Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that Bassem Youssef lost a role in ‘SUPERMAN LEGACY’ after he spoke out against the ongoing genocide happening in Palestine.
The Egyptian-born comedian, who has become friends with Stewart and appeared many times on “The Daily Show,” believes that Stewart “will always be relevant” even though he was away from the show for nine years. He wonders if younger people will embrace Stewart since so many get their news from social media, as opposed to cable television.
Despite the intensity of his conversation about the Middle East, Youssef clarified that his live comedy show does not touch on Gaza. Instead, it revolves around his life experiences and the challenges of doing comedy in Egypt under a dictatorship.
Youssef’s views on the United States’ political landscape were also discussed during the interview. He expressed his disappointment with Donald Trump’s refusal to attend the White House Correspondents dinner, seeing it as a worrisome sign of authoritarianism. Youssef questioned whether Jon Stewart’s return to “The Daily Show” would be as impactful, given the shift in news consumption habits among younger generations.
But speaking out about the Netanyahu administration’s actions in Gaza does not come without price, as Youssef explained. The comic shared that he lost a role as a villain that he had been offered in the upcoming James Gunn-directed “Superman: Legacy” movie. While Youssef noted that the official reason given was a script change, the timing coincided with others in Hollywood being fired for championing Palestinian humanity. To him, the real reason was apparent. (Salon reached out to Warner Bros. for comment, but did not hear back. According to a Variety report on Friday, a source close to production says no formal offer was made and the character had been written out “prior to Hamas’ attack in Israel, and before the writers strike began.”)