Comedian Bassem Youssef’s Honest Reflection on Fame, the Pressure of Representation, and What it Means to be American

Comedian Bassem Youssef’s Honest Reflection on Fame, the Pressure of Representation, and What it Means to be American

Egyptian American satirist and comedian Bassem Youssef was once known as “The Jon Stewart of Egypt,” after gaining notoriety for his criticism of the government during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. But it wasn’t long before the doctor-turned-comedian was forced to leave his home country and start over in the United States.

Ten years later, as he ends the U.S. leg of a world tour for his new stand up show, he’s gained a whole new crowd of supporters and critics — not for his comedy, but for his biting critique of U.S. policy in Gaza.

In this episode, Youssef sits down with host Kai Wright to tell the story of his turbulent ride as a political satirist in both the U.S. and Egypt — and the pressures he faced to be the voice of a movement.

Plus, we open our listener mailbag and get your responses to some of our recent shows.

Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.

Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.

Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.

Avsnitt(424)

How Ivanka Trump And Donald Trump, Jr., Avoided a Criminal Indictment

How Ivanka Trump And Donald Trump, Jr., Avoided a Criminal Indictment

We've got a story from the WNYC newsroom that we really want to share with you. Our WNYC colleagues, Andrea Bernstein and Ilya Marritz, in partnership with ProPublica and The New Yorker investigate ho...

10 Okt 201718min

The Counter-Jihad Movement & the Making of a President

The Counter-Jihad Movement & the Making of a President

President George W. Bush, speaking at a mosque on Sept. 17, 2001: "The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That’s not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace." Donald Trump, campaigning for...

11 Sep 201733min

Help Us Map the Confederate Flag

Help Us Map the Confederate Flag

In the wake of the recent violence in Charlottesville, where a protester was killed by a white supremacist, dozens of monuments to the Confederacy are being taken down. It's an extraordinary moment in...

23 Aug 201713min

America's Fourth: Beyond Pie and BBQs

America's Fourth: Beyond Pie and BBQs

This fourth of July, one year after the podcast began, we look back at a culture that’s made us so anxious, but also what holds us together, and where we’re going as a nation. Since nothing seems to b...

4 Juli 201756min

The Drug War

The Drug War

As the opioid epidemic continues to increase, we take a look back at the Sixties when the War on Drugs, a federal effort to decrease illegal drug use, was beginning to take shape. It was a decade of i...

3 Juli 201735min

Nixon's Enemies

Nixon's Enemies

This week we’re looking at a President Richard M. Nixon, a man obsessed with winning. Whether it was an election or becoming a great leader, he would go to great lengths to ensure his success. But Nix...

23 Juni 201725min

These 'Witches' Are Empowering the Next Generation

These 'Witches' Are Empowering the Next Generation

In 2016, the campaign promise to “Make America Great Again” highlighted an important cultural shift. It represented the idea that the country needed to return to its “traditions” in order to be prospe...

20 Juni 201721min

In Jesus' Name... We Legislate

In Jesus' Name... We Legislate

There’s been much progress for the LGBTQ community over the past decade: the legal debate over same-sex marriage has been resolved, popular culture has largely embraced gay and lesbian people, and tra...

13 Juni 201734min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

aftonbladet-krim
svenska-fall
p3-krim
rss-krimstad
flashback-forever
spar
rss-sanning-konsekvens
rss-vad-fan-hande
aftonbladet-daily
motiv
rss-krimreportrarna
politiken
rss-klubbland-en-podd-mest-om-frolunda
grans
rss-flodet
rss-aftonbladet-krim
olyckan-inifran
krimmagasinet
rss-frandfors-horna
dagens-eko