Washington, Jan. 11 (PTI): Indian-American comedian and television star Aziz Ansari will host NBC's Saturday Night Live show on January 21, making history as the programme's first host of South Asian descent.

The news comes on the heels of a big year for 33-year-old Ansari.

The stand-up comic won his first Emmy for outstanding writing for a comedy series after earning a total of four nominations for his Netflix series, Master of None, The Washington Post reported.

His nomination for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series was the first for an Indian-American.

"I'm very happy but it's a very specific accomplishment," he told USA Today.

Other Saturday Night Live hosts of Asian descent include Lucy Liu and Jackie Chan, who both hosted the show in 2000, according to an IndieWire examination of all hosts in Saturday Night Live history.

Ansari was born in Columbia, South Carolina, to a Tamil Muslim family. His mother, Fatima, works in a medical centre, and his father, Shoukath, is a gastroenterologist. Ansari grew up in Bennettsville, South Carolina, where he attended Marlboro Academy as well as the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics. He graduated from the New York University Stern School of Business.

Ansari had mentioned wanting to appear on Saturday Night Live when he brought his Bobby Jindal impression to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in November 2015.