- Social:
comedian, political satirist and author
Bassem Youssef is a comedian and political satirist, and the author of Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring.
Youssef was a cardiac surgeon in his native Egypt.
PROFILE
Bassem Youssef
Guest
FROM Bassem Youssef
The Business
Bassem Youssef and Sara Taksler on 'Tickling Giants' In June 2012, Egypt was in transition. Following the protests of the Arab Spring, ousted leader Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison, and Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi became the new president. That month, Jon Stewart invited Bassem Youssef to appear on The Daily Show, where he introduced him as, "a heart surgeon who also hosts a satirical news program in Egypt." The tale of how Bassem Youssef went from performing heart surgery to performing comedy, first on YouTube, and then on live television, is told in the new documentary Tickling Giants . Youssef joins us on the show today along with Sara Taksler -- the director of the film and a producer on The Daily Show -- which is where she and Youssef first met. Following his Daily Show appearance, Youssef launched a live show in Egypt with a very similar look, and it began to draw a much bigger audience than the American original. The Arab Spring made comedy a possibility, but satire in Egypt still was not without risks. A warrant was issued for Youssef's arrest for allegedly mocking President Morsi and making fun of Islam. Those charges eventually were dropped, but the risks of mocking the government only escalated, especially once Morsi was ousted as president. Eventually he was replaced by the military-backed Abdel Fattah El-Sisi -- a man the New York Times editorial board recently called "an enemy of human rights." Under Sisi, Youssef's show was cancelled – twice -- and eventually he was forced to flee the country. Youssef and Taksler tell us about those perils of producing satire in Egypt, why they were accused of being spies for the CIA, and what Youssef's life in America is like now. The film Tickling Giants is available on Netflix international and is playing at colleges and festivals around the US.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
'Egypt's Jon Stewart' on whether satire can bring political change President Trump met with Egypt’s president this week. We get reaction from comedian Bassem Youssef, who launched the first political satire show in Egypt. But for making fun of those in power, his safety was threatened, and he had to cancel the show. He ended up fleeing the country after President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi came to power. Youssef is the subject of the documentary, “Tickling Giants,” which premieres April 7 at the Beverly Hills Laemmle Music Hall. Bassem Youssef was a practicing heart surgeon before he came a full-time comedian. He created the first political satire show in Egypt. (Photo courtesy of Sarkosmos Productions)
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