Egyptian Jon Stewart- Bassem Youssef- is Coming to Fusion
Bassem Youssef also known as the “Egyptian Jon Stewart” took Egypt by storm when he started the first satirical news show of its kind during the Arab Spring. His introduction to America came via The Daily Show the same show that inspired Bassem to use satire to skewer the political situation in his home country. It only makes sense that Daily Show producer Kathy Egan is hopping on board the Fusion launch of Youssef’s new show dedicated to American politics and culture, The Democracy Handbook.
When Jon Stewart announced he was stepping down from the Daily Show, I spent a solid week or so trying to figure out who would replace him, and I thought for sure it would be Bassem Youssef. It seemed like an obvious choice, until I remembered that I wasn’t the target demographic for Comedy Central. They would need someone a little more appealing for the male 18-24 demographic, and Trevor Noah fits that role perfectly. Isn’t Fusion a tiny bit worried that American’s will be less likely to laugh off critique of our culture if said critique is delivered in a thick Egyptian accent? “Our brand of comedy is dedicated to challenging the status quo and trying to provoke shifts in the way people look at the world around them,” said Bryan Carmel, Head of Comedy for FUSION. “Bassem is one of the world’s most astute and therefore dangerous satirists — he knows how to get people fired up about important issues. We can’t wait to see what he learns about American democracy during this unique election year.”
In an election cycle that gets weirder by the minute, it is refreshing to know we will have more voices trying to make sense of the mess. Anyone who follows comedians, or original thinkers of any kind knows that matching the right creator with the right producer is paramount to success. “I am extremely honored to partner with FUSION, one of the biggest digital platforms in the world, on this interesting and inspiring project,” said Bassem Youssef. “Discussing, exposing and satirizing the political scene here in the States is something I am very excited about and hopefully I will be able to get FUSION in trouble along the way!”
Fusion is also the home of the smart-funny Paul F. Tompkins hosted puppet news show “No You Shut Up!” and The Chris Gethard Show.
Looks like Fusion and Bassem were made for each other. The series will premiere this spring.
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