Bassem Youssef was the host of 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 the
Time Magazine 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 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 saw
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.
