaving one at its peak, on purpose, is rare. Singh is betting that the fans who found him at the Flagrant table will buy tickets to see him alone on stage. Radio City says that bet is already paying off.

The kid from Dallas who quit pre-med for open mics told a friend in an Uber that he wanted to be that guy. In 2026, he walked away from a sure thing to prove it.

FAQ

Why did Akaash Singh leave Flagrant?

To focus full time on stand-up comedy. Andrew Schulz confirmed the exit on the May 6, 2026 episode, after Singh had been off the show for months.

When did Akaash Singh leave Flagrant?

The departure was announced on May 6, 2026. He had already stopped appearing several months before that.

Did Akaash Singh leave Flagrant because of his wife?

Nobody on the show has said that. His marriage to Jasleen Singh drew a lot of online attention starting in late 2025, but the Flagrant crew framed the exit around his stand-up career. Claims that she caused it are unverified.

What is Akaash Singh doing now?

Touring his Generational Triumph show, working with his new agency UTA, and preparing a new special that was slated to film in fall 2026.

Is Akaash Singh coming back to Flagrant?

No return has been announced as of October 2026.

Where can I watch Akaash Singh’s comedy specials?

Bring Back Apu (2022) and Gaslit (2024) are both free on YouTube.

Sources

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