Not long ago, the Egyptian heart surgeon-turned-comedian Bassem Youssef was hosting the most popular political satire television show in his country’s history.
Launched after the 2011 uprising, the groundbreaking “Al Bernameg” (The Show) drew as many as 30 million viewers per episode in a country of 82 million people — until it folded and Youssef left the country.
Now his story is chronicled in a documentary titled “Tickling Giants,” which premieres on Friday in Los Angeles. He also has a new memoir out called “Revolution for Dummies.”
Dubbed Egypt’s Jon Stewart, Youssef provided a much-needed dose of humor as the country was undergoing massive political turmoil.
After “El Bernameg” folded in 2014, Youssef left Egypt with his family, first heading to Dubai before settling in Los Angeles.
“There are many people, especially Egyptians, who will watch this movie and they will consider it... a story of a very important period of history for them,” the 43-year-old comedian told AFP in an interview.
He praised the film’s director Sara Taksler — a longtime producer on “The Daily Show,” formerly hosted by Youssef’s idol Jon Stewart — for managing to use comedy and satire to capture the upheaval of the Arab Spring in Egypt and explaining it to Western audiences without lecturing.
“Most importantly, this is a human story.”
As for his new life, Youssef acknowledges that it has been difficult to adjust, especially because his arrival in the United States coincided with one of the most acrimonious presidential campaigns ever.
Referring to US President Donald Trump, he said: “But however horrible Trump is, you still have faith in the institutions that can actually hold him back.”
Looking forward, Youssef says he is reviewing his options as he reinvents himself in America.
“This is a very tough market, it’s Hollywood and there are people who are even more experienced than I am who are struggling,” he said. “It’s an adventure, it is something that is interesting and terrifying at the same time.”

Source: Arab News