Since Oct. 7, only a handful of regional figures have had a similar impact as Bassem Youssef when advocating for the Palestinian cause. The Egyptian comedian, who’s made a name for himself in both the Middle East and the United States for his witty humor and satire, went viral following his interview with British journalist and broadcaster Piers Morgan on his late-night talk show, Piers Morgan Uncensored, two-weeks-ago. His appearance on the Oct. 18 episode, which became the most-watched video in the program’s history since its inception in 2022 (it racked up 18 million views on YouTube after one week), caught the world’s attention not only for its content but also the way in which the current events were told by Youssef.
One punchline after the next, the iconic interview, which was quickly picked up on by pro-Palestine supporters who plastered Youssef’s quotes on signs at protests worldwide, has since amassed well over 20 million views. Relatable, accurate, and incredibly clever when portraying the plight of Palestinians being unrelentlessly carpet-bombed, the 49-year-old comedian’s plea served as a rallying cry that was echoed, for once, beyond the borders of our region.
Finally directing international attention to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, his commentary played a significant role in raising awareness about the dire circumstances they have been facing for the past 75-years, proving to the most skeptical that the ongoing humanitarian crisis didn’t only begin on Oct. 7.
What’s more, his strong use of Egyptian vernacular made his clash against Morgan even more memorable as it was chock full of references many of us behind our screens could grasp while his interlocutor appeared ridiculed and oblivious.
As Youssef and Morgan have just announced they finished recording round two of their highly publicized debate, we decided to cast a light on the one who put Palestine at the very center of the world’s stage ahead of the yet-to-be-aired conversation. Below, six facts about the heart surgeon-turned-comedian advocating for human rights.
He is married to a part-Palestinian woman
Youssef has been married for over 10-years to Hala Diab, an Egyptian-Palestinian dentist with whom he has two children. The two allegedly met through mutual friends in 2009 and decided to tie the knot a year after in 2010. Diab’s mother was born is Egypt whereas her father was born in Gaza, making Youssef’s connection to the ongoing conflict ever so personal. He jokingly referenced his wife in his first interview with Morgan, when asked his opinion about the Hamas attack. “Those Palestinians, they’re very dramatic. ‘Ah, Israel is killing us,’ but they never die,” he said. “I mean, they always come back. They’re very difficult to kill, very difficult people to kill. I know, because I’m married to one. I tried many times. I try to get to her every time, but she uses our kids as human shields.”
He has two children
Speaking of kids, Youssef and Diab have two children, a girl named Nadiya who was born in 2011 and a boy, Adam, who they welcomed two years later in 2013.
He was named one of the ‘100 most influential people in the world’
In 2013, Time magazine named Youssef as one of the “100 most influential people in the world.”
“My job is hard. I have to sift through pages of political and media-themed satirical material from exceptional writers and figure out what amusing face I can make to accompany each jab. Then I must perform them, 22 minutes a day, four days a week, with only our caterer’s spread to sustain me. Bassem Youssef does my job in Egypt. The only real difference between him and me is that he performs his satire in a country still testing the limits of its hard-earned freedom, where those who speak out against the powerful still have much to fear,” wrote American comedian Jon Stewart of Youssef.
He’s Vegan
Youssef has been vegan for almost a decade now. According to an interview given to Plant Based News (PBN)— a mission-led impact media platform focused on elevating the plant-based diet and its benefit to human health, the planet, and animals— the comedian allegedly decided to radically change his daily intake of food after a close friend was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a chronic disease that is yet to have a cure. With his friend having found a new interest in nutrition, as it is believed changing your diet may have many beneficial effects on managing the symptoms of MS, Bassem claims that his story with veganism started there.
“That’s what made me make the switch, and I instantly felt much better,” he told PBN. “It was a great experience, not because of losing weight, but because of the byproducts of losing weight,” he added. He also claimed he was not keen on changing any of his current habits, which have become an integral part of his lifestyle, as his body has accustomed to it.
“You feel the difference if you cheat some days, if you’re traveling for example, and you can’t find any options, you feel the bloat, and it stays there,” he confessed. “I’m much more energetic, I have a much better and more comfortable life, no more constipation,” he continued.
He’s also a heart surgeon
Youssef completed his higher education at Cairo University’s Faculty of Medicine, specializing in cardiothoracic surgery, and earning his degree in 1998. He also received training in cardiac and lung transplantation in Germany and has also reportedly worked to treat the wounded on Tahrir Square during the Arab Spring uprising in his native Egypt in 2011. In total, he practiced for 13-years before making his move into comedy and political satire, where he became best known for El Bernameg, a satirical comedy show focused on Egyptian politics, from 2011 to 2014.
He lives in exile in the US
In March 2013, Youssef faced an arrest warrant for alleged blasphemy and mockery of former President Morsi, ex-leader of the Muslim Brotherhood party in Egypt. Acknowledging the warrant online, in a customary comic manner, he later turned himself in and was thoroughly questioned by authorities before being released on bail.
The following year, under President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s regime who had come to power through a coup, Youssef suffered from similar intimidation tactics. After raiding his production company’s offices, arresting employees, and taking their equipment, they pressured the comedian to stop speaking against the government, claiming that he was inciting public unrest. Afraid of being arrested and facing a long sentence behind bars, he fled to Dubai in November 2014 before permanently relocating to the United States.
Years later on a Reddit thread, when asked if he would have shows, can they be political or not, again in Egypt, he simply replied “no.”
