• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock

3

Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock

3

Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
Arts & Entertainmentcomedian

Can This Disabled, Muslim, Female Comic Save the RNC? She Sure Is Trying.

Ellen McGirt
By
Ellen McGirt
Ellen McGirt
Down Arrow Button Icon
Ellen McGirt
By
Ellen McGirt
Ellen McGirt
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 20, 2016, 8:41 AM ET
Maysoon Zayid
Maysoon ZayidPhotography Courtesy of Maysoon Zayid
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

It’s the one about the Muslim girl named Maysoon Zayid, from New Jersey, of all places, who’s a stand-up comic – well, “sit down,” really, because she’s got cerebral palsy. (You know this one?) The first ever female comic to perform in Palestine and Jordan because, you know, no one ever told them over there that women can’t be funny. And she also works with disabled kids in the Middle East every year (you followin’ me, here? ) and started the New York Arab American Comedy Festival after 9/11 to combat the negative image of Muslims in the media (that could have gone better, I guess) and who now has a television series loosely based on her own life in development – okay? – and who needs to travel with security for the first time because death threats against her have escalated so badly since the Trump thing started – hilarious, right? – anyway, you know what she did?

She performed a free show for delegates at the Republican National Convention Tuesday afternoon. And she killed it.

“I thought it was going to be a tough crowd but I got so many hugs and so much love,” she says. “I don’t think I swung any votes but I do think I squashed some bigotry.”

Maysoon Zayid decided to get funny after her dream of being an actor died shortly after college. “It became clear to me that casting directors didn’t hire fluffy, ethnic, disabled actors,” she says. The not-so-perfect performers, the Whoopi Goldbergs, the Roseanne Barrs, – went for comedy. So, she did too. It wasn’t for a lack of material. “If there was an Oppression Olympics, I would win the gold medal,” she likes to quip. “I’m Palestinian, Muslim, I’m female, I’m disabled, and I live in New Jersey.”

 

But her keen social observations come with a fine helping of righteous activism. In her TED talk, I’ve Got 99 Problems and Palsy Is Just One, she talks about the role people can play in making the world a more inclusive place. “People with disabilities are the largest minority in the world, and we are the most underrepresented in entertainment,” she says. Citing the terrible things people say about her shaking and slurred speech on social media, she asks a bigger question: What if the images we saw of disabled people normalized them, instead of diminishing them?

She’s doing her part. Her web series “Advice You Don’t Want To Hear,” is simply her answering fan’s dopey questions with humor: Should I get a job or go to college? Do I really need to shave my legs? How can I make friends without going to bars? “I did one series in the US and one in the Middle East,” she says. “It’s totally non-political. We are all people struggling with the same stupid stuff.”

The television series that’s currently in development is about a funny, young woman from New Jersey who has a job and a life and problems with multiple cute guys — and also happens to be a person of color, Muslim and disabled. “I’m really excited,” she says. “It’s a strong comedic character who’s not talking about their disability all the time. No different from Monica on Friends.”

Last night’s show was performed with Dean Obeidallah, her co-founder of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival. She plans to keep performing, in spite of death threats. “I wish I was noble but I’m really not,” she says. “I’m just an equality junky and that’s what motivates me.”

Zayid also has a cat named Beyonce who travels with her every where she tours, and she co-owns a vegan food truck with her husband, who comes from a Palestinian refugee camp in Bethlehem. “He’s a chef and a refugee,” she says. “A chefugee!” She’s worked him into her act:

“I told a joke about how when my husband and I fight, I have a way of resolving it super quick,” she says. “I say do you want to go back to the refugee camp? There is no Pokemon go in the refugee camps because Pikachu would get killed instead of caught.” Right? “That joke landed really well last night.”

But she says, it’s not all fun and falafel. “Honestly, it’s harder to be Muslim in American than it is to be disabled these days,” she says. “And I’m not even joking right now.”

 

 

About the Author
Ellen McGirt
By Ellen McGirt
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Now she’s worth $200 million. But Sarah Jessica Parker says being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ growing up created her work ethic
SuccessCareer Advice
Now she’s worth $200 million. But Sarah Jessica Parker says being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ growing up created her work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
4 hours ago
Matt Freese stopping a soccer ball entering the goal
SuccessCareers
Team USA’s goalkeeper passed on Manchester United, the club that helped shape David Beckham’s career, for Harvard—and has zero regrets
By Preston ForeJune 23, 2026
20 hours ago
mex
North AmericaWorld Cup
After FIFA priced them out of their own World Cup, many Mexicans take their TVs to the street
By Megan Janetsky and The Associated PressJune 23, 2026
21 hours ago
gg
CommentaryWorld Cup
CPJ: press freedom must endure the American World Cup
By Gypsy Guillén KaiserJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
toy
Arts & EntertainmentBox office
A $1 million horror film and a 30-year-old franchise are saving Hollywood’s summer
By Jake Coyle and The Associated PressJune 22, 2026
2 days ago
duck
North AmericaMexico
Mexico City’s unofficial duck soccer mascot stole the presidential press briefing
By The Associated PressJune 22, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
23 hours ago
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
Banking
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
By Jim EdwardsJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 23, 2026
23 hours ago
Meet the 2 men putting New York's $300 billion pension fund in play for the first time in 20 years
Investing
Meet the 2 men putting New York's $300 billion pension fund in play for the first time in 20 years
By Nick LichtenbergJune 22, 2026
2 days ago
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
Real Estate
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
By Sydney LakeJune 22, 2026
2 days ago
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
Success
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
By Sydney LakeJune 21, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.