Ramy Youssef says Palestine remarks in “SNL” monologue were ‘completely inoffensive’: ‘Nothing controversial’

Ramy Youssef is reflecting on his remarks about Palestine on Saturday Night Live final 12 months.

The Ramy star opened up about his determination to address the conflict in Gaza throughout his opening monologue when he hosted the show in March 2024, saying that whereas he acknowledges that “it’s not common” to say “free Palestine” on reside TV, he wasn’t nervous to deal with the subject in Studio 8H.

“It’s more nerve-racking to not say something,” the comic instructed The New York Times in a brand new interview. “It’s more nerve-racking to try to shield yourself from whatever criticism is gonna come. And plenty of it has come. But I get more tense if I’m sitting quietly, trying to stay safe.”

Within the monologue, Youssef recalled his pal Ahmed asking him to hope for his household in Gaza. “I’m like, ‘God, please, please help Ahmed’s family,'” he mentioned of his prayer after their dialog. “‘Please stop the suffering. Stop the violence. Please free the people of Palestine, please. And please free the hostages, all the hostages, please.'”

Youssef then insisted that he stands by his monologue. “What I said is completely inoffensive,” he instructed The New York Instances. “People are sensitive about it. Or people might say: ‘Well, why didn’t you say this? Or why didn’t you do that?’ But there’s nothing controversial about any of it.”

Youssef additionally defined why he does not suppose the battle in Gaza ought to be known as a warfare. “Look, there are false equivalencies in terms of power,” he mentioned. “That’s what people are talking about. They’re talking about dynamics of power.”

He continued, “When you look at Gaza, you’re talking about a place where their water and electricity are controlled. So even the framing of the earlier question of calling it a war, you know, I’m like, ‘All right, call it whatever you want to call it.’ Yes, there are two sides who are fighting, but there’s a massive power imbalance, and that is just unequivocally true.”

Youssef elaborated on his reasoning. “[Israel] could turn off the electricity, they could turn off the water, they can turn off what aid is getting in,” he mentioned. “It’s like being in a wrestling match with someone where you’re controlling the other guy’s calories and how much water he gets. He sneaks a few PowerBars that you didn’t know about.”

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Finally, Youssef does not suppose anybody ought to help the violence in Gaza. “Nobody wants there to be people getting bombed indiscriminately, and nobody wants there to be hostages. There is nothing controversial in saying it,” he harassed. “Anything I’ve said sincerely, I could tattoo it to myself because there’s no problem.”

“That’s why I’m not afraid,” he mentioned. “Because it’s like: What did I say? ‘Stop killing kids.’ ‘Oh, my God, this guy’s crazy.’ What? It’s not a thing.”

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