Egyptian comic known as 'Jon Stewart of the Middle East' says he won't be 'blackmailed' into voting for Biden, hails 'Daily Show' host's return
A comedian from Egypt known as the “Jon Stewart of the Middle East” says he won't be "blackmailed" into voting for President Biden against former President Trump.
Bassem Youssef has been critical of Trump and Biden, calling out the commander in chief for his failure to demand a cease-fire in the ongoing war in Gaza.
“I don't know why we as minorities have to be blackmailed about voting for Biden,” Youssef said.
“You don't come to us with liberal values and human rights and equality, and then you bomb our people in Gaza and you enable that kind of genocide. And then you turn around and ask us for our vote,” he added.
Youssef has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas that left more than 1,000 Israelis dead. According to health officials, more than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed in the subsequent strikes in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas.
An interview Youssef did with Piers Morgan last year focused on the topic has racked up 22 million views on YouTube.
Biden has continually asked Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be mindful of civilian casualties and last week called Israel’s response in Gaza “over the top.”
“If we're not voting for the values of liberalism and equality and human rights,” Youssef said, “I don't know what we're voting for.”
ITK caught up with Youssef — a heart surgeon turned YouTube sensation turned satirist who became an American citizen in 2019 after his criticism of the Egyptian government led to an arrest warrant being issued in his home country in 2013 — as he prepped for his latest shows in Washington as part of his “Middle Beast Tour.” The 49-year-old is performing Wednesday and Thursday at the Warner Theatre to sold-out crowds.
This comedy show is “more of a personal story,” Youssef said, of “being a doctor in Egypt and leaving everything behind and having the political satire show in Egypt.”
“And then having to go through some trouble because of that — I was interrogated … I had to escape from Egypt,” he said before coming to the U.S. amid “the most interesting political climate ever.”
“The comedy comes from that — I'm always a fish out of water, and I'm always having people having a problem with my jokes.”
“I think it's something that a lot of people can relate to. It speaks a lot about freedom of expressions and how do you express yourself using humor in comedy,” Youssef said.
When asked by ITK about finding humor in a subject as unfunny as war, he counters, “It’s not the Hamas-Israel war, it’s the Israel assault on civilians.”
Because he developed “Middle Beast” before the fighting in Gaza, Youssef said it’s not a part of his show. But, he said, his comedy repeats “the talking points with the media — like the fact that they were very happy about Israel warning civilians before they bombed them.”
“For them, this is very humane. For me, this is hilarious. It's dark humor,” Youssef said.
“The gaslighting and the lies that we've been seeing, humor comes from that. It comes from irony and from contradictions,” he said.
Asked if he thought his comedy brings people together or more drives them further into their echo chambers, Youssef said his show is “not offensive to anybody.”
“It’s offensive to certain ideas, but it's ideas that other people can agree upon,” he said, adding that he’s had Jewish and Israeli audience members, as well as Trump supporters.
Asked about the original Jon Stewart, who returned to “The Daily Show” on Monday after a nine-year absence, Youssef said it’s “so good” to have him back.
Stewart, whom Youssef called a “staple in American media and American democracy,” hosted the faux news show for 16 years before stepping down in 2015. He will be hosting Monday nights through the rest of the year.
“I'm only sad that he's only back once a week,” Youssef said.