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Comedy shows both live and on screen, have always been one of the most popular entertainment genres in Saudi Arabia for a long time. Projects such as the Jeddah Comedy Club and stand up shows in Riyadh gained a lot of popularity in the early 2010’s. With the country opening up and heavily investing into arts and entertainment, the Saudi comedy scene has been blossoming. We rounded a list of 10 hilarious Saudi comedians whose voices reached the world through skits, films and live shows.
Fahad Al Butairi
Fahad Al Butairi is a Saudi stand up comedian, screenwriter and actor. He became the first Saudi Arabian comedian to perform on stage professionally in Saudi Arabia and in the whole of the Gulf. He is also one of the most prominent YouTube personalities in the kingdom due to the popularity of his YouTube show La Ykthr, where he discussed Saudi Arabia’s current events and societal issues in a satiric manner. He then went on to appear in many films and TV shows such as Al-Khallat and A to B and The Office. He also shared the stage with the likes of Gabriel Iglesias, Sebastian Maniscalco, Bobby Lee, Erik Griffin, Dean Edwards, Angelo Tsarouchas, Aron Kader and Dean Obeidallah. Al-Butairi performs regularly in Saudi Arabia.
Ibrahim Khairallah
Ibrahim Khairallah is a Saudi actor,writer and stand up comedian. He started his acting career at 12 years old and rose to fame in 2008 after doing stand up comedy in Saudi Arabia and around the Arab World. On stage, Khairallah discussed the norms, traditions and occurrences that happen in Saudi and Arab society in his unique comedic style. Off-stage, Khairallah has become an internet and media sensation for the many roles he played in shows and movies, including the iconic “Temsah” one of Saudi Arabia’s most popular YouTube shows, as well as popular films such as Sattar, Khambalab, Tabaldi and Al Khallat.
Abdelaziz Al Shehri
Abdelaziz Al Sheri is a Saudi voice actor, actor and comedian who rose to popularity in 2013. He started out as part of the cast of the popular YouTube series Khambalah, alongside other Saudi comedians . He quickly became a fan favorite on the show through his portrayal of typical characters and personalities that all Saudis encounter in their life, making him super relatable to the audience. Since then, Al Shehri did voice overs on popular Saudi animation Masamir, and acted on shows such as Folaim, Hyoerloop, as well as touching the big screen in Sattar and Al Khallat.
Mohammad Al Dokhi
Mohammad Al Dohkhi is a Saudi actor, show host and comedian. Like many of his contemporaries, he got his start in the world of comedy through Telfaz 11, the production company that houses popular shows like “Khallat,” “Khambala” and many more.Through these shows, Al Dokhi was able to demonstrate his unique ability in making people laugh through the portrayal of memorable characters he played on these shows. From that point on, he hosted several TV shows including the game show “Al Hosn” and landed roles in popular films such as “Six Windows In The Desert” and “Wasati.”
Hatoon Kadi
Hatoon Kadi is one of Saudi Arabia’s most popular female comedians and the host of YouTube show Noon Al Niswa, which has over 330k subscribers. She discusses social phenomena from a woman’s perspective and sheds light on the experience of being a woman in Saudi Arabia, using sarcasm and satire. Her show relates to people all over Saudi Arabia as she highlights everyday life in the country, bringing attention to women’s and family issues. In 2014, Kadi was named as one of BBC’s 100 women and writes a weekly column for Arab News and lectures part time in Dar Al-Hekma university.
Amy Roko
Amy Roko is a Saudi Arabian internet sensation with 1.6 million Instagram followers. Choosing to keep her identity secret , she went by the pseudonym “Amy Roko” and started her career in 2015, making video skits on Vine. Since then, she’s been breaking stereotypes about the GGC and the Niqab. Five years into her social media career, Roko has created many comedy skits on Instagram, worked with many notable brands such as Benefit Cosmetics, Destination KSA, Levi’s and more. She even started making music through her YouTube channel, amassing millions of views in the process.
Darin Al Bayed
Darin Al Bayed is a Saudi/Lebanese actress and comedian from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. After obtaining a degree in a Field she did not want to study, she decided to enter the world of acting early. Her light-hearted comedy videos, which often focus on the differences between men and women in relationships, helped her rise in popularity, amassing a following of over 4 million people on Instagram. Darine landed roles in many popular shows and films including YouTube show HowaWaHeya, Takki, Ureem, Jameel Jidan and much more.
Mouayad Al Noufaiee
Mouayad Al Noufaiee is a Saudi comedian, actor and rapper. He was one of Saudi Arabia’s first stand up comedians to perform live. In 2012, Along with with other talented comedians, Al Noufaiee presented live shows, discussing funny events and experiences that he went through living in Saudi Arabia. From there, he went on to join Telfaz 11 production and became of the most popular members of the cast, playing memorable characters on shows such as “Khambala,” “Timsah” and many more. He also released several rap songs that have a hint of comedy to them, amassing millions of views in the process. His most notable work however, was his appearance in the Netflix show Mo, where he plays the role of an Arab immigrant called “Hamed” who just arrived to the US, making him one of the funniest characters in the show.
Badr Saleh
Badr Saleh is a Saudi comedian, writer, editor, and actor. He rose to fame after hosting Saudi Arabia’s first YouTube show, “Eysh Elly” , where he would make fun of content that went viral across social media platforms at the time. The show got 395,515,437 hits and the number of subscribers to the channel exceeded 3.2 million. Saleh was able to build a huge following and got many esteemed organizations to work with him. He was selected as the media face of the Dubai Tourism Festival for 2015 and 2016. He also headlined the 2015 Dubai Comedy Festival with Dave Chappelle and Trevor Noah. In 2016, he was chosen by MBC — the most popular and biggest TV group in the Middle East — to host a prime time show called “The Tonight Show with Bader Saleh.” Saleh received an award from Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum at the the Arab Social Media Influencers Summit and appeared in Saudi drama TV show “Doon.”
Hisham Fageeh
Hisham Fageeh is a comedian and actor from Saudi Arabia. Fageeh was one of the first Saudis to perform at the Gotham Theater and headline an Arabic stand-up comedy tour in the United States and England. He is known for many notable pieces of work, including his viral music video clip “No Women No Drive” a hilarious satire on the debates over whether or not Saudi Arabia would let women drive (they eventually did in 2018.) As well as his co-production and lead role in Saudi Arabia’s submission to the Oscars ‘Best Foreign Film’ of 2016, Barakah Meets Barakah. Fageeh’s ability to invoke humor, as well as critical tenderness, gives him a laser focus that makes him a great social thinker, which he then turns into amazing content that made millions laugh.
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