Bassem Youssef

Bassem Youssef was the host of the popular TV show Al Bernameg – the first political satire show in the Middle East. Originally a 5-minute show on YouTube, Al Bernameg became the first online-to-TV conversion in the Middle East and the most-watched show across the region with 30 million viewers every week, and over a million subscribers to its YouTube channel. In recognition of his success, Youssef was named among Time Magazine's most influential list for 2013 – under the “Pioneers” category, was awarded the International Press Freedom Award by the CPJ, and was chosen by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the global thinkers during the same year. The first title in Bassem’s children’s book series, The Magical Reality of Nadia, was published on February 2nd, 2021, by Scholastic and is currently being developed as an animated series. Bassem can be seen in MO (Netflix), RAMY (Hulu), LIONESS (Paramount+), and UPLOAD (Amazon). In October of 2023, Bassem’s interview with Piers Morgan received worldwide acclaim and was shared and reposted on the internet all over the world – it is now the most viewed interview in the history of Piers Morgan Uncensored. In 2024, Youssef sold over 100,000 tickets to his one-man stand-up comedy show, THE MIDDLE BEAST, where he performed in theaters and arenas all over the world. Bassem lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.