Who is Ramy Youssef? 6 facts to know about the SNL host

It's Saturday, which of course means a new episode of our favorite sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live! The variety series of course also has a new host each week, and tonight, March 30, 2024, Ramy Youssef is our host for the evening. Travis Scott is the musical guest.

Youssef is a man of many talents, which we'll get into below! He's best known for his Hulu television series Ramy, but most recently the star is getting lots and lots of attention for playing Max McCandles in the Oscar-nominated movie Poor Things. He didn't even need to audition and was offered the role from director Yorgos Lanthimos! The actor also provided his first voice role as Safi in Disney's Wish.

Youssef is also a comedian and writer, but he has never worked on Saturday Night Live before. This will also be his first time hosting SNL. Whether you're super familiar with him or not, don't worry we've got your back! Here are 6 facts to know about the actor and comedian ahead of his appearance on the show tonight!

Ramy Youssef is from Egypt

The multi-talent is Egyptian American. His parents emigrated to the U.S., which means he's a first-generation American. He was born March 26, 1991 in Queens, New York City though the actor and comedian grew up in Rutherford, New Jersey. The 33-year-old attended Rutherford High School and went on to political science and economics but Rutherford University - Newark to attend William Esper Studio instead to focus on acting. Youssef and his family are Muslim, and he speaks both Arabic and English. Give him a follow on Instagram at @ramy!

The star made his acting debut on Nick at Nite

Youssef's very first acting role was Kevin Costner on the Nick at Nite sitcom, See Dad Run. The show ran for three seasons from 2012 to 2014. The story is centered around David Hobbs, an actor who has been an on-screen dad for a decade. When he becomes a stay-at-home father so his wife can get back to her soap opera roots, he learns that being an actual dad is harder than he thought. Youssef's character is one of the main cast members and he plays the former production assistant on David's show who helps him out around the house with his kids. He was only 21 years old when he started on the Nick at Nite series.

His first stand-up on network TV was on Stephen Colbert

In 2017, the comedian made his network television debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. This was an important milestone for the then 26-year-old, as it provided more exposure for him when it came to comedy. At that point in his career, Youssef had only been on See Dad Run and was also on the late night show to promote his role as Samar on Mr. Robot starring Rami Malek. During the stand-up (watch here!), this was the time Donald Trump was elected president. And so his material touched on being Muslim in America, the Muslim Travel Ban, and Trump and Hillary Clinton.

Since then, the star was able to do two HBO comedy specials: Ramy Youssef: Feelings in 2019 and Ramy Youssef: More Feelings which came out on March 23, 2024. The first special focuses on personal stories of the comic about different subjects like the best week to pray, his dad's immigration story, the surprising connection to Donald Trump, and his "complicated love for LeBron James," per the synopsis.

In More Feelings, Youssef talks about his "unique reflections on a divided world, the unexpected perils of charitable giving" the 2024 presidential election cycle we're currently in, prayer, and a "childhood book report that changed the course of his life," per the synopsis. Stream both specials on Max.

When he toured the More Feelings comedy show, Youssef held a fundraising show for Palestine in December 2023 with all the proceeds going to Gaza. This garnered a lot of media attention with big celebrities like Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez attending the event in Brooklyn, New York.

The actor won a Golden Globe for Ramy on Hulu

As mentioned above, Youssef had a recurring role on the USA Network's Mr. Robot and was starting to gain recognition. However it wasn't until 2019 when his Hulu series, Ramy, debuted that the actor shot to stardom. This project helps to showcase the star's many talents as he created, stars in, writes, directs, and executive produces the comedy-drama.

The series is known for being a more positive portrayal than seen before about American Muslims and focuses on Youssef's character, Ramy, who struggles with self identity in trying to balance his faith with "millennial friends who think life is full of endless possibilities, and a God who's always watching," per the synopsis.

The television production has been renewed for a fourth season, which was delayed due to the writers and actors strikes. Though it is in the works, per The New York Times. Youssef won a Golden Globe in the Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy category in 2020. He's also been nominated for two Emmys for acting and directing, and he received a Peabody Award for his writing in 2020 as well.

He co-created Mo on Netflix and directed an episode of The Bear

As you can tell from this post by now, Youssef takes on many roles in the industry and definitely keeps himself busy. I don't know how he does it all! Part of the talent was co-creating Netflix comedy-drama series Mo, which debuted in 2023, with fellow comedian Mo Amer.

The show is centered around the titular character, a Palestinian refugee in Houston, Texas, and his family who are trying to get citizenship in the United States. The series explores the struggles of refugees and is loosely based on Amer's life. Netflix has renewed the comedy-drama for a second and final season, though there is no release date yet.

Another exciting venture for Youssef is being able to direct an episode of the hit Hulu series, The Bear! He was in charge behind the camera in season 2 episode 4, "Honeydew." The installment saw Marcus at an internship in Denmark, preparing a number of new dishes that he thinks could help the restaurant.

Coming up sometime in 2024, Youssef created new animated series #1 HAPPY FAMILY USA for Amazon. Per Variety, he will provide voiceover with co-stars Alia Shawkat, Mandy Moore, and Chris Redd. The news outlet shares that the show will "explore the experiences of a Muslim-American family that must learn how to code-switch as they navigate the early 2000s: a time of fear, war, and the rapid expansion of the boy-band industrial complex."

Youssef is married, and private about his wife

Youssef has been married since 2022, though he's very private about his personal life. His wife, whose name hasn't been revealed, is a visual artist from Saudi Arabia. The two are never photographed together in public. She is one of the subjects in his most recent HBO comedy special, More Feelings.

A new episode of Saturday Night Live airs tonight, March 30, 2024 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Stream the next day on Peacock.