Bassem Youssef
| Bassem Youssef | |
|---|---|
Bassem at Chatham House London Conference 2016
|
|
| Birth name | Bassem Muhammad Youssef |
| Born |
21 March 1974 Cairo, Egypt |
| Medium | Stand-up, television |
| Alma mater | Cairo University |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Genres | Political/news satire, observational comedy, surreal comedy, black comedy, sarcasm, insult comedy |
| Subject(s) | Mass media/news media/media criticism, American politics, Egyptian culture, current events, religion, pop culture, race relations, racism, human sexuality |
| Spouse | Hala Diab (m. 2010) |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | www |
Bassem Raafat Muhammad Youssef (Arabic: باسم رأفت محمد يوسف, IPA: [ˈbæːsem ˈɾɑʔfɑt mæˈħæmmæd ˈjuːsef]; born 22 March 1974) is an Egyptian comedian, writer, producer, physician, media critic, and television host, who hosted Al-Bernameg (The Show), a satirical news program, from 2011 to 2014. The press has compared Youssef with American comedian Jon Stewart, whose satire program The Daily Show inspired Youssef to begin his career. In 2013, he was named one of the "100 most influential people in the world" by Time magazine. Youssef's current project is The Democracy Handbook.
Bassem Youssef graduated from Cairo University's Faculty of Medicine, majoring in cardiothoracic surgery, in 1998. He passed the United States Medical License Exam (USMLE) and has been a member of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) since February 2007. He also received training in cardiac and lung transplantation in Germany, after which he spent a year and a half in the US working for a company that produces medical equipment related to cardiothoracic surgery. In January 2011, Youssef assisted the wounded in Tahrir Square during the Egyptian Revolution.
Inspired by the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, Youssef created his first satirical show in March 2011. Entitled The B+ Show after his blood type, the program, at 5 minutes per episode, was uploaded to his YouTube Channel in May 2011 and gained more than five million views in the first three months alone. The show was shot in Youssef's laundry room using a table, a chair, one camera, and a mural of amateur photos from Tahrir Square that cost $100. The show was a collaboration by Youssef with Tarek ElKazzaz, Amr Ismail, Mohamed Khalifa, and Mostafa Al-Halawany. Youssef used social media to showcase his talent and his show gave a voice to the millions of Egyptians who were seething with anger from the traditional media's coverage of the Egyptian Revolution.
...
Wikipedia