In a whirlwind of rapid-fire news cycles, global events, and complex political landscapes, it’s easy to feel left behind, especially when news jargon flies over our heads like a rogue comet. Growing viral fame on TikTok, Nikita Redkar is taking the world by storm with her infectious humor and knack for breaking down the news. “For the girls,” or anyone simply craving a simplified scoop on what’s happening in the world, Nikita’s knack for creating content that makes one feel like they are out for coffee with a close friend, gained quick acknowledgement from a growing fan base. Soon after landing on everyone’s feeds, staying informed suddenly felt less demanding and more like a comical hangout with a good friend. You can see how Buzzfeed praised her breakdowns here.
Nikita welcome to OLC! So tell us what inspired you to start creating comedic news content, and how did you develop your unique style?
Thank you! I was always at the intersection of politics and comedy, and I grew up obsessed with The Daily Show and Colbert. I did standup comedy for five years but always found it a bit hard to connect with my people. I’d see my performances going gorgeously at queer and women-led comedy shows but going horribly everywhere else. Hmm, if only there was a way I could find my audience. Enter TikTok 2021! I originally started making videos about being queer, but after a particularly world-shattering news event, I began talking about the news like it was gossip – and people loved it! The thing with geopolitics is that it’s all high school drama led by terrifying people with access to weapons. Men started wars because they weren’t allowed to play with dolls as kids.
Can you walk us through your creative process when developing a new piece of content?
On a good week, research – script – add jokes – film. I’ll look for something that’s either being talked about in the news or something in history that’s affecting what’s going on today. I research and brain dump into a Google Doc (my current one is over 200 pages long) and streamline that script into bullet points I can recite while walking down the street!
But the creative process is murky, and inspiration doesn’t always strike! Some weeks are really good when I’ve got a bunch of things to talk about, and some are when I’m metaphorically banging my head against the wall for something, anything. When that happens, I find it’s best not to force it. Inspiration has come before, and it will come again.
How do you balance humor with the need to convey important and often serious news topics?
My comedy days taught me to always punch up, meaning make fun of those in power. With a serious news topic, it’s always easy to find the “villain” – 99.9% of the time, it’s capitalism. So, as long as I’m making fun of power structures, it adds much-needed relief and optimism to serious news topics.
What challenges have you faced in breaking down complex political or global events for your audience?
With news and politics, you’re always going to piss off someone, and that’s one of the biggest challenges I’ve had to overcome – and still do! – as a chronic people pleaser. My heart still skips before I post something because I’m thinking, will this be the one that cancels me for good? But what gives me relief is that I have always been rooted for the underdog in my politics. The people who agree with my views will stand by me and the people who don’t? I’m not for them anyway.
In what ways do you think your content helps dismantle stereotypes and promote new-age feminism?
I think there’s a weird belief of women that if you’re stereotypically feminine, you can’t do much else. Being taken seriously in many fields requires a kind of proximity to masculinity, whether that’s in appearance or mannerisms. I always suppressed my nerdy, fun-fact-obsessed side because I thought there was no way I could be into foreign policy AND maximalist 2000s makeup. But thanks to the internet, I figured out that that was a lot of bullshit. And whoever said that was probably threatened by me.
How has your background influenced your approach to news content and comedy?
My dad is the smartest person I know; he knows every capital of every city and every current geopolitical tension in the world and can do complicated math in his head so quickly. Whenever we’d go on long car rides growing up, he always had some “geography game” that he’d make me and my sister play. In addition to that, I lived in Singapore for nine years growing up, which was close to many Asian countries. I’ve traveled a lot and been exposed to so many amazing cultures, which has definitely made me love talking about the world.
My background in comedy is a little less inspiring. I had a situationship with an anxious-avoidant comedian, and I started doing standup to get closer to him (spoiler: it didn’t work).
Can you share a memorable moment or piece of feedback from a fan that has particularly impacted you?
I’ve gotten a few comments from people who have learning disabilities or are neurodivergent and have said the way I convey information is the only way they’re able to digest a news topic. That makes me so happy!
How do you stay informed and up-to-date with the news, and how do you decide which stories to cover?
There are so many news stories in a day that it’s impossible to choose them all. I generally pick the topics I either have a personal connection to – for example, reproductive rights news – or directly affect the things I have a personal connection with – for example, allocating a lot of budget to the police leads to greater surveillance of pregnant people in anti-abortion states. As a news creator, there will always be pressure to talk about everything and guilt when you miss a certain topic – but it doesn’t do your audience any favors when you’re talking about something half-assed! I’m lucky to be surrounded by so many brilliant creators around me that if I can’t speak fully on something, there’s a good chance someone else will be able to cover it better than I can.
What advice would you give to other content creators looking to make an impact with their own unique perspectives?
Two things. 1) Those who understand you will always have your back. It’s scary to post online because of the fear that you could get canceled, but my friend told me that sometimes you don’t know the line until you cross it. Have big opinions and know you can’t please everyone. I have so many haters I lost count at this point, but I have infinitely more people who love me, and that’s what makes it worth it.
2) You don’t owe people online your whole life. It’s okay to have things just for yourself, whether that’s a hobby, a fun game you invented with your friends or your emotions. Only share online what you’re comfortable with sharing. IRL Nikita and NikitaDumptruck are two very different people, which keeps me sane!
TikTok @nikitadumptruck | IG @nikitadumptruck
