GATHER | Ramy Youssef x 'What It Means to Be American' x UBC

"I wasn't gonna mention the whole fifty-first state thing."

Photo credit | Si Ming Zheng

UBC—(February 27, 2025) Award-winning Egyptian-American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and director Ramy Youssef casually captivated a full audience inside the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts as part of the 2025 Phil Lind Initiative's second-year speaker series discussing the topic of What It Means to Be "American": Navigating Identity in a Changing Nation.

Right off the bat, Youssef and his producing partner, A24 Head of Television Ravi Nandan, quickly acknowledged then joked mercilessly about what strange a time it was to be discussing American identity at a Canadian university amidst the disgraceful rhetic of the last few weeks from the convicted felon U.S. President about annexing America's closest strategic ally.

Born in Queens and raised in New Jersey, Youssef highlighted the turning point for Arabs and Muslims in the United States after the September 11th terrorist attacks as seen experienced in his adolescence and dramatized in the first season of his critically acclaimed Hulu streaming series Ramy. There were other humorous anecdotes about growing up in an Egyptian immigrant household while navigating otherwise typical all-American cultural experiences.

Ramy Youssef: Feelings / HBO

Towards the end of his moderated talk during the Q&A portion, Youssef comically discussed the current state of the so-called "American Dream" for immigrants and its inextricably problematic ties to runaway capitalism. This was best evidenced by two exclusive clips he showed from his upcoming adult animated series, #1 Happy Family USA, a family satire about codeswitching in post-9/11 America for Prime Video in which he co-created and voices dual roles.

Youssef's comedy and dramatic work make for a fine example of American identity grappling with the fluid, multifaceted nature of contemporary society amidst the rapidly changing political turmoil and social transformation against the backdrop of a quasi-fascist presidency. This was another worthwhile exploration of how historical legacies, cultural narratives, and current events continue to shape our culture in the context of popular entertainment.

Youssef was the third of six guest speakers in this year's ongoing free lecture series, What It Means to Be "American," presented by the UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Next, talented mononymous Nigerian-American late night comedic interviewer Ziwe (Fumudoh) visits UBC on March 13th.


More | YVArcade / 2024 / Sun