Konstantin Kisin

Konstantin Kisin
Kisin in 2025
Born
Konstantin Vadimovich Kisin

(1982-12-25) 25 December 1982
Moscow, Soviet Union
EducationClifton College
University of Edinburgh (no degree)
Occupations
  • Podcaster
  • political commentator
  • writer
  • comedian (formerly)
  • translator (formerly)
Notable workTriggernometry podcast
An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West (2022)
Spouse
Alina Kisina
​
(m. 2003)​
Children2
Substack information
Newsletter
Subscribers87 thousand
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2018–present
Subscribers1.82 million
Views478 million
Last updated: 1 July 2026
Websitewww.konstantinkisin.com

Konstantin Vadimovich Kisin (/ˈkɪsɪn/; Russian: Константин Вадимович Кисин; born 25 December 1982) is a Soviet-born British[1] political commentator, author and co-host of the Triggernometry podcast. He is also a former translator and stand-up comedian.

Kisin has written for a number of publications, including Quillette, The Spectator, The Daily Telegraph and Standpoint; he has also appeared on the panel of the BBC political programme Question Time and has been interviewed on TV media such as the BBC, Sky News and GB News.

He speaks and writes on a wide variety of issues, often relating to tech censorship, comedy and culture war.

Early life, family and education

Kisin is the eldest of three children born in Moscow in the Soviet Union to parents Marina and Vadim. He has Russian, Ukrainian, Greek and Jewish ancestry. He has described himself as "ethnically, about 1/4 Jewish"[2] and as "a not-very-practicing Orthodox Christian".[3][4]

At the age of 11, Konstantin Kisin was sent to the United Kingdom alone to attend Clifton College boarding school, where he was picked on for not speaking English.[5] He subsequently attended Edinburgh University, leaving around a year short of finishing a degree.[6]

Career

Translation and interpreting

Kisin has worked as a Russian-English legal, financial and video game translator, and interpreter, and has regularly given talks about the business side of translation.[7]

Podcasting

Kisin with Francis Foster (to the left) at ARC 2025 in London

Since April 2018, Kisin has been co-presenter with Francis Foster of Triggernometry, a YouTube channel and podcast. The primary format of the show is the prerecorded interview; the show brands itself as holding "honest conversations with fascinating people",[8] and has been described as "anti-woke" by The Times.[9] Guests have included Nigel Farage,[10] Jordan Peterson,[11] Ben Shapiro,[11] Stephen Fry,[12][13] Sam Harris,[14] Deborah Frances-White,[15] Piers Morgan,[16] Tommy Robinson,[17] Hasan Piker[18] and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu.[19]

A 2023 interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson on the subject of "Have We Lost Trust in Science?"[20] was widely reported upon both by other YouTube channels and the mainstream media because of Tyson's statements on the subject of transgender rights.[21][22][23]

Stand-up comedy

In 2019 Kisin took his show Orwell That Ends Well to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to mixed reviews. The Daily Telegraph included the show in its list of best comedy shows of the Edinburgh Festival,[24] The Student described it as "hilarious and refreshing",[25] while Fest Magazine called it "ill-considered, reactionary nonsense",[26] and The Jewish Chronicle described Kisin as an "antagonist" and rated the show 2 out of 5.[27][28][29]

Dispute with SOAS student group

In 2018, Kisin made headlines when he refused to sign a "behavioural agreement" form explaining a "no tolerance policy" concerning racism, sexism, classism, ageism, homophobia, biphobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-religion, and anti-atheism,[30] when asked to perform, free of charge, at a fundraising gig for UNICEF at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. The form explained those topics were not banned, but stated the topics should be discussed in a "respectful and non-abusive way", and presented in a way that is "respectful and kind".[30][31]

After Kisin refused to agree to those terms and chose not to perform, the UNICEF on Campus society at SOAS apologised and clarified they did not wish to "impose that guests would have to agree to anything they do not believe in". The SOAS Students' Union said it did not require external speakers to sign any contract before appearances, and that the UNICEF on Campus society had been "overzealous" in interpreting the guidelines.[32][33][34][35]

After it was claimed that Kisin had agreed to similar restrictions for a different gig in 2017, he stated he was "absolutely certain there was nothing about religion, atheism, respect or kindness in the rules [of the 2017 contract]. Had there been, I would not have agreed."[36]

Author

Kisin is the author of An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West, which became a Sunday Times bestseller in the first week of its publication.[37] A review in The Daily Telegraph in July 2022 had Douglas Murray writing: "Kisin has written a lively and spirited book defending the society he is grateful to have found himself in. If I can return the compliment, we are lucky to have him."[38]

Views

Konstantin Kisin speaking at Alliance for Responsible Citizenship 2023 in Greenwich, London, UK, 31 October 2023

In March 2022 Kisin appeared as a panellist on the first edition of BBC Question Time following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, where he described feeling shame for his birth country Russia and discussed the bombardment that his family in Ukraine was undergoing.[39]

Kisin's 2023 speech at the Oxford Union student debating society in favour of the motion that "Woke Culture HAS Gone Too Far" went viral.[40][41] In the speech, Kisin asserted that "woke culture" stifles free speech, and that reducing climate change was incompatible with reducing poverty in poorer countries. An article by Will Lloyd in the New Statesman praised Kisin's speech as "not banal, not weighed down by predictable culture-war talking points", but concluded that "[a]way from his targets, Kisin’s observations on politics and history are relatively banal".[6]

Writing for The Spectator in 2019, Kisin criticised the use of the term "right-wing" as a "smear for those we disagree with", and described himself as a "Remainer with liberal and centrist views who has only voted Lib Dem or Labour".[42] In September 2023, the New Statesman named him as the 46th most influential right-wing figure in British politics.[43] Kisin welcomed the election of Donald Trump in 2024,[44] and in 2026, told The Daily Telegraph: "In terms of the people who are addressing the huge challenges I'm talking about, of course Reform are the only ones really doing it properly."[45][46]

In a keynote speech in London in late 2023 at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship, Kisin argued that the moment for restoring Western civilisation is at hand, describing it as "the fight for our lives".[47] Kisin has described the UK as experiencing "major decline", and asserts that UK GDP per capita is lower than it was in 2007.[48] In April 2026, he wrote: "As I keep saying over and over, Britain's GDP per capita is lower today than it was in 2007, before the Great Financial Crisis."[49]

In February 2025, Kisin interviewed Fraser Nelson on his Triggernometry podcast. During the interview, Nelson discussed Rishi Sunak and said "He is absolutely English – he was born and bred here". Kisin responded by saying "He's a brown Hindu; how is he English?"[50] before stating that he himself as a Russian immigrant could similarly never be English, nor could his British-born son.[51] Kisin's remarks drew controversy, and were criticised by Sangita Myska, Dan Hodges, and David Aaronovitch.[50] Kisin insisted he was making a distinction between British nationality and English ethnicity,[52] which Nelson later described as a "perfectly fair point".[51] Sunder Katwala rejected Kisin's definition of Englishness, noting that it would exclude English sportsmen like Jude Bellingham and Moeen Ali from being English.[53] Polling from March 2025 found that 75% of English people believe that someone can be English regardless of their skin colour or ethnic background.[54] Rishi Sunak affirmed that he does consider himself English, and described the affair as "ridiculous".[55] In 2026, Reform leader Nigel Farage said that he did not want to draw "ethnic lines" on what being English is.[54]

Personal life

Kisin has said that he met his wife, Alina, when he was 18 and they married in 2003, when they were 20.[56][57] Their first son was born in May 2022.[58][59] The couple welcomed a second son in spring 2026.[60]

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ "Konstantin Kisin". Companies House. Retrieved 10 November 2025. Nationality: British
  2. ↑ Kisin, Konstantin (27 June 2025). "I have Russian, Ukrainian, Greek and Jewish ancestry. Ethnically, I am about 1/4 Jewish. My parents are Orthodox Christians and I was baptised. I have been an agnostic most of my life but lately I have been God-curious. Hope that helps". X. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  3. ↑ Sugarman, Daniel (12 December 2018). "Comedian Konstantin Kisin drops out of Unicef charity gig over 'safe space' contract". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  4. ↑ Newhouse, Alana, ed. (11 August 2011). "Why Don't They Believe Us?". Tablet Magazine.
  5. ↑ Kisin, Konstantin [@KonstantinKisin] (10 December 2020). "I came to the UK from Russia aged 11. I was picked on at school for not speaking English and not fitting in. One boy in particular orchestrated a lot of it. It was confusing – I didn't know what to do. I felt anger towards him but didn't want to get into a fight either. Then..." (Tweet). Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
  6. 1 2 Lloyd, Will (27 January 2023). "Konstantin Kisin: "Being anti-woke isn't making you happy" The podcaster is the viral man of the moment. But does he really have anything to say?". New Statesman. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Living in the Present, Preparing for the Future – a translator's guide to Productivity and Wellbeing". Chartered Institute of Linguists. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  8. ↑ "TRIGGERnometry". AudioBoom.
  9. ↑ Marriott, James (5 August 2022). "Revisionist History podcast review — Malcolm Gladwell takes the scenic route to common sense". The Times. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023.
  10. ↑ Marx, Willem; Kurtzleben, Danielle (15 June 2024). "Known for his role in Brexit, Nigel Farage is gaining prominence in the U.K. elections". NPR.
  11. 1 2 Smith, Lauren (22 May 2023). "Now the banks have joined the war on free speech". Spiked. The Triggernometry podcast is just the latest victim of financial deplatforming.
  12. ↑ Perry, Sophie (20 December 2024). "Stephen Fry slammed for saying he no longer supports Stonewall: 'Another celebrity disappointment'". PinkNews.
  13. ↑ Clark, Malcolm (1 January 2025). "The cowardice of Sir Stephen Fry". The Critic.
  14. ↑ White, Flat (19 August 2022). "We need to talk about Sam Harris". The Spectator.
  15. ↑ Marriott, James (7 May 2025). "Triggernometry debates Guilty Feminist — and both sides lose". The Times. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  16. ↑ Isaacson, Gila (5 August 2025). "Piers Morgan Meets his Match on Triggernometry". JFeed. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  17. ↑ Harris, Nicholas (15 August 2025). "The rebuilding of Tommy Robinson". New Statesman. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  18. ↑ James, Sean (24 November 2025). "Hasan Piker Praises 'Communist' China Despite Ongoing Genocide: 'It Has Become Far More Tolerant'". Mediaite.
  19. ↑ "Netanyahu, in UK podcast interview, says Israel has 'work' to do to win over Gen Z". The Times of Israel. Agence France-Presse. 20 August 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  20. ↑ "Have We Lost Trust in Science? – Neil deGrasse Tyson. Podcast Episode". IMDb. 2023.
  21. ↑ Grossman, Hannah (27 September 2023). "Neil deGrasse Tyson explodes during debate about trans women competing in women sports". Fox News.
  22. ↑ Imamovic, Faruk (28 September 2023). "'Scientist' Neil deGrasse Has Meltdown Over Trans Women in Sports Debate". Financial World. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023.
  23. ↑ Condon, Ali (28 September 2023). "Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson stands up for trans women in sport: 'Rise to the occasion'". PinkNews.
  24. ↑ Monahan, Mark; Saunders, Tristram Fane; Cavendish, Dominic (30 August 2019). "Best comedy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2019: reviews of 40 of this year's must see-comedians, including Jordan Brookes, Catherine Cohen and Laura Lexx". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  25. ↑ "Konstantin Kisin: Orwell That Ends Well – The Student". studentnewspaper.org. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  26. ↑ "Review: Konstantin Kisin: Orwell That Ends Well". Fest Magazine. 3 August 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  27. ↑ "Snowflakes, lizards and baseball caps: Edinburgh Fringe round-up". The Jewish Chronicle. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  28. ↑ "The Wee Review : Konstantin Kisin". theweereview.com. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  29. ↑ "Comedy Review: Konstantin Kisin: Orwell That Ends Well, Gilded Balloon Teviot (Venue 14), Edinburgh". The Scotsman. 10 August 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  30. 1 2 "Comedian refused to sign 'behavioural agreement' before gig". BBC News. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  31. ↑ Kisin, Konstantin [@KonstantinKisin] (10 December 2018). "I just received an invitation to perform *comedy* at a university... The title of this "contract" nearly made me puke. @UnleashedComedy https://t.co/4tUPCFwTLG" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Twitter.
  32. ↑ Loughrey, Clarisse (12 December 2018). "Comedians asked to sign 'behavioural agreement' for London university gig". The Independent. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  33. ↑ Hill, Amelia (11 December 2018). "Comedians asked to sign 'behavioural agreement' for Soas gig". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  34. ↑ "Students ask comedian to sign safe space contract". The Week UK. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  35. ↑ Wills, Ella (12 December 2018). "Comedian pulls out of charity show at SOAS over 'safe space' contract". The Standard (London newspaper). Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  36. ↑ Bennett, Steve. "When the safe-space row comedian WAS prepared to watch what he said". Chortle. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  37. ↑ Hamilton, Matthew. "'An Immigrant's Love Letter To Love West' by Konstantin Kisin goes into the Sunday Times bestseller list at No 5 | The Hamilton Agency". Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  38. ↑ Murray, Douglas (3 July 2022). "Take it from a Russian – the alternative to Western democracy is far, far worse". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  39. ↑ "Russian-British Comic Says He Feels 'Nothing But Shame For My Country'". HuffPost. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  40. ↑ "Konstantin Kisin: debates for the Motion: Woke Culture HAS Gone Too Far". Oxford Union. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  41. ↑ "BBC Question Time – 26 Jan 2023". BBC. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  42. ↑ Kisin, Konstantin (5 May 2019). "How 'right wing' became the smear for those we disagree with". The Spectator. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  43. ↑ "The New Statesman's right power list". New Statesman. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  44. ↑ Mason, Rowena; Mason, Rowena (22 February 2025). "Konstantin Kisin: anti-woke libertarian who reluctantly calls himself 'right wing'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  45. ↑ Tominey, Camilla; Stanley, Tim (27 January 2026). "The Daily T: Konstantin Kisin — Britain is on the brink, Reform is the only party that gets it". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  46. ↑ Konstantin Kisin: Britain is on the brink, Reform is the only party that gets it. The Daily Telegraph. 27 January 2026. Event occurs at 29:56. Retrieved 11 August 2026 – via YouTube.
  47. ↑ "ARC: to boldly say what the elites dare not". The Spectator Australia. 4 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  48. ↑ Kisin, Konstantin (12 December 2024). "We Need to Talk About Britain". konstantinkisin.com. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  49. ↑ Kisin, Konstantin (15 April 2026). "The Great British Delusion". konstantinkisin.com. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  50. 1 2 Leonard, Ralph (19 February 2025). "Of course Rishi Sunak is English". New Statesman. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  51. 1 2 Nelson, Fraser (21 February 2025). "Is Rishi Sunak English? It used not to be a question". The Times. "He's a brown Hindu, how is he English?" asked Konstantin Kisin, the interviewer. By being born and bred here, I replied. Kisin disagreed: he said that he, as a Russian immigrant, could never be English and nor could his English-born son. It was a perfectly fair point — he meant ethnicity — but it blew up online, with four million views.
  52. ↑ Malik, Kenan (23 February 2025). "Can a brown Hindu be English? Most Britons say yes. Why do so many on the right say no?". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  53. ↑ Katwala, Sunder (3 March 2025). "Who gets to be English?". British Future. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  54. 1 2 Watt, Nick (4 June 2026). "Conflict over identity politics could lead to civil war in the long term, Kemi Badenoch says". BBC News. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  55. ↑ Allegretti, Aubrey (5 March 2025). "Rishi Sunak: Suella Braverman saying we're not English is ridiculous". The Times. Retrieved 5 March 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  56. ↑ Kisin, Konstantin (20 May 2023). "I met my wife at 18. We married at 20..." X. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  57. ↑ Kisin, Konstantin (28 November 2023). "20 years married today". X. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  58. ↑ Kisin, Konstantin (14 May 2022). "You want cute?..." X. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  59. ↑ Kisin, Konstantin (6 May 2023). "It's my son's first birthday soon..." X. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  60. ↑ Kisin, Konstantin. "Why You Haven't Heard From Me – Big Life Update". konstantinkisin.com. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
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