âNot every comedian... should be a politician"
Bassem Youssef who found fame in Egypt and now lives in the US said he was never interested in politics, unlike former comedian and now president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
âNot every comedian who is good at his job should be a politician. The fact that you say something and it resonates with people doesnât mean that you have to go and lead people into politics,â he said on HARDtalk.
He added: âI donât want to be an activist or a politician or a freedom fighter or thought leader⊠I prefer to stay in my comedy box.â
âPeople get so fascinated with comediansâ he told Stephen Sackur âcomedians just point out stuff and itâs up to the people to make their change⊠Our role ends at the edge of the theatre and at the edge of television.â
Youssef was forced to flee Egypt in 2014 after jokes he told about the government on his satirical weekly TV show caught the attention of the Egyptian authorities.