Here’s what I know about Yannis Pappas. He’s a native New Yorker. He’s gotten shot. He’s a sneakerhead. He’s Greek. In fact, so Greek he has performed in character as Mr. Panos, which is not to be confused with when he performs as a Puerto Rican transsexual named Maurica (More-eeesa). Pappas moved to Miami to help launch the Fusion cable network as co-anchor of the TV station’s live primetime news program, then moved back to NYC year later, where he has hosted the AOL original series, 2 Point Lead. He filmed a half-hour for Comedy Central in 2014, and his first stand-up comedy CD, Let Me Be Yannis [Explicit], is out now. Who is Yannis, though, and how much of Mr. Panos and Maurica is still inside of him? I tried to find out.

You can see Yannis Pappas this July at Montreal’s Just For Laughs festival, headlining his own hour as well as performing in the Ethnic Show.

So let’s get to it!