Harith Iskander has come a long way from the days of Jangan Ketawa back in the 90s.
Although he may have carved his name as the “Godfather of Malaysian Stand-Up”, the man wears many hats.
One that he has proudly donned since 2012 is the dad hat.
End of a Journey
Harith and wife Dr Jezamine Lim tied the knot on 12 June 2010. The two have been blessed with three children.
While his dad hat remains firmly on, the marriage is coming to an end.
Social media erupted with speculation on 9 July when news outlets published reports that Jezamine had filed for divorce in June this year.
Harith remained tight-lipped when asked to comment but both agreed to break their silence in an interview with TRP.
Exclusive with TRP
In an exclusive sit-down with television host Daphne Iking, Harith, 57, hopes that all speculation can be put to rest as he squarely shoulders the blame for the impending divorce.
“I screwed up,” he admitted.
The couple looked very comfortable with each other throughout the interview as Daphne repeatedly lamented that it was difficult to believe they were actually going through a divorce.
Harith assured that they were not just putting on an act.
“In case people think this is an act, we didn’t get to this point immediately. There has been a long period where we couldn’t be like this,” he said.
One thing was apparent throughout the interview: Harith insisted that Jezamine, 41, is not to blame.
With speculations aplenty, both husband and wife shot the rumours down.
Jezamine shared that she had gotten messages from people asking her what happened, and one particular message stood out: “Did he stop being funny at home?”
The couple laughed and Jezamine remarked that it was always her who made him laugh at home.
Harith and Jezamine stressed that the decision to go their separate ways did not come through violent arguments or any form of abuse.
Both denied rumours of physical violence at home, financial woes or the presence of a third party that created a rift between them.
When Jezamine shot down rumours that Harith was violent and abusive, he joked that she was the black belt taekwando expert.
Daphne jumped in, jokingly asking if Jezamine was abusive, to which they all burst out in laughter with Harith saying, “Not at all.”
Harith insisted that it was his fault that the marriage was coming to an end.
When pressed on what the actual reason is, Harith said, “I’m a guy, I’m an idiot. I acted in ways I should not have… I’m not going to say oh I did this, didn’t do that, I’m not gonna come up with any excuses, I have done stupid things that many men do and you would think I would know better at my age.”
The couple did not want to get into specifics on their marital issues, knowing full well the children would watch this interview someday.
“We’re dealing with them personally,” Harith said.
A difficult journey
On why they decided to address the public in this interview, Harith said ideally they would have liked to keep the matter private but once news leaked and they were inundated with phone calls, they knew they had to come forward instead of allowing the public to keep speculating.
This did not come overnight although it might look sudden to people out there. It’s not sudden, the process has been ongoing for quite awhile now, we have our ups and downs and by no means this was an overnight decision.
Harith Iskander
Harith admitted that he made a lot of mistakes over the years, highlighting how amazing Jezamine has been through it all.
“I don’t know if she’s forgiven me….” he said, to which she interjected, “Of course I’ve forgiven you!”
The journey was not easy as the couple said they have tried to make it work with couple’s therapy, speaking to friends and everything “humanly possible”.
They then decided that they were better together as good friends.
“Through all that she’s been an absolute rock,” Harith said.
Children remain top priority
What is more important than the reason their marriage is ending is that both have committed totally to the wellbeing of their three children.
All they want for the children is that they can grow up without rumours and speculations haunting their daily lives.
Harith said he will live close by as that is in the best interest of their kids.
He said initially the children were worried that they would be split up but they have been assured that would not happen.
Harith credited his children for being smart and understanding despite their young age.
“Alhamdulillah, since that day (they were told of the divorce), they’ve really taken it well,” Harith said, adding that he has faith his children will be alright.
As for custody, Harith said as the mother, Jezamine will have full custody while he will have full visitation rights.
“She’s an amazing mother, I do what I can to keep up,” he said, stressing that they do not want their kids’ routines to change because of the divorce.
Who filed for divorce?
With regard to the news that Jezamine had filed for divorce, Harith said this led to her getting a lot of heat.
“Jezamine got a lot of heat because news came out that she filed for divorce. It was a mutual decision,” he said, explaining that one party had to initiate the procedure at the Syariah court and they had been going back and forth on who should go.
“If it was me, people would recognise immediately,” he added.
They then decided Jezamine would initiate the filing.
Working relationship
As for their working relationship, both assured it will continue despite the divorce.
I still manage him so no free shows!
Dr Jezamine Lim
“Our work relationship continues. She’s still managing that. It may be a bit awkward but hopefully with this video, you guys will see that it doesn’t change,” Harith piped in.
A new journey
Juggling her career and being a mother is not an easy feat but Jezamine vows that she is still very passionate about Harith’s career as well.
“For me, we were separated for quite some time but we were still working together, doing everything together. I will need to go through this healing process and journey to still empower his career and for the kids,” she said.
“I’m very passionate about what he does,” she added, pointing out that being a comedian was not an easy job.
Meanwhile, it is their hope that the public will refrain from making anymore speculations about their divorce.
“I hate saying don’t speculate because people are gonna speculate anyway,” Harith joked.
The Harith We Know
Harith ventured into the entertainment scene in the 90s.
He dabbled in stand-up comedy and started appearing in films. Among his most memorable roles was Brother Musa in the 1992 film Selubung.
He was also Nikorn in Anna and the King. It was not a speaking role but it left a mark nonetheless.
Harith tried his hand at film directing and released Hanya Kawan in 1997.
Throughout his on screen ventures, Harith never left the stand-up stage.
In 2016, he was crowned Laugh Factory’s Funniest Person In The World.
