Ramy Youssef’s SNL monologue that talked Gaza was more than funny—it was historic.

I wish my late father were alive to see this.

Being the son of a Palestinian immigrant, I have followed the Middle East conflict for as long as I can remember. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has never been some far off political issue to my family. Rather, it was very immediate and personal given I had—and continue—to have Palestinian relatives living in the West Bank under Israeli occupation. Yet to be blunt, before the current conflict in Gaza, I rarely heard people speak out on behalf of Palestinian humanity.  That has, thankfully, changed—as have the views of my fellow Democrats over the years who now overwhelmingly see Palestinians as human beings deserving of self-determination.

But still watching Egyptian American comedian/actor Ramy Youssef--who I’ve known for years—hosting Saturday Night Live this week was historic. Not just for who he is, but for what he said. In his monologue, the Golden Globe winning actor said, “Please free the people of Palestine, please.” And in response, the audience interrupted the monologue with extended applause. (Even the Hollywood Reporter noted Youssef “received loud applause” for that remark.)

Now Youssef, being a comedian, said the line in the context of joke, telling the audience he’s the only one in his group of buddies that prays, “I’m friends with a lot of sinners, like, just disgusting people,” Youssef quipped. As a result, his friends ask him to say prayers for them.

The comic began by giving an example of his friend Brian locked in a messy divorce who asked him to pray to get custody of his beloved dog. Then Youssef turned to his friend Ahmed, who asked him to pray for his family in Gaza, telling him: “They’re suffering. I don’t know where half of them are. I don’t know what to do. Please pray for them.”

The comedian joked, “So that night I go to pray and my prayers are … complicated. I’ve got a lot to fit in.”  He continued, “please help Ahmed’s family. Please stop the suffering. Stop the violence.” He then added the line which elicited a roar of approval, “Please free the people of Palestine. Please.”

The comedian continued, “And please free the hostages, all of the hostages, please,” which also rightfully elicited applause. Finally, Youssef finished the joke with the quip, “And while you’re at it, I mean, you know, free Mr. Bojangles. I mean he is, he’s a beautiful dog. I’m praying for that dog.”

The idea that a person on a national network show said, “Free Palestine” and the audience would organically burst into extended applaud is not something I’ve seen before—let alone on a comedy show.  It was something I wish my late Palestinian immigrant father was alive to see. 

Of course, Youssef was telling a joke, not making a speech. Comedians have long used comedy to raise challenging political, racial and societal issues from Lenny Bruce to Richard Pryor to Jon Stewart and more.  

But for years—and even through the current conflict—people understand that speaking out in support of Palestinians can come at a price.  This very much includes people in Hollywood as we saw early in this current conflict where people lost jobs such as actress Melissa Barrera who was fired from the film Scream VII by production company Spyglass Media over social media posts where she labeled Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide.”

Youssef, though, has been undeterred, using his comedy for months to bring attention to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. In the fall, Youssef announced that the proceeds from his comedy tour would benefit ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid), a charity providing humanitarian relief in Gaza. However, still a potential backlash ensued when Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez attended Youssef’s comedy show in Brooklyn which caused conservative Megyn Kelly to call for a boycott of all things Swift. (To which I imagine Swift responded: Who exactly is Megyn Kelly?)

And at the recent Academy Awards, Youssef, who co-starred in the Oscar nominated film “Poor Things,” was one of the celebrities wearing a pin calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. At the time he told Variety, “It’s a universal message of, ‘Let’s stop killing kids. Let’s not be part of more war.” He added, “We’re calling for immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza.  We’re calling for peace and lasting justice for the people of Palestine."

Perhaps the audience’s moving applause for Youssef’s words delivered during his monologue Saturday, “Please free the people of Palestine,” was fueled by the fact that public opinion in America has decidedly turned against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military action in response to Hamas’s brutal Oct 7 terrorist attack.  A Gallup poll released last week found that only 36% of Americans now approve of Israel's military action—down from 50% in in November. Indeed, support for Israel’s military response was down across the board including Republicans. This is not surprising given Netanyahu’s military response has left more than 31,000 Palestinians dead with 70 percent estimated to be women and children.

Even President Biden—traditionally a staunch supporter of Israel—stated during his State of the Union in March that of those Palestinians killed in Gaza, “Thousands and thousands are innocent women and children.” He continued, “Nearly 2 million more Palestinians under bombardment or displaced…Families without food, water, medicine. It’s heartbreaking.”

When the Gaza war finally ends and the Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas are released, the question then comes what is next for the Palestinian people. My hope is that it’s exactly what Youssef prayed for in his joke.

---