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PODCAST

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends

We’re Not Kidding is a show where funny people talk about serious things, hosted by Zeteo founder and CEO Mehdi Hasan and regularly featuring internationally acclaimed comedian Bassem Youssef. Each episode, Mehdi is joined by a renowned guest host for a sometimes lighthearted, sometimes vulnerable conversation about topics they can"t discuss anywhere else. zeteo.com

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All Episodes

39:52

‘They Make Genocide Jokes’ - Israeli Comedian Noam...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/12/09

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comNoam Shuster-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 choose to live together. And while she started a career in diplomacy with a stint at the United Nations trying to bring pea…

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44:42

‘Jewish and Muslim Safety Are Intertwined’ - Comedian...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/11/07

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

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49:28

‘Succession’ Star on Gaza, Iran, and the 10 Rich...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/10/14

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

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64:22

‘Israel’s Sugar Daddy’ – Mehdi and Bassem on Trump,...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/09/30

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

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46:09

EXCLUSIVE: Israel is ‘Gaslighting’ Us, Says ‘Andor’...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/09/22

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comSPOILER ALERT: This episode includes plot details for the TV series ‘Andor’.On this week’s ‘We’re Not Kidding’, Mehdi once again gets to do his two favorite things: have a substantive conversation about politics and fanboy on nerd culture. That’s because this week’s guest is award-winning Irish actor Denise Gough, who came to prominence on the ‘Star Wars’ TV series ‘Andor’ playing an intelligence officer in service of the

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52:53

EXCLUSIVE: Mark Ruffalo Says ‘Boycott, Divest,...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/09/15

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comOn this week’s ‘We’re Not Kidding’ Mehdi sits down with an actual superhero. No, not the Incredible Hulk from Marvel’s ‘The Avengers’ — he’s a pretend super hero. The real-life superhero we’re referring to this week is the award-winning Hollywood actor and activist Mark Ruffalo. For over two decades, Mark has been one of the most politically courageous actors in Hollywood, having spoken out against the fracking industry, US

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38:26

'I Don't Give a Sh*t What DJ Khaled Thinks' - Anees...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/08/18

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comMehdi is joined by Palestinian-Lebanese-American singer-songwriter-rapper Anees to talk about his activism on Gaza and his belief in the power of music to influence politics.Anees tells Mehdi about his winding career path of going to law school, passing the bar exam, and delivering pizzas for 10 years. After getting his big break during an Instagram livestream with superstar Justin Bieber, Anees made the leap from up-and-comer to

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49:43

‘Put a Trump Tower in Iran’ - Maz Jobrani on Middle...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/07/14

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comIn the last 20 years, Middle Eastern representation in American culture has gone from absolutely horrendous to… somewhat decent. Instead of TV shows like ‘24’ and ‘Homeland’, we now have ‘Ramy’ and ‘Mo’. But before ANY of that, there was Iranian-American comedian Maz Jobrani, this week’s co-host of ‘We’re Not Kidding’, who has been paving the way for Middle Eastern comics since the late 90s. In this heartfelt conversation, Maz

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60:26

Live from LA! - Alana Hadid on Gaza, Mahmoud Khalil,...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/06/24

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comLast week, Mehdi and Zeteo concluded our five-city tour, so we obviously had to end with a special LIVE taping of ‘We’re Not Kidding’ and audience Q&A with returning co-host Alana Hadid — an activist, designer, and Creative Director of the Palestinian film company Watermelon Pictures. Mehdi and Alana also discuss Israel’s now 20 month-long genocide in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian conditions on the ground, including the

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43:59

‘The Immigrant Dilemma’ - Yasmin Elhady on Muslim...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/06/11

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comSince the launch of ‘We’re Not Kidding’, Mehdi has sat down with some of the most multi-talented multi-hyphenates working in entertainment and media. But few wear as many caps as this week’s guest co-host, Yasmin Elhady — a Libyan-Egyptian-American standup comedian, lawyer, and co-host of the popular Hulu TV series ‘Muslim Matchmaker’. But before she was a famous TV host, Yasmin tells Mehdi about her experience as a Muslim

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34:03

‘Sane Fascists or Insane Fascists?’ - Molly Jong-Fast...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/05/15

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comIt’s been almost four months (!) of Donald Trump’s second term and it’s become nearly impossible to keep track of the president’s unhinged behavior. Fortunately, Mehdi and political analyst Molly Jong-Fast, host of the ‘Fast Politics’ podcast, take on the task of rounding up Trump’s most insane recent moments on this week’s ‘We’re Not Kidding’. They also call out the media for its lax coverage of Trump’s mental state and possible

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44:10

The ‘Bullsh*t’ of Bill Maher — Gianmarco Soresi on...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/04/25

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comIt’s been one whole year since the launch of ‘We’re Not Kidding’, and for our anniversary episode Mehdi is joined by comedian and internet superstar Gianmarco Soresi. As a half-Italian, half-Jewish comedian, Gianmarco has become famous for the viral social media clips of his standup comedy, as well as his outspoken criticism of Israel. He and Mehdi unpack how the silencing of pro-Palestine voices can contribute to rising

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42:20

‘ICE is a Terrorist Agency’ - Cynthia Nixon on...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/04/09

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comOn this week’s ‘We’re Not Kidding’, Mehdi is joined by award-winning actor, activist, and Zeteo contributor Cynthia Nixon for an impassioned conversation about rising fascism under Donald Trump and the lawlessness of ICE, which Cynthia calls a “terrorist agency.” Mehdi and Cynthia unpack Trump’s assault on US higher education, the ‘disappearings’ of international student activists, and the lack of opposition from the Democratic

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40:30

United States of ‘Hypocrisy’ – Bassem and Mehdi on...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/03/28

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comIt’s been almost two months since Mehdi and Bassem co-hosted ‘We’re Not Kidding’ together and A LOT has happened since then. As two naturalized US citizens, Mehdi and Bassem co-host again, starting off the conversation discussing the Trump administration’s arrests of international residents in the US who dare to criticize Israel. The two also discuss Israel breaking the ceasefire deal (Bassem compares Israel to ex you keep

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44:58

‘Ethno-Nationalist, Hard-Right Whackjobs’ - Nish...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/03/17

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comThey first bonded over their shared love of Nando’s — now Mehdi and UK comedian Nish Kumar reunite to talk about their shared contempt for the Trump administration. The two sat down in Washington DC to discuss UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s disastrous visits to the White House and the childish behavior of US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.Mehdi and Nish also weigh

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47:48

Politics, Sport, and Free Speech Hypocrisy, with...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/02/27

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comLive from New York — it’s ‘We’re Not Kidding’! This past week, Mehdi traveled to the ‘On Air Fest’ in Brooklyn for a very special LIVE taping of ‘WNK’ with award-winning sports journalist and broadcaster Jemele Hill. You may remember Jemele from the first Trump administration, when political ‘nepo baby’ and then-White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called for ESPN to fire Jemele for calling Donald Trump a white

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34:58

Is Trump 'Daddy'? – with Bassem Youssef

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/02/07

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comMehdi is once again joined by ‘We’re Not Kidding’ powerhouse Bassem Youssef for a raw and honest conversation about the state of the world. To steal a phrase from MAGA Republicans speaking about Donald Trump — “Daddy is home.” Mehdi and Bassem unpack the first few weeks of Trump’s second term, including the escalating violence in the West Bank occurring during the “fake” Gaza ceasefire. The two also debate whether the US empire

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40:07

Taking On the Tech Oligarchs, with Taylor Lorenz

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2025/01/24

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.com‘We’re Not Kidding’ is back! After a not-very-relaxing holiday break, Mehdi is joined by tech and online culture journalist (and new Zeteo contributor!) Taylor Lorenz to discuss the new age of American oligarchy. Trump is back in office and his inauguration was a star-studded showcase of spineless tech billionaires. Mehdi and Taylor also unpack the dumbfounding blunder of Democrats’ TikTok ban, why private ownership of social

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9:43

"Holy Sh*t, We're Being Lied To": Huda Kattan, CEO of...

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2024/12/20

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comIf you’ve followed Mehdi’s career, you know he’s interviewed heads of state, members of Congress, homicidal mercenaries, and even terrorists. But this may be Mehdi’s most intimidating guest yet — Huda Kattan — the superstar beauty influencer, activist, reality TV show host, and founder and CEO of international beauty brand 'Huda Beauty'. Funnily enough, Huda was also nervous to sit down with one of her personal role models.Huda

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50:08

The One Where Hasan Minhaj Meets Mehdi Hasan

We’re Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends ·

2024/11/25

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit zeteo.comHasan Minhaj and Mehdi Hasan don’t just share a common brown name… actually, that may be all they have in common. One loves to debate, the other avoids it like the plague. One is obsessed (sorry, Mehdi) with Twitter, the other avoids it like the plague. And one knew months ago that Trump was going to win, and with record levels of Black and Brown support.They also talked about Joe Rogan and diagnosing what’s the matter with men

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