We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends

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Aasif Mandvi broke more glass ceilings than you probably realize.
If you watched ‘The Daily Show’ during the post-9/11 era, you likely already know the comedian and actor for his biting commentary on Islamophobia, George W. Bush, and the ‘War on Terror’. 
But did you know he was the political comedy show’s first non-white cast member? Or that he served as the “Senior Middle East Correspondent” and “Senior Muslim Correspondent” even though he’s not from the Middle East or a practicing Muslim? Now, Aasif joins Mehdi on the new episode of ‘We’re Not Kidding’ in front of a live audience at the Sundance Film Festival for a wide-ranging conversation about being fellow immigrants, Muslim representation, Gaza, Donald Trump, ICE, Zohran Mamdani, as well as take some questions from the audience.
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Find Mehdi:
Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan
Find Aasif:
Twitter: https://x.com/aasif
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aasif
Credits:
Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan
Guest Host: Aasif Mandvi
Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi
Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello
Music: Andy Clausen
Design: Alicia Tatone
Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera
Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.com

Noam Schuster-Eliassi is what some people might call a ‘unicorn’. 
She’s an anti-Zionist, Jewish-Iranian Israeli who speaks fluent Arabic and grew up in a tiny village in Israel called the ‘Oasis of Peace’, where Jews and Palestinians voluntarily choose to live together. Noam is now the star of the new documentary ‘Coexistence, My Ass!’, which won the Special Jury Award at Sundance film festival last year. The film explores her political evolution from growing up as an Israeli poster-child of the “coexistence movement” to becoming a standup comedian determined to dismantle apartheid within Israel. 
The two also discuss the contradiction of liberal Israelis who are critical of Netanyahu’s anti-democratic government yet don’t extend the same consideration to Palestinians living under apartheid, as well as the barrage of hasbara that Israeli society was exposed to after October 7. 
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Find Mehdi:
Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan
Find Noam:
Twitter: https://x.com/ShusterNoam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noam_joon/
Credits:
Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan
Guest Host: Noam Shuster-Eliassi
Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi
Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello
Music: Andy Clausen
Design: Alicia Tatone
Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera
Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.com

On the day after Zohran Mamdani’s historic election win, what better ‘We’re Not Kidding’ guest could we ask for than New York City icon Ilana Glazer? The Jewish-American comedian, activist, and ‘Broad City’ creator joined Mehdi in midtown Manhattan to talk about what Mamdani’s victory means for the future of US politics.
The two also discuss the recent failures of the Democratic party and whether Mamdani’s win has the power to finally push party leadership to embrace its populist flank. “Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries were not there celebrating last night,” Ilana says. “A Democratic mayor won. They should be there celebrating.” They also talk about someone else who was definitely not celebrating on election night — Debra Messing and her very public Instagram crash out.
Ilana opens up to Mehdi about her feelings around the modern Jewish identity, particularly since Oct. 7. The two also discuss the weaponization of antisemitism by figures like Jonathan Greenblatt (who has already announced the Anti-Defamation League’s ‘Mamdani Monitor’ to purportedly “keep Jewish New Yorkers safe”), while simultaneously ignoring the dangers of right-wing antisemitism espoused by people like Nick Fuentes and Tucker Carlson. Finally, Mehdi asks Ilana about speaking out against Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the risks of receiving backlash or being censored.
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Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan
Credits:
Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan
Guest Host: Ilana Glazer
Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi
Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello
Music: Andy Clausen
Design: Alicia Tatone
Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera
Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.com

If you were a fan of the HBO series ‘Succession’ — then do we have a treat for you. On this new episode of ‘We’re Not Kidding’, Mehdi is joined by Iranian-American actor Arian Moayed who played the scene-stealing character Stewy Hosseini on the hit HBO show.
Mehdi and Arian unpack the ways our reality mirrors the fictional world of ‘Succession’, like how pro-Israel billionaire Larry Ellison, the world’s second richest man, is buying up media companies Paramount, CBS News, and TikTok. Mehdi also challenges Arian to a new rapid-fire question game called, “Real Billionaire or ‘Succession’ Character?”
As two naturalized US citizens, Mehdi and Arian discuss the recent military-style ICE raids in Arian’s hometown of Chicago and the fears that many immigrant communities are feeling in the Trump era. Mehdi and Arian also get into the recent political history of Iran, including the 1979 revolution which led to Arian’s family immigrating to the US when he was a child. Arian, an outspoken critic of the Iranian government, explains the importance of Iranian representation and self-determination and offers his own analogy for why Western governments should stay out of Iran’s affairs. 
Finally, the two discuss the two-year anniversary of Oct. 7 and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. As Arian was one of the earliest signatories on the Artists 4 Ceasefire letter in October of 2023, Mehdi asks if he feared retribution from Hollywood and the entertainment industry for being pro-Palestine.
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FIND ARIAN:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arianmoayed
Waterwell: https://www.waterwell.org/
CREDITS:
Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan
Guest Host: Arian Moayed
Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi
Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello
Music: Andy Clausen
Design: Alicia Tatone
Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera
Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.com

It’s been six months since Mehdi and Bassem Youssef last recorded an episode of ‘We’re Not Kidding’, so needless to say they had a lot to catch up on. And what better place to host their reunion than ArabCon 2025 in Dearborn, Michigan? During this very special LIVE taping, the duo get candid about the Trump administration’s recent attacks on free speech, the potential of a Zohran Mamdani victory in New York City, and how much the world has changed (and sadly not changed) since Israel began its genocide in Gaza almost two years ago.
Finally, the two take questions from the audience about the use of social media platforms complicit in genocide, whether either of them would travel to Israel for work, and how to build momentum for the BDS movement (‘Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions’). Mehdi also gets asked a couple of pointed questions about condemning Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7 and the killing of Israeli civilians — you don’t want to miss his response.
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FIND BASSEM:
Twitter: https://x.com/Byoussef
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bassem/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bassem
CREDITS:
Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan
Guest Host: Bassem Youssef
Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi
Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello
Music: Andy Clausen
Design: Alicia Tatone
Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera
Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali