Zaiba Baig

Zaiba Baig
Born1995 (age 30–31)
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada[1]
Occupations
  • Playwright
  • actor
  • screenwriter
Years active2018–present

Zaiba Baig (born Bilal Baig, 1995[2]) is a Canadian writer and actor. They are best known for their play Acha Bacha and CBC series Sort Of (2021–2023).[3]

Career

Acha Bacha, a play which centers on a Pakistani-Canadian person who is nonbinary, struggling to reconcile their gender with their Muslim upbringing,[4] was staged in a joint production by Theatre Passe Muraille and Buddies in Bad Times in 2018, and presented at Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace.[5][6]

Baig is the co-creator, a co-writer, and star of Sort Of, a CBC Television comedy series centering on a genderfluid character.[3] Baig is the first queer South Asian Muslim actor to lead a Canadian primetime television series.[7] The series premiered on CBC in 2021.[7]

Sort Of was the top winner overall in television categories at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022 and Baig shared the award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series with writing partner Fab Filippo. Baig had declined to submit their performance for 2022 award consideration due to the gendered categories of Best Actor in a Comedy Series and Best Actress in a Comedy Series.[8] Subsequently, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television announced that beginning with the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, gender-neutral awards for Best Performance will be presented instead of gendered actor and actress categories[9] Baig was the winner of the inaugural Canadian Screen Award for Best Leading Performance in a Comedy Series at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, in addition to their second award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series, again shared with Fab Fillipo.[10]

In June 2025 the Toronto theatre company Buddies in Bad Times announced the production of Begging Brown Bitch Plays, a show consisting of Baig's one-act plays Kainchee Lagaa and Jhooti, for the 2025-26 season.[11]

Personal life

Baig was raised in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada by Pakistani immigrant parents.[1][12] Baig is queer, trans-feminine, and Muslim.[13][14] They do not have a close relationship with their parents and only revealed their identity and career to them through email a week before the premiere of Sort Of. Though their parents' reactions were more positive than expected, Baig found it upsetting, stating "No one was really trying to make a deep connection."[12]

Baig mentors emerging queer and trans writers, particularly young women and transfeminine people of colour, and holds writing workshops for youth in underserved Toronto communities. Baig also leads anti-Islamophobia workshops for high schools and founded an online platform for queer and trans South Asians to connect.[13][12]

In January 2026, Baig stated in a story on their Instagram account that they've changed their name, and "I'm going with Zaiba. My old name is dead. Please do not ever use it anymore."[15]

Credits

Writing credits

Television

Year Title Notes
2021–2023 Sort Of 11 episodes; co-creator

Theatre

Year Title Director(s) Theatre
2018 Acha Bacha[16] Brendan Healy Theatre Passe Muraille
2026 Kainchee Lagaa[11] Tawiah M'carthy Buddies in Bad Times
Jhooti[11]

Acting credits

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2021–2023 Sort Of Sabi Mehboob Lead

Accolades

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2022 Gotham Independent Film Awards Outstanding Performance in a New Series Nominated [17][18]
Peabody Awards Entertainment Sort Of Nominated [19]
Dayne Ogilvie Prize LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers Zaiba Baig, Acha Bacha Nominated [14][20]
10th Canadian Screen Awards Best Writing, Comedy Zaiba Baig, Fab Filippo Won [21]
2023 11th Canadian Screen Awards Best Lead Performer, Comedy Zaiba Baig Won [22]
Best Writing, Comedy Zaiba Baig, Fab Filippo Won [23]

References

  1. ^ a b "Toronto Star ePaper".
  2. ^ "The Uncertain Stardom of Bilal Baig". Maclean's. November 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Entertainment news: New CBC comedy will star genderqueer playwright [Zaiba Baig as a gender-fluid millennial"]. Toronto Star, 15 October 2020.
  4. ^ J. Kelly Nestruck, "Review: With Acha Bacha, there’s no time like the present". The Globe and Mail, 7 February 2018.
  5. ^ Jose Teodoro, "Acha Bacha explores queer South Asian-Canadian life with humour and heart" Archived 2021-05-16 at the Wayback Machine. Now, 8 February 2018.
  6. ^ "Acha Bacha". The Toronto Theatre Database. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  7. ^ a b "Nonbinary millennial is front and center in HBO Max dramedy 'Sort Of'". NBC News. 20 November 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-21.
  8. ^ Sadaf Ahsan, "Trans, non-binary actors push for more recognition as awards season approaches". Toronto Star, 20 June 2022.
  9. ^ Joseph Pugh, "Canadian Screen Awards switching to gender-neutral performance categories". CBC News, August 25, 2022.
  10. ^ "The Porter, Sort Of showered in awards on the CSAs' final night". CBC News, 14 April 2023.
  11. ^ a b c "CBC's Baig headlines Buddies in Bad Times season". Toronto Star, June 24, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c Khaja, Mariyam (2022-11-01). "The Uncertain Stardom of Bilal Baig". Maclean's. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  13. ^ a b "Bilal Baig". www.transgendermediaportal.org. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  14. ^ a b Petski, Denise (2023-01-20). "'Sort Of' Co-Creator & Star Bilal Baig Signs With Anonymous Content". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  15. ^ Baig, Zaiba (2026-01-23). "I'm Spelling it Like Zaiba". Instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  16. ^ Taylor, Christopher (2018-06-30). "Baig's "Acha Bacha" Shows That Sometimes Real Stories Don't Have Happy Endings". The Theatre Times. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  17. ^ Gotham (2022-10-25). "2022 Gotham Awards Nominations Full List | The Gotham". Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  18. ^ Gotham (2022-11-28). "32nd Annual Gotham Awards Winners Announced | The Gotham". Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  19. ^ Voyles, Blake (September 20, 2023). "83rd Peabody Award Nominees". Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  20. ^ "Writers' Trust Announces 2022 Dayne Ogilvie Nominees". open-book.ca. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  21. ^ "Bilal Baig, Fab Filippo". Academy.ca. 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  22. ^ "Bilal Baig". Academy.ca. 2023-02-22. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  23. ^ "Bilal Baig, Fab Filippo". Academy.ca. 2023-02-22. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
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