FOLKS, MY NEXT GUEST IS A STAND-UP COMEDIAN AND ACTOR
WHOSE NEW SHOW IS CALLED "RAMY."
PLEASE WELCOME RAMY YOUSSEF!
♪ ♪ ♪
>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
THE LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU WERE ON
NETWORK TELEVISION.
YOU CAME IN HERE AND DID STAND-UP AND MADE YOUR DEBUT--
HOW OLD WERE YOU AT THE TIME?
>> I WAS 26.
>> Stephen: 26 YEARS OLD.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU?
DID THAT MAKE A CHANGE FOR YOU, LIKE?
>> YEAH, IT, LIKE, CHANGED MY FAMILY.
LIKE-- LIKE-- IT CHANGED-- >> Stephen: HOW DID IT CHANGE
YOUR FAMILY?
>> IT CHANGED THE WAY THEY LOOKED AT WHAT I DID.
I HAD BEEN ACTING AND WORKING AS AN ACTOR BUT MY MOM DIDN'T
REALLY GET IT.
LIKE, SHE JUST DIDN'T UNDERSTAND, EVEN I WAS ACTING,
AND MY MOM WAS LIKE, "OH, IT'S AMAZING.
YOU'RE AN ACTOR.
YOU'RE GOING TO MEET SO MANY ACTORS, AND THEN MAYBE ONE DAY
YOU COULD BECOME A LAWYER FOR ACTORS."
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: SO SHE SUBTLY, SUBTLY SAYING MAYBE YET DON'T DO
THIS."
>> NO, SHE THOUGHT IT WAS AN INTENSE INTERNSHIP, LIKE I WAS
INFILTRATING HOLLYWOOD TO ONE DAY BECOME THE LAWYER I WAS
SUPPOSED TO.
BUT THEN I GO D"COLBERT" AND THEY WERE LIKE YOU CAN DO THIS.
"YOU KNOW STEPHEN COLBERT NOW."
>> Stephen: WE HANK OUT NOW.
>> I THINK THERE WAS SOMETHING IN MY MOM'S MIND THAT YOU WOULD
GIVE ME MONEY?
>> Stephen: DO YOU NEED ANY?
>> I'LL LET YOU KNOW.
>> Stephen: I DON'T HAVE A WALLET IN MY SUIT.
HIT ME UP LATER.
NOW YOU HAVE A SHOW ON HULU, AND AN UPCOMING HBO SPECIAL.
SINCE YOU WERE HERE ALL THOSE THINGS HAPPENED.
YOU'RE WELCOME.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: YOU MUST BE WORKING NONSTOP.
>> YEAH.
OH, ABSOLUTELY.
>> Stephen: IS IT HARD OR...
IT'S GOOD IN A WAY.
>> IT'S GOOD IN A WAY.
AND IT'S ALSO, I ALWAYS KIND OF FELT LIKE I HAD TO.
I MEAN, IT'S NOT LIKE THERE'S A TON OF ARAB KIDS THAT GROW UP TO
DO SHOW BUSINESS STUFF.
AND I GREW UP, LIKE, WATCHING MY DAD'S WORK ETHIC.
MY DAD CAME TO THIS COUNTRY, AND WITHIN LIKE 10 YEARS HE WAS THE
MANAGER OF A HOTEL HERE IN NEW YORK.
>> Stephen: WOW.
>> IT ACTUALLY WAS--
YEAH, IT WAS AMAZING.
IT WAS AMAZING.
>> Stephen: WHAT-- WHAT HOTEL WAS IT?
>> HE WAS A MANAGER AT THE PLAZA THAT WAS OWNED BY DONALD TRUMP.
SO... I-- I-- I ACTUALLY-- YEAH.
( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: DOES HE KNOW-- DOES HE KNOW MR. TRUMP?
>> NO, OF COURSE.
HE ONLY HAD GOOD EXPERIENCES.
I MEAN, I ACTUALLY GREW UP WITH A PHOTO IN MY LIVING ROOM OF MY
CAD AND TRUMP SHAKING HANDS.
WHEN YOU'RE A YOUNG ARAB KID, LIKE, ANYONE WHO IS FRIENDS WITH
YOUR DASHED THAT'S YOUR UNCLE.
( LAUGHTER )
BEEN WATCHING TV, AND I'M JUST LIKE, "WOW, UNCLE DONALD.
UH... IT'S-- WOW."
( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: IN THE-- IN THE SHOW, "RAMY," YOUR CHARACTER IS
A MILLENNIAL MUSLIM GRAPPLING WITH HOW THOSE TWO THINGS CAN
SOMETIMES BE AT ODDS WITH EACH OTHER.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: IN-- IN-- IN WHAT WAY AND HOW AUTO BIOGRAPHICAL IS
THIS?
>> SO IT'S EMOTIONALLY TRUE.
THE EVENTS ARE DIFFERENT.
I'M NOT A COMEDIAN IN THE SHOW.
BUT I REALLY WANTED TO MAKE SOMETHING WHERE IT SHOWED
SOMEONE STRUGGLING WITH FAITH IN AN HONEST WAY.
I THINK A LOT OF STUFF IS VERY ANTIRELIGION, WHICH I
UNDERSTAND.
IT'S NOT LIKE RELIGION HAS DONE ITSELF ANY FAVORS AS A CULTURE,
AS AN INDUSTRY.
BUT I STILL HAD FAITH, AND I WANTED TO SHOW THAT.
SO WATCHING MUSLIMS -- IN THIS CASE ARAB MUSLIMS-- DEAL WITH
WHAT THEY BELIEVE AND THEN WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DO.
>> Stephen: LIKE, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF, LIKE-- >> WELL, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE
CAN BE A LITTLE HYPOCRITICAL, AND WE KIND OF GRAPPLE WITH OUR
FAITH.
I THINK THE HARD EAST.
>> Stephen: WHY IS IT THE MUSLIMS ARE THE ONLY RELIGIOUS
PEOPLE WHO ARE HYPOCRITICAL.
REST OF US-- AS A CATHOLIC, AS A CATHOLIC, I'M NEVER HYPOCRITICAL
AT ALL.
I PROMISE YOU.
>> YEAH, YOU GUYS ARE BETTER.
( LAUGHTER )
BETTER-- IT'S JUST I THINK IT'S A LITTLE BIT EASIER.
I ALWAYS THINK ABOUT PRAYER.
LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE PRAY ON FRIDAY.
>> Stephen: SURE.
>> WHICH IS THE-- ANYONE WHO PRAISE IN ANY WAY, WHETHER THE
WAY YOU DO IT OR IF YOU MEDITATE, OR WHATEVER TYOU PLAY
PREY TO CLEANSE, YOU KNOW, TO FEEL JUST NEW, GET ON A NEW
PAGE.
>> Stephen: PURGING.
>> AND WE PRAY ON FRIDAY, WHICH IS JUST A REALLY TOUGH TIME TO
DO THAT.
LAUGH YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE PRAY FRIDAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY.
SO THERE'S FRIDAY PRAYERS -- >> Stephen: SO YOU STILL HAVE
TIME TO GO OUT FRIDAY NIGHT.
>> THAT'S THE PROBLEM, RIGHT?
FRIDAY PRAYERS AND THEN FRIDAY NIGHT.
IT'S LIKE-- IT'S LIKE GETTING A CAR WASHED BEFORE A HURRICANE.
LIKE IT'S-- IT'S SO INSANE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) IT'S INSANE.
RIGHT?
RIGHT.
YOU-- LIKE, YOU GUYS PRAY ON SUNDAY.
WHICH IS -- >> Stephen: YEAH.
>> THAT'S AMAZING.
YOU COULD MESS UP THE WHOLE WEEKEND IS AND THEN-- AND THEN
YOU JUST GO TO CHURCH, AND YOU'RE LIKE, "GOD, I DON'T KNOW
WHAT THAT WAS.
THAT WAS INSANE."
>> Stephen: DO YOU FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT?
BECAUSE THERE'S FAMOUSLY CATHOLIC GUILT.
>> YEAH, THERE'S MUSLIM GUILT.
THAT WAS THE ALL T ALT TITLE FOR SHOW, MUSLIM GUILT.
>> Stephen: DO YOU GO TO CONFESSION TO CONFESS YOUR
GUILT?
>> NO, WE JUST PRAY.
WE DON'T-- CONFESSION WOULD BE DOPE TO JUST GO AND TALK TO
SOMEBODY LIKE -- >> Stephen: YOU'VE NEVER BEEN
TO CONFESSION.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> WHAT HAPPENS?
>> Stephen: "DOPE" IS NOT HOW I WOULD DESCRIBE IT.
>> NO?
>> Stephen: NO.
SO NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
ON HULU THIS FRIDAY.S AVAILABLE RAMY YOUSSEF, EVERYBODY!