Photo: Chatham House / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Bassem Youssef fascinates me because of the leap he made. A cardiac surgeon in Cairo who traded the operating room for satire during the Arab Spring is not someone playing it safe. Using comedy to challenge power takes a different kind of nerve than holding a scalpel, and his 2013 CPJ International Press Freedom Award says the world noticed the cost. What I respect most is the throughline: whether saving hearts or skewering hypocrisy, he stays in the business of telling hard truths. Now an Egyptian-American voice still speaking up, he's proof that humor, wielded honestly, can be a serious act of courage.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Bassem Youssef
- Name (Japanese)
- バッセム・ユセフ
- Reading
- ばっせむ・ゆせふ
- Born
- March 21, 1974 (age 52)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Tiger
- Origin
- Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Egypt
- Occupation
- cardiac surgeon / satirist / columnist / television producer / writer
2. Background
- University
- Cairo University Kasr Alainy Faculty of Medicine
Awards & achievements
- 2013 CPJ International Press Freedom Awards
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Bassem Youssef born?
Born March 21, 1974 (age 52).
Where is Bassem Youssef from?
Bassem Youssef is from Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Egypt.
What does Bassem Youssef do?
Bassem Youssef works as cardiac surgeon, satirist, columnist, television producer, writer.
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.