Bassem Raafat Mohamed Youssef is an Egyptian comedian, writer, producer, surgeon, doctor, media critic, and television host, who hosted El-Bernameg, a satirical news program, from 2011 to 2014.
31 Facts About Bassem Youssef
2.
Bassem Youssef graduated from Cairo University's Faculty of Medicine, majoring in cardiothoracic surgery, in 1998.
3.
Bassem Youssef passed the United States Medical Licensing Examination and has been a member of the Royal College of Surgeons since February 2007.
4.
Bassem Youssef practiced as a cardiothoracic surgeon in Egypt for 13 years, until his move into comedy and political satirism.
5.
Bassem Youssef 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.
6.
In January 2011, Bassem Youssef assisted the wounded in Tahrir Square during the Egyptian revolution.
7.
Bassem 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.
8.
Bassem Youssef had planned to move to Cleveland to practice medicine but instead signed his show's contract.
9.
The program, which began with a small group working at home with Bassem Youssef, moved from ONTV's smallest studio to Radio Theatre in Cairo's downtown, a theatre redesigned in the likeness of New York's Radio City, making it the first live audience show in Egypt.
10.
In March 2013, Bassem Youssef started writing a weekly column expressing his views for Al-Shorouk; one of Egypt's most prominent and independent daily newspapers.
11.
Bassem Youssef wrote newspaper columns, where he tackled taboo subjects such as atheism and questioning the commonly held view that apostasy from Islam should be punishable by death.
12.
Bassem Youssef later published an apology in El Sherouk newspaper for initially publishing an article without citing any references.
13.
Bassem Youssef appeared for the second time on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.
14.
Bassem Youssef criticised both the Morsi administration and the people's idolization of the Egyptian Defense Minister Abdul Fatah al-Sisi.
15.
In February 2014 it was announced that Bassem Youssef had signed a deal with the Middle East Broadcasting Center and that they would start broadcasting Al Bernameg from 7 February on MBC MASR satellite channel.
16.
On one of the shows, Bassem Youssef mocked the Egyptian military's claims to be able to cure hepatitis C and AIDS.
17.
In June 2014, after a six-week break during the 2014 Egyptian presidential election campaign, the Al-Bernameg team held a press conference where Bassem Youssef announced the termination of the show due to pressure on both the show and the airing channel.
18.
Bassem Youssef felt that the political climate in Egypt was too dangerous to continue the show.
19.
In January 2015, Harvard's Institute of Politics, at the John F Kennedy School of Government, announced that Youssef would be a resident fellow for the spring semester.
20.
In February 2015, it was announced that Bassem Youssef was collaborating with The Daily Show producer Sara Taksler to launch a crowd-funding campaign for her documentary about his experience, Tickling Giants.
21.
In November 2015, Bassem Youssef hosted the 43rd International Emmy Awards in New York City.
22.
Tickling Giants, a documentary film about Bassem Youssef directed by Sara Taksler, premiered on April 14,2016, at the Tribeca Film Festival.
23.
The podcast Remade in America debuted In early 2018, in which Bassem Youssef explores the cultural, political, and social nuances of America from an outsider's perspective.
24.
In June 2018, Bassem Youssef conducted his third Ask Me Anything on Reddit, having previously done so in 2017 and 2015.
25.
Bassem Youssef has done a variety of public speaking events in the US and Canada.
26.
Bassem Youssef has appeared on a variety of US media outlets.
27.
Bassem Youssef has been interviewed for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, has twice appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and has been interviewed by Larry King and Trevor Noah.
28.
The event sparked international media attention as well as a segment on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show in which he declared his support for Bassem Youssef, calling him a "friend" and "brother".
29.
In 2013, Bassem Youssef was named one of the "100 most influential people in the world" by Time magazine and one of Foreign Policy magazine's 100 Leading Global Thinkers.
30.
Bassem Youssef worked as a cardiothoracic surgeon when Al Bernameg was on hiatus.
31.
In 2014, Bassem Youssef changed his diet to a whole-food, plant-based diet after realizing that his diet was the main reason for his feeling tired and lacking energy.