Ramy Youssef on reactions after teaching Elmo Arabic on Sesame Street
Fox News, the next time you want to criticize Ramy Youssef, how about actually calling the comedian out?
“I’ve been on the network a few times without my permission,” he says Variety‘s Awards Circuit podcast. “I would love to be asked to comment, because I would! One way or another, they haven’t even called me. I wouldn’t be one of those guys who wouldn’t comment. Oh, I would comment! They say, ‘we contacted his reps and he had no comment to make.’ No, no, I have a comment!’
Youssef was recently featured on Fox News for a segment he did on “Sesame Street,” where he taught Elmo the Arabic words “habibi” (“my love” or “my good friend”) and “as-salamu alaykum” (“peace be upon you”).
“The reactions were at a level that I actually did not expect,” says Youssef. “When you see people immediately going, ‘there are millions of people who have to be deported tomorrow,’ and ‘the people have to leave.’ And then Fox News claims that it’s not true at all, that ‘Sesame Street’ doesn’t do this for any other language.” So it’s this thing where you feel the increase of anti-Muslim sentiment, of Islamophobia.”
Youssef says “Sesame Street” has been supportive in the face of this ridiculous backlash. “It’s such a loving program, and yes, we know there are people who will behave this way,” he says. “Right now they’re celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month and that also got a lot of hateful comments. ‘Sesame Street’ knows what their job is, to spread love and the goal should be so that the next generation of kids doesn’t have such a limited scope.”
Youssef jokes about an earlier time Fox News invoked his name to gain an audience. When New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani was campaigning, Youssef said he was included in the list of “Mamdani’s ultra-liberal rich donors.” Youssef says: “Let me tell you that the people I was standing next to were very rich. I was nowhere near the caliber of the other faces they showed there. And what was difficult was that some of the reactions online were just that: ‘Ramy is not rich!’ Thank you.”
In his latest HBO Max special, “Ramy Youssef: In Love,” the comedian points out some of the hypocrisy of this right-wing media, which will spread Islamophobia and anti-Muslim talk — while ignoring the questions surrounding headlines like Qatar donating a $400 million Air Force One plane to Trump, or the fact that a trio of Middle Eastern funds will own 38.5% of a combined Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery will own when that merger closes.
“These class differences are just that: they are about money and power,” he says. “I think the division around culture and religion is just a distraction. You know, most people have so much in common. Most faiths, most cultures, are all passionate about having a strong family and living life to the fullest. That’s what’s always been around my work. The real divide is that there are just people who love that we fight about these things.”
Next to Elmogate, Youssef spoke with the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast on some of the memorable moments from “Ramy Youssef: In Love,” including how his dog is doing. He also explained the origins of sharing his “woman thoughts,” his time with Pope Francis, how his on-stage discussion of personal finance gets him into trouble with his father, and more. He also answers our 10 question quiz and talks about his first time coming in Variety. Listen below!
For this recording of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, Youssef’s wife joined him in the studio (but without a microphone) – so the opportunity was there to get her reaction to the part of ‘Ramy Youssef: In Love’ called ‘wife thoughts’. In that piece, Youssef reveals some of the embarrassing things he likes to say and do in front of his wife, but not the rest of the world. “I had the courage to try a few on stage, which was a lot of fun,” he says. “I think I did it once at a show, and someone shouted, ‘we want more women’s thoughts!’ And I said, OK, maybe I should put this in the special. Maybe I should do more of that, which was really nice to find.
In the special, Youssef also shares how much he spent lighting up the pyramids at night during his wedding in Egypt: $10,000. Youssef says his father was not happy when he heard that revelation during a Youssef comedy show at the Beacon Theater in New York.
“I had what I thought was my finest hour that I had done personally,” he says. “So I’m sitting there and I’m enjoying it. My dad comes backstage and pulls me aside, and I feel like we’re going to have this moment. But he says, ‘Did you pay $10,000?’ Mind you, the wedding was two years ago at this point. I just try to enjoy the moment as it happens. But he says: ‘They light them anyway! What’s wrong with you? How did that happen?’”
And then there’s the story of Youssef’s dog, which even appears in the special’s main art. Have no fear, the dog is good – and even with Youssef on a huge HBO billboard on Sunset. “The fame has certainly changed,” Youssef jokes. “He had a little red carpet moment. He got so many treats and so much to eat, and people really loved him. The next day he wouldn’t eat any of the food we had in the house.”
About the first time Youssef was here Varietyit was as part of Nick’s cast in Nite’s sitcom “See Dad Run,” starring Scott Baio. Youssef played Baio’s friend Kevin; The show ran for almost 50 episodes starting in 2012.
“This was the job that was actually the craziest thing that ever happened in my life,” Youssef says. “I was 20 and living with my parents in New Jersey, and I was cast regularly on a series that shot in LA. The more I know about the industry, the more I know how that doesn’t happen! So that brought me to LA, where I lived for ten years, and that’s where I really discovered how to do stand-up and how to make a show.”
Here’s a snippet of the review that came in Daily variation on October 12, 2012 (you can also read it here):
10 QUESTIONS WITH RAMY YOUSSEF:
1. Childhood Nickname: “Ramy Salami.”
2. Something you loved as a kid but can’t believe you were doing it now: “When I was a kid, I really liked to eat shrimp. And now I’m so allergic that I have to go to the hospital for it.”
3. Go-to karaoke or sing-along song in the shower: “I’ll rap some Eminem, ‘The Real Slim Shady,’ stuff like that. I know so many of those words!”
4. Give me an alternative title for your show: “’I love my dog.’ It would be a small nod to the Cat Stevens song, which was his first real big hit.
5. What is your secret talent?: “I love playing music, playing guitar, I love singing. But it’s not something I’ve done so publicly.”
6. Favorite ice cream flavor: Vanilla, or butter pecan.
7. The one item you couldn’t live without: “A notebook that fits in my jacket pocket.”
8. What TV show from throughout history do you wish you were a cast member of?: “’The Sopranos.’ Just the New Jersey of it. Those locations were close to where I grew up. The Bada Bing strip club, I would see that on my way to karate.”
9. Fictional character you admire most: “Jason Bourne.”
10. Your favorite piece of advice: “Drink as much water as possible.”
Also in this episode (story to follow): “Elsbeth” star Carrie Preston.
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta and also producing Michael Schneider, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode features “Awards Circuit” interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates on awards races and industry news, and more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get podcasts.
