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Streaming TVs newest critical darling isRamy, thealready-renewedHulu original starring comedian and co-creator Ramy Youssef.
Way shines on the show as the somehow straighterman to Youssefs straight man who sometimes breaks a little bad.
Ramyhas just been picked up for a second season, so congrats on that!Thank you!
I cant throw that away yet.
Do you enjoy it?I love it.
The students are super respectful, super helpful.
Theyve been nothing but welcoming and accepting.
The high-school kids get it.
Most of them know who I am anyway.
Theyve seen my work online my speaking and my stand-up.
What was the process like to get you onRamy?Ramy was a big advocate for me.
He used a lot of my stand-up and I did some audition tapes.
Its very, very hard for people like me to be on TV.
I cant remember, ever.Exactly.
There are just so many excuses out there: Oh, can he film a full day?
Does he have the strength to do it?
Is he even good enough for it?
I saw this interview onGood Morning Americawith Bryan Cranston, whose work I love.
And its like, not only is that really offensive, but its really hurtful.
And it wins a fucking Oscar!
Like, its a joke.
Its really, really harmful to peoples perceptions of disabled people.
Maybe were getting into a place now where we can have these discussions, culturally.
People with disabilities wasnt even in that statement.
I mean, how much harder do we have to fight?
How far back do you and Ramy go?Weve been friends since 2001.
We met in fifth grade, the week before 9/11.
So that episode ofRamyis somewhat true.
How long have you been doing stand-up?I started in 2010.
They wanted to turn it into a charity show for muscular dystrophy.
And Ramy had you in mind in arranging that, right?Obviously!
Our high school had a full TV studio, so we always had access to equipment.
Two weeks later, he was over again and I said, All right, here it is.
And he said, Great.
Youre gonna perform it at the show.
It was in front of like 300 people.
How did it go?It was amazing.
But it ultimately felt natural.
Where do you usually perform stand-up?
The PIT was my only option.
I cant perform at the Comedy Cellar.
I cant perform at the Village Underground.
People dont realize that comedy is not really accessible to all people in New York.
Ive been trying to change that for years.
It took so long just to get a ramp at UCB East to get up on the stage.
Ive been fighting for wheelchair accessibility in all buildings since I was 10 years old.
So I dont perform as often as Id like, but I do the PIT.
I usually do like eight to ten minutes, and the audience is automatically an obstacle.
And then they say, Okay, I can laugh at him.
Then I gave it an hour and I read it again.
I thought,Oh my goodness, this is brilliant.
What changed your mind?I understood the absurdity of it, while still getting the realness of it.
Because obviously we talk about [my death], but not like that.
So to have that conversation in that situation is so funny.
I mean, I almost died when I was 14.
Ramy saw me in the hospital.
What happened?When I was in the eighth grade, I had back surgery to correct scoliosis.
I couldnt eat or drink anything because my throat was so swollen from being intubated during the surgery.
I couldnt get comfortable.
I couldnt sit up, couldnt lie down.
Id wake up like every hour when I was trying to sleep.
And then five weeks after I came home, there was one day where I felt worse than usual.
I woke up at like 2 a.m. to go to the bathroom.
Im on the toilet and my dad asked me again if I wanted to go to the hospital.
So were on the way to the hospital.
I stopped breathing two minutes out.
They get me on life support.
I weighed under 40 pounds because I didnt eat anything, and the surgery gave me pneumonia.
My right lung was filled with fluid, but I was so weak I didnt realize it.
I ended up being on life support for two weeks.
I was in the hospital for a month, and I really didnt know what was going to happen.
That was really the moment that made me realize life really is too short.
Ramy saw me and helped me get through it all.
Ive never been with an underage girl!
I have to say that every interview.
I didnt think so, but how did that episode come about?
Youre just like everybody else you’re able to kind of be an asshole, too.Yes.
[But in the episode] Im still in a situation that nobody else is in.
I have different circumstances.
In that episode Ive gotta be flexible.
It doesnt feel right, but I get it.
How is your health, overall?Thankfully my health is pretty strong right now.
So barring anything like that, I just take it one day at a time.
I mostly do it at schools, all different grades.
I talk to the students about tolerance, overcoming adversity.
Whats next for you in showbiz?
Are you hoping for other parts in other shows or movies?
More stand-up?Honestly, Im up for anything.
I love being able to tell my story to a live audience.
But I am a straight white guy, so its going to be easier for me.
Its just as important, if not more important than mine.
Theyre more marginalized people than I am.
So here you are saying youre one of the lucky ones, in a way, right?Absolutely!
On the surface, again, its so weird to say that, but its true.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
