Bassem Youssef is an Egyptian satirist, columnist, and talk show host. A cardiac surgeon by training, Youssef turned to comedy following the Egyptian revolution. He uploaded the first episode of his homemade newscast, “The B+ Show,” to YouTube in May 2011. After it garnered more than 5 million views in three months, Youssef was named the host of “Al-Bernameg,” a satirical newscast televised by the independent Egyptian channel ONTV and later by the Capital Broadcast Center (CBC). Youssef’s bold, intelligent, and humorous critiques of Egyptian politics quickly became a hit with audiences in the country and garnered more than 40 million viewers. In 2012, Mohamed Morsi’s government pursued charges against Youssef for “insulting the president,” “insulting Islam,” and “reporting false news.” In March 2013, Youssef was briefly detained, released on bail, and fined. CBC suspended the broadcast of “Al-Bernameg” in November 2013. In 2015, Youssef was a resident fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 2016, a documentary focused on Youssef’s work titled “Tickling Giants” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.