Bassem Youssef, the satirist who is most commonly known to Americans as "Egypt's Jon Stewart," has had his talk show canceled. At a press conference earlier today, Youssef said the Saudi network airing his show bowed to pressure to ax it, although he didn't specify from who.
Youssef started ElBernameg (Arabic for "The Program") in 2011 after Egypt's former leader Hosni Mubarak was replaced by Islamist president Mohammed Morsi. Since the military's ouster of Morsi last year, the country's new leader, former military chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, isn't a fan of political satire or negative views about his administration.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Judge rejects Elon Musk's $56B pay package againSpeed Read Judge Kathaleen McCormick upheld her rejection of the Tesla CEO's unprecedented compensation deal
-
French government poised to fall amid budget fightSpeed Read Far-right and leftist opposition parties both filed motions of no confidence against Prime Minister Michel Barnier
-
Biden arrives in Angola for historic Africa visitSpeed Read The president intends to strengthen U.S. ties with Africa and counter China's dominance in the region
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamationSpeed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box officeSpeed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appealSpeed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproarSpeed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain PrizeSpeed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
