Mo Amer on American vs Arabic Culture, DJ Khaled Beef, & Palestinian Pride

Summary

Flagrant w/ Andrew Schulz & Akaash Singh

Episode: Mo Amer on American vs Arabic Culture, DJ Khaled Beef, & Palestinian Pride
Release Date: November 20, 2025
Guest: Mo Amer

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Overview

This episode of Flagrant features comedian Mo Amer, whose stand-up and Netflix show have pushed Palestinian and Middle Eastern narratives into mainstream comedy. The discussion dives into cultural identity, Mo’s experiences as a Palestinian-American, the complexities of Middle Eastern and American society, beef with DJ Khaled, the Saudi comedy controversy, Mo’s family, religion, travel, and the importance of authenticity in comedy. The tone is playful and irreverent, mixing deep insights with unfiltered jokes.

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Main Themes

• American vs. Arabic Cultural Overlaps and Contrasts
• Comedy as Cultural Bridge and Lightning Rod
• Public Criticism of Comics Performing in the Middle East
• Palestinian Identity, Family Trauma, and Pride
• Religious Experience and Meaning of Pilgrimage
• Personal Growth, Authenticity, and Representation
• Humor as Survival and Social Commentary

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mo Amer’s Origin Story & Cultural Parallels

• Mo details fleeing Kuwait at age 9 due to war, arriving in Houston, and seeing his mother’s strength under pressure ([04:42] - [06:52]).
• Quote: "You don't know who your parents are until something like this happens... My parents were unbelievable under pressure." — Mo Amer ([05:24])
• He discusses how Southern values in America (God, country, family) deeply resemble Middle Eastern culture: “The entire South… God, country, family. This is why I get along with my neighbors. They're there for each other, they feed the fuck out of you. It just reminds me of my childhood." — Mo Amer ([03:53]–[04:35])

2. Authenticity in Comedy & Pressure to Assimilate

• Mo reflects on industry pressure to “change your name, don’t say you’re Palestinian,” which he resists. “The essence of stand-up is being yourself on stage. It takes years of practice to be yourself on stage.” — Mo Amer ([10:05])
• “I can’t pretend to be something else.” — Mo Amer ([10:07])
• The group jokes about cultural and racial labels, using candid humor to highlight absurdities in identity politics ([10:24]–[12:13]).

3. DJ Khaled, Palestinian Representation & Comedy as Catharsis

• Discussion about DJ Khaled’s public silence on Palestine as comedic fodder in Mo’s new special. Mo uses this to explore visibility and responsibility ([07:30]-[09:00]).
• Andrew asks if Mo wants Khaled to stay out so he can keep his punchline; Mo jokes, “Yeah, you can’t take away my opening line... It’s a lifeline.” ([08:48])
• On growing Palestinian pride in the U.S.: “I’ve been talking about it for so long... about time.” — Mo Amer ([09:44])

4. Saudi Comedy Festival Backlash & Double Standards

• Mo is furious about criticism for performing in Saudi Arabia, highlighting industry hypocrisy:
  • “Fuck you for your casual racism. Fuck you for not wanting to push the needle forward... You want to pick on comics, the most freest art form on planet Earth?” — Mo Amer ([17:23])
  • Points to silence over other global issues and notes, “Nobody's having a beef with doing shows in Tel Aviv or anything like that.” ([18:18])
  • Explains that he got paid standard Middle Eastern rates, not state jets and millions ([18:49]).
  • On authenticity: “I’m myself no matter where I go.” ([24:30])
• Andrew notes progressives’ low expectations of non-Westerners: “Their expectations are so low, it doesn't match up with the so-called progressive ideals.” ([19:14])
• Mo resents being lumped into criticism simply because of his background: “You just lumped me into this shit… Nobody even asked me.” ([23:12])

5. Family, Loss, and Faith

• Mo shares deeply moving stories of his mother’s courage, his brother’s death, and practicing Islam through meaningful acts, not compulsion ([27:24]–[30:58]).
  • His wife’s conversion to Islam was influenced by personal conviction, not pressure ([28:45]).
  • “My way is the middle way... you always have to be balanced in everything you do.” ([30:27])
• Mo discusses survivor’s guilt and family trauma stemming from displacement and occupation in Palestine: “My heart is shattered. You think it can’t get worse, and it does, and you feel helpless.” ([75:23])

6. Pilgrimage to Mecca – Spiritual and Cultural Meaning

• Mo describes three Umrah pilgrimages, their spiritual weight, and healing power—especially after his brother’s sudden death ([61:07]-[66:22])
  • “It was deeply, deeply powerful. Easily one of the greatest things I've ever done in my life.” ([66:22])
  • Discusses the importance of intention, humility, and unity during pilgrimage ([63:32]–[68:49]).
  • Explains how Islam, at its best, transcends race and nationality, quoting the Prophet’s last sermon ([59:12]–[59:50]).
• On the transformative nature of Mecca and Jerusalem: “It’s a real thing... Many people coming together for this sole purpose of just being faithful and their belief in God is just a beautiful thing.” — Mo Amer ([74:04])

7. American Identity, Gratitude, & Grievance

• Navigating pride and frustration as a Palestinian-American:
  • “I'm American and I'm also Palestinian, so those are a balance that needs to happen inside, both internally.” ([80:45])
  • Mo recalls performing for U.S. troops in Iraq and reconciling fraught feelings about America’s role in his family’s displacement ([82:48]–[84:56]).
  • Comedy is his method for healing and connecting with others; performing in Arabic and English to both soldiers and locals was uniquely cathartic ([83:40]–[84:56]).

8. Representation and Legacy

• Mo’s show “Mo” breaks ground as the only Palestinian narrative sitcom in American TV:
  • “I feel like it’s my life’s work… a life purpose.” ([26:33])
  • Expresses pride in impacting his community: “The numbers on the road and the people that have come up to me, no matter where I am on planet Earth, that's my award.” ([25:35])
  • On his mother finding out about his fame through WhatsApp: “When my mom gets a WhatsApp video of me, you know you made it.” ([77:03])
  • On authenticity and giving back: “All I've done is give up so much… You think it was easy to film in Houston?” ([20:54])

9. Humorous Cultural Critique and Banter

• The crew dives into playful but pointed riffs:
  • On food origins, colonization, and diaspora—white people “perfecting food,” Middle Eastern/Asian vs. European rivalries ([34:09]–[35:13]).
  • Butter chicken as “cultural exchange,” French fries as "the only white food" ([43:28]–[43:50]).
  • The crew jokes about the global immigrant experience—Houston as “the first level of the video game of America” ([14:51]).
  • Joking about conversions, cultural appropriation, and intermarriage ([32:00]–[33:03], [49:01]–[49:28]).
• Hilarious, affectionate teasing about Mo’s (not white) wife, “compulsory” religious behaviors, and the white crew’s attempts at cross-cultural understanding.

10. Hummus Taste Test Finale

• The gang closes with an on-air blind hummus taste test, with Mo ruthlessly judging:
  • “Whoever made this deserves to be whipped… you should all be disgusted with yourself.” — Mo Amer ([88:32])
  • Ultimate verdict: Lebanese-style from a local restaurant wins; Mo is vindicated in his expertise ([92:23]).
  • “I do this for my history, my lineage, my culture.” ([92:51])

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Notable Quotes

• On resisting assimilation:
  “The essence of standup is being yourself on stage. And it takes years of practice to be yourself on stage.” — Mo Amer ([10:05])

• On criticism of Middle East gigs:
  “Fuck you for your casual racism. Fuck you for not wanting to push the needle forward. … You wanna pick on comics, the most freest art form on planet Earth?” — Mo Amer ([17:23])

• On grief and pilgrimage:
  “It was deeply, deeply powerful. Easily, one of the greatest things I’ve ever done in my life.” — Mo Amer ([66:22])

• On bridging cultures:
  “Being generationally displaced has allowed me to rekindle all my family across the world. … Comedy saved my life.” — Mo Amer ([79:30])

• On authenticity & representation:
  “I'm American and I'm also Palestinian… those are a balance that needs to happen inside, both internally.” — Mo Amer ([80:45])

• On WhatsApp fame:
  “My mom got a WhatsApp video of me, and they didn’t know they were forwarding it to my mom. … If my mom is getting WhatsApp, have you seen this guy? Incredible.” — Mo Amer ([77:03])

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Key Timestamps

• 04:42–07:04: Mo’s family’s escape from Kuwait & mother’s heroics
• 09:44–10:25: Industry pressure to hide Palestinian identity; stand-up as pure self-expression
• 17:22–24:30: Saudi festival backlash, authenticity, and double standards about comedy in the Middle East
• 27:24–30:58: Mo's wife’s conversion, faith, and family/religion balance
• 59:12–68:49: Meaning and experience of pilgrimage (Umrah); Islam and ethnic unity
• 75:23–76:21: Survivor's guilt, family trauma, desire for hopefulness in art
• 80:45–84:56: Navigating American identity, trauma, healing through comedy
• 87:01–92:51: Hummus taste test—a riot of culinary judgment and pride

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Conclusion

Mo Amer’s presence on Flagrant brings comic fire, honest cultural critique, and moving personal narrative. The episode walks a line between raucous laughter and genuine depth, offering both a crash course in Arab-American complexity and a showcase for the healing—and dividing—power of comedy.
The episode ends with Andrew plugging Mo’s third Netflix special “Wild World” and the second season of his sitcom “Mo,” highlighting his role as both a trailblazer for Palestinian stories and a keen observer of the absurdity of crossing worlds.

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[End of Summary]

Transcript

[Mo Amer]

God forbid you take my citizenship and I have to move to a tax free country. How close are you just moving to Dubai.

[Andrew Schulz]

You gotta come to India, man. We gotta go to the Dung Festival.

[Mo Amer]

What's a Dung Festival? No, no, there's not. You don't want to go to the Dung Festival. Come on, bro. He died for everybody.

[Andrew Schulz]

What was Adam and Eve? What were they?

[Mo Amer]

What were they? That's a good question. Maybe white people can tell us that.

[Andrew Schulz]

I mean, if we were Christian, they were Muslim.

[Mo Amer]

Adam might have been Indian, bro, because.

[Andrew Schulz]

He was made from mud.

[Mo Amer]

I good, guys.

[Andrew Schulz]

Thank.

[Mo Amer]

This looks like the front of a mosque right here. I'm not going lie.

[Andrew Schulz]

That's why we.

[Mo Amer]

That's so up. Genuinely, what's happening with ICE is really diabolical. It is so up. Who's going to finish your roof? I get the podcast now. I get it. Hell yeah. Let me tell you something. I want to pick out podcast. Like podcast couches. You're comfortable. Let me give you some Middle Eastern. I'm not gonna switch. I'm not gonna switch. Everybody's gonna think it's weird. Let me see. Maybe it's not that good, though.

[Andrew Schulz]

We're good. We got this.

[Mo Amer]

What's up, everybody?

[Andrew Schulz]

Welcome to flagrant. And today we are here with our boy Mo. New Netflix special out Wild World. Go Ch.

[Mo Amer]

Now.

[Andrew Schulz]

Talking cash shit. Right up top.

[Mo Amer]

Let's go.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay. About the world's most famous Palestinian.

[Mo Amer]

Well, is he. I didn't even know. No, I'm just kidding. Every time I say something like that, like, is he Palestinian? We didn't even know he's Palestinian. Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

Why? Why do you think he hasn't spoken at all?

[Mo Amer]

I don't know. It's a question that's more geared toward him than me, I think.

[Mark Gagnon]

I hate to speculate.

[Andrew Schulz]

Do you not talk with him?

[Mo Amer]

I mean, Akash, word is keffiyeh. We've met. We've met. Oh, my God, I'm so glad they wear black and white today, usually. I always wear black and white. It would have been really wild if we both did. You know, ICE is out here.

[Andrew Schulz]

When you wear the Canadian tuxedo, I'm.

[Mo Amer]

Showing that I belong.

[Andrew Schulz]

You're a citizen now, bro.

[Mo Amer]

You got a passport? I have, yeah. Nobody can tell you shit, so. Well, they can actually. They can take it away. Actually, they can just do whatever they want. Well, now we need mo. We need Mo. You can't take my citizenship.

[Andrew Schulz]

We need Mo.

[Mo Amer]

Please don't.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay.

[Mo Amer]

Have a son. God forbid you take my citizenship. And I have to Move to a tax free country. Like God forbid, how close are you just moving to Dubai?

[Andrew Schulz]

Be honest.

[Mo Amer]

When you pay taxes every year.

[Andrew Schulz]

Set up the P.O.

[Mo Amer]

Box, we're school shooting. And I'm like, we can't raise myself. You ain't paying my shit. It's not like it used to be. We gotta make moves, baby. We gotta make moves. You just gotta wait 15 seconds for the next one. It's really sad though.

[Andrew Schulz]

That is. It is.

[Mo Amer]

Like, bro, when you, when you up, bro.

[Andrew Schulz]

He tried to downshift.

[Mark Gagnon]

He said, yeah, it's really sad.

[Mo Amer]

After the joke. No, do the Netflix after the joke. No, after the joke you get to settle in and feel how up everything is. You have to say it out loud.

[Andrew Schulz]

Are you talking about the school shootings or taxation? Both. Okay. Cuz you're from Houston, so you shouldn't be complaining about this.

[Mo Amer]

No, I'm not. I'm not complaining, bro.

[Andrew Schulz]

Because out here, you know, it's. It's wild, right?

[Mo Amer]

It's much, much worse.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

I've never left Texas. Won't leave Texas.

[Andrew Schulz]

Never.

[Mo Amer]

I'm a Texan. What's the most.

[Andrew Schulz]

You've been all over America. What's the most Middle Eastern part of America without them realizing it?

[Mo Amer]

Is. Are them realizing it?

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah, like where's like the white people in America? Where are the most.

[Mark Gagnon]

Not. Where are the most Middle Eastern people? Where are the most white people who act Middle Eastern but they don't even realize it?

[Mo Amer]

Like you, you basically the entire South.

[Andrew Schulz]

So the south is way more Middle Eastern than.

[Mo Amer]

Absolutely, bro. They have God, country, family. This is why I get along with my neighbors. Hey, Scott, how you doing? You know, it's like you feel that shit. You're there for each when shit goes down. Like they're very. They feed the fuck out of you. Yeah, they feed the fuck out of you. I've rolled up on my neighbor before. He's like, just gutting a deer. I'm like, what are you doing? He was like, it's pretty self explanatory. Goddamn deer. You know what I mean? Hey, just like making deer sausage. I don't know, it just feels. It just reminds me of my childhood, you know? Right. It does. Because I think I was like six or seven years old the first time I saw an animal being.

[Andrew Schulz]

This is in Kuwait.

[Mo Amer]

This was in Kuwait.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah. Okay, so you're born and raised in Kuwait for a few years at least until nine years.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, nine years old. And then the Gulf war happens. Saddam Hussein goes into Kuwait. I end up in Houston, Texas.

[Andrew Schulz]

You guys dipped?

[Mo Amer]

We dipped. We stayed for the. Well, I stayed with my sister, my family, for, like, the first two and a half months. And then my mom got myself and my sister out of there, and then we ended up in Houston. Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

Now, is this a real story? I heard this story about your mom sewing money into the suitcases.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, I put it in season one of my show. It's absolutely.

[Andrew Schulz]

But that's from real life.

[Mo Amer]

Absolutely true. She. So she actually. She sewed it in the lining of her purse. And so I was just remembering, just watching my mom, like, who is this human being? It's like you don't know who your parents are until, like, something like this happens.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

Like, you don't know if they're good under pressure or horrible under pressure. My parents were unbelievable under pressure.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

And it's like the first time you see them so uneasy when everything is. Been so wonderful up until then, and you just see her, like, turn it on and. Yeah, she sews it in the lining of the purse. And she was getting my sister and I out. The whole plan was, I'm gonna get my sister and get, you know, my sister and I out of there. She was gonna come back to Kuwait, finish out everything else, and then meet us in the States. That was the whole idea. And so on the way to Jordan, we had to stop in Baghdad. And they were searching all the. All the suitcases. Cause they were finding any valuables. They would just take them or tax you or whatever. Yeah. You know, you got to pay a fee. You know what I mean? So that's what the thing was. So my. So. So my mom stayed on the bus, actually, and she, like. Because she had a little bit of money left over, and she just didn't know where else to put it. So she just, like, hid it under clothes. Right. Well, they were just throwing the clothes out of the suitcase. She was like, oh, my God. So she told my sister and I to get off the bus. And while they were searching everything, the soldier sees. My mom never got off of there. But while she was on the bus by herself, she messed up all the clothes. She had some, like, orange peels from the drive, so she just poured all the trash all over it. And then the soldier comes up on there, starts yelling at her. The sergeant sees him yelling at a woman. He gets pissed off at him. He jumps on the bus. He's like, what's wrong with you? Look at her suitcase. It's obviously been searched on orange peels everywhere. Everywhere.

[Andrew Schulz]

Such a good distraction.

[Mo Amer]

Such a good Thing. And she goes, look at her face. That's not a face of a liar. He goes, he apologized to her, and we left. And my mom pulled that off in the most stressful of circumstances.

[Andrew Schulz]

I heard that.

[Mo Amer]

That's just a snippet of.

[Andrew Schulz]

No, no. I want to get into all that, but I heard after season one came out, yeah, they executed that soldier.

[Mo Amer]

No, true. He probably died of natural causes. He was like, God, bro, I hope.

[Andrew Schulz]

You reached out to him. We got to reach out to him.

[Mo Amer]

I don't know how to get a hold of him. I was 9 years old.

[Andrew Schulz]

Good old orange peel, man.

[Mo Amer]

This is how we're going to kick this off, yo. This is how we're kicking off.

[Andrew Schulz]

I want to talk about DJ kh. Never seen orange peels.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, he's never seen. I heard he just eats it whole.

[Andrew Schulz]

He's like a hippopotamus.

[Mo Amer]

He thought it was just an apple. It's the same thing. This just like, you know, living life. Yeah, yeah. There's nothing really to say about him, to be honest with you. It was more. So I opened the special that way, and even, like, I'm saying this now, you're not going to see it coming. You know, it's really just a dope opening to something that I've never seen in a standup special before. So I wanted to, like, do it that way. But, yeah, it was just like. I was kind of like. The idea is that over the last two years of writing a TV show of the only Palestinian television show in the history of American television, and feeling all the stress of that, and then at the same time, you're kind of seeing what everybody else is saying and what they're doing and what's going on. You know, as comedians, that's what we do. We say the thing out loud that everybody's thinking but nobody's saying. So when I do that and I've done that, you know, that opening line in, like, 30 countries, and they go crazy. They fucking lose their minds. Everybody said it. You know what I mean?

[Andrew Schulz]

Is there a part of you that, like, when you see that opening line just crushing so hard, is there a little part of you that's like, I hope that motherfucker doesn't come on board now?

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, you can't take away my opening line. As a matter of fact, it is a lifeline, but it's been intended to be a lifeline. Like, yes, it's. It's not too late.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh, it's never too late.

[Mo Amer]

No, it is. It is from a lot of people's minds. For sure. It is too late, because it's gonna look fake no matter what, right? Yeah, but it's like the opening line. And then there is the ending of the special where I do this time bit. It's like a poem, you know, slash comedy bit, slash, you know, trying to encapsulate everything that's been going on the last two years. And in that portion, I do, you know, it's like a. It's like, hey, it's never too late kind of thing. It's never too late. It's a chance for him to do something about it.

[Andrew Schulz]

Is it wild to see, like, American, like, in your lifetime, Is it wild to see Americans start to care about the struggle?

[Mo Amer]

Yes. Is that. Yes.

[Andrew Schulz]

What is that? Like, do you feel. Is it confusing almost to see it?

[Mo Amer]

No, it's more like about time.

[Andrew Schulz]

Of course that feeling is there, but.

[Mo Amer]

It'S like, I've been talking about it for so long, and there's been a. Like, a massive struggle for me in the business itself and all the hurdles that I've had and, like, of telling me, like, change your name, go to la. Don't tell me Palestinian. Like, whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on? Like, why do I have to do that? Like, I just never really understood that fully. I got it, but I didn't understand it fully, to be honest with you.

[Mark Gagnon]

What made you stay true?

[Mo Amer]

It's an impossible. What am I gonna. I can't pretend to be something else. Stand up is the essence of standup is being yourself on stage. And it takes years of practice to be yourself on stage. And just shifting that, you. You'll be something else. I mean, you could think of an example, probably.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

Who? Who? Who, Who? Carlos Macia. His name is Matt Holtz. You know what I mean? I don't want to start that shit. You was setting me up for something else.

[Andrew Schulz]

Where are we going with that?

[Mo Amer]

I was hoping you said to be honest with you.

[Andrew Schulz]

Come on.

[Mo Amer]

Come on, Andrew.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yo, the thing about Carlos, though, is that he looks so Mexican.

[Mo Amer]

Yes, yes.

[Andrew Schulz]

He got treated.

[Mark Gagnon]

Whatever racism Mexicans get, he probably caught that.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

Like, if you look at it.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, no, for sure, for sure. I'm saying, like, it would be a part.

[Andrew Schulz]

How is Al? Al, are you even black? You can't tell.

[Mo Amer]

I'm not going to stand up for this, man.

[Andrew Schulz]

Hold on, hold on now. Black people can speak up here. What percentage are you? I'm 50% black. Okay, so you get. You get to say it. You get to say it.

[Mo Amer]

I can Say.

[Andrew Schulz]

It's a declaration. You can say that word that he.

[Mo Amer]

Says when no one cares. Can I tell you something? Can I tell you something? With sand in front of him, it's in dims.

[Andrew Schulz]

Right? When you first heard the sand version, what did that feel like?

[Mo Amer]

It was 9 11. It was like, I've been in the country, like 10 years. I didn't even know this slur even exist.

[Andrew Schulz]

911 inspired some fire racing, some real fire racing.

[Mark Gagnon]

Can we admit that you didn't catch racing until 911?

[Mo Amer]

No, in Houston, it was like. Yeah, of course there was Carlos.

[Andrew Schulz]

You know.

[Mark Gagnon]

And we're talking about Houston, by the way, he says the end.

[Mo Amer]

It's the most.

[Andrew Schulz]

I don't know anything.

[Mo Amer]

It's the most diverse city. Legit, 100%.

[Mark Gagnon]

It is the most diverse city.

[Mo Amer]

And they love diverse.

[Mark Gagnon]

And they love telling you that.

[Mo Amer]

And they love telling you.

[Mark Gagnon]

It's a fact.

[Mo Amer]

There's a lot. There's a lot of Houston. It's a fact.

[Mark Gagnon]

And they love telling you that. After they say the N word.

[Andrew Schulz]

That's their justification. Yeah, yeah, No, I heard that. New York is the most diverse.

[Mo Amer]

Feel free to just make up whatever.

[Andrew Schulz]

I'm just saying.

[Mo Amer]

And we're going off.

[Andrew Schulz]

What do you do?

[Mo Amer]

Forbes magazine, which is never wrong. It's the most diverse city in America.

[Andrew Schulz]

Forbes said that. But in New York, like, we don't fill out the census, so nobody. It's only white people fill it out.

[Mo Amer]

So it feels. In Houston, I think they tripped. Yo.

[Andrew Schulz]

Rhode Island. My bad. I missed you guys last time. But we're coming back, okay? We're coming back. Providence, Rhode Island, March 28th. This is the only show that I have on schedule right now. Providence Performing Arts Center. Great comedy festival they got going on out there. I'll be honest, this might be their first year. I'm not exactly sure. But we're going to be there. We'll see you out there. March 28th. TheAndRasholz.com for ticks.

[Mo Amer]

Peace.

[Mark Gagnon]

Also, guys, tour dates. There's only one I care about right now. This is a literal dream come true. Radio fucking City Music Hall. Thank everybody who watch this podcast. Thank all of y'.

[Mo Amer]

All.

[Mark Gagnon]

I love you guys.

[Andrew Schulz]

April 18th, we're pulling up.

[Mark Gagnon]

Sell that out.

[Andrew Schulz]

Let's go.

[Mark Gagnon]

I promise you it's gonna be the best show I've ever done. Hopefully the best show you've ever been to. Akashing.com for tickets, pre sale is live now. Use the code Akash. I love y'.

[Mo Amer]

All.

[Mark Gagnon]

Let's get back to the show.

[Andrew Schulz]

But for real, light it up. Go get those tickets right now. We're all showing up April 18th, 18th, Radio City Music call.

[Mo Amer]

Let's do it. Hey, what's up, guys? Just really quick. I'm going on the road. I'm being Philadelphia, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Is that it? Damn, I thought that. Okay. I'm also going to Chicago, Hoboken, and a bunch of other cities. I'll see you guys there. Thanks so much. Mark yagnonlive.com Una Silla de masajes puede pares et extravagante ocho configurationes differentes Intensidada Gustav Ademases Calefaccionado. Extravagante Legit. Like the. The neighborhood I grew up in, Alief, which is, like, just had so many amazing people come out of there. Yeah. It has, like 90. 90 languages spoken in that neighborhood alone. It's pretty Houston. According to the school system, Houston is.

[Andrew Schulz]

Like the first level of the video game of America.

[Mo Amer]

Yes.

[Andrew Schulz]

For, like, immigrants, you know, like, if America was kind of complicit in doing some to your country.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

We go, all right, y' all can come. But you gotta survive Houston.

[Mo Amer]

Yes.

[Andrew Schulz]

And then after that, you get to have this American experience because then all, like, the Cambodians go there and, like, the Nigerians.

[Mo Amer]

Vietnamese.

[Andrew Schulz]

No, Vietnamese as well.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah. I don't know about the Cambodian population, but I know there's a huge Vietnamese population and a huge Nigerian population as well.

[Andrew Schulz]

100%, but. And I'm sure you could tell the difference, obviously, between the Cambodians and Vietnamese just off of looking at it.

[Mo Amer]

Impossible. Impossible, Impossible. Let's just say Vietnamese.

[Andrew Schulz]

Shout out to Cambodians, though. For real. We love y'.

[Mo Amer]

All.

[Andrew Schulz]

We appreciate y', all, and we're glad the war stops.

[Mo Amer]

The war exactly where the studio is. Tell them we need to repair it. Oh, my God.

[Andrew Schulz]

Shout out to Cambodians.

[Mo Amer]

Bodians.

[Andrew Schulz]

The Bodians. What's happening? Listen, Mo is on here. Obviously, we're talking reckless. You know what I mean? Listen, we're the only people in America right now that believe that Muslims should hear jokes. I think we're the only one, two. What are we, five of us. We're the only five comedians that believe that.

[Mo Amer]

It's so. How do you.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yo, how did you feel about when.

[Mo Amer]

So disgusting, bro. It's the whole. You come. I just. I cannot wait to talk to you about it because it's so disgusting, bro. I find is so wildly appalling. First of all, like, even the comedians that went there talk about and they liked it. They laugh like they're shocked. They were just hearing some of the comments or even, like, the guys, like, on podcast talking about, oh, we're making Jo. The guys that didn't get invited, that didn't get to go to the shows, talking about doing this kind of. You, too.

[Andrew Schulz]

What was that? The.

[Mo Amer]

You, too. Did you understand what he says? What did he say? No, they were like, there was a podcast, bro. Really, really upsetting because I wish I.

[Mark Gagnon]

Got that back from Saudi.

[Mo Amer]

It's straight up, like, exactly. It's just straight up that, like, casual racism of it all is fucking insane.

[Andrew Schulz]

It's the bigotry.

[Mark Gagnon]

Let him go.

[Mo Amer]

Expectations. It's insane, bro. It's so wildly appalling. And then, first of all, for me, from my perspective, bro, I'm a Palestinian roaming around in these streets. Like, no matter where I go, I'm dealing with something. And also, like, me going to that region, going to Saudi Arabia, going to Riyadh itself, how many Palestinians that reached out to me after the show, that they brought their kids, man, I'm so. It makes me emotional, bro.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

That my kids got to see you on stage, got to say the things that you got to say, and it was completely free reign and got to do what you wanted to do. So fuck you for your casual racism. Fuck you for not wanting to push the needle forward. Fuck you for not, like, even, like, considering of being upset that the film industry's there, NFL is there, UFC, Mr. Beast, the six best tennis players in the world. Everybody's there. And you want to pick on comics, the most freest art form on planet Earth, probably the last free art form on planet Earth. We can actually push the needle forward. And you're talking about. This is the issue I find huge, huge beef with that. And you're talking about, like, 284 journalists killed in Gaza and nothing about that. Nobody's, like, having a beef with doing shows in Tel Aviv or anything like that. That. Bro, talk your shit. I'm being. This is the truth that we.

[Andrew Schulz]

The best.

[Mo Amer]

This is.

[Andrew Schulz]

We're the best.

[Mo Amer]

Comedy.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yes.

[Mo Amer]

Comedy. We're the best. Now it's like. It's like, I really. I really find it to be appalling, bro. The casual racism is fucking insane. And I'm a Muslim. I'm a Muslim. My brother's buried there down the street. You couldn't stop me from going there and performing for my own people. And as far as money's concerned, it was very much like, in line of what I get paid in the Middle East. That's why I kept telling people it wasn't like I went out there and like, oh, my God, I got six yachts. No, it's very much, much in line for what I'm paying.

[Andrew Schulz]

Tell them how rich you are.

[Mo Amer]

Tell them I'm not tax money. I'm not paying all the taxes. That's the one thing I don't fuck around with in America. I pay all the taxes.

[Andrew Schulz]

I'm more afraid of those three letters than ICE.

[Mo Amer]

All of them 100%. I don't give a fuck. I'm comfortable. I've been in worse situations than a detention center. I'll just be chilling. I made good things happen in that detention center.

[Andrew Schulz]

I love that. That's your perspective. And maybe, like, ours is different because, like, we formed in the Middle east before, so we knew what to expect about it. But, like, the funniest thing is when you see these people who, like, identify as very progressive and they. It's like their expectations of people are so low that it doesn't match up with the progressive ideals.

[Mo Amer]

Yes.

[Andrew Schulz]

You know what I mean? Like, I couldn't believe you do that. Like, I couldn't believe it.

[Mo Amer]

I couldn't believe it. I just can't believe you would just go and perform for these animals. Let's just say it. Say it.

[Andrew Schulz]

Say it. Exactly.

[Mo Amer]

Just say it. I've been dealing with this my whole life, and I don't want to hear anything about it. Especially, like, from comedians. Attacking other comedians is really fucked up, and I just really don't like that. And it's not where we need to be as comedians. We need to be, you know, more thoughtful and have real dialogue and not just trying to throw people under the bus for absolutely no reason. I'm just really, just shocked by it. I was really, really blown away by it. I couldn't believe it. In Houston, my hometown, the place where I brought the first ever narrative sitcom, you know, to that spot is millions of dollars of revenue is coming to that city from me bringing a show. Way more than I ever made on a TV show. And, you know, I stood for Houston. I love Houston. I still live in Houston. That's my town. That's my shit. They couldn't wait to shit on it. No, they couldn't wait to shit on it. Really. Somebody putting it out there. Like, shame on you. Shame on you, motherfuckers. Shame on you. Shame on you. All I've done is give up so much. You think it was easy to film in Houston? You think that was an easy pitch to fucking go to Netflix? Be like, hey, I want to really film this as realistically as possible, as grounded as possible in Houston, Texas, a place that has no structure for film and television. And the moment. The moment I go over there, you want to throw me. Fuck you.

[Andrew Schulz]

And you already been over there.

[Mo Amer]

Houston Chronicle.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah, but you already been over.

[Mo Amer]

I've already been over there. I've been over there. And I'm also. I'm a Muslim, bro. I'm a Muslim. It's the obligation to go to Mecca. I have to go to Mecca as well. It's like part of that system. And my brother's buried there. I lost my brother three weeks before my first season came out. Like, how dare you? How dare you? How dare you?

[Mark Gagnon]

I want to give you a chance to push back. This is. People say, like, well, the government paid. And you're accepting money from the government. I want you to speak on that.

[Mo Amer]

What do you mean?

[Mark Gagnon]

Somehow that makes it immoral. I don't agree.

[Mo Amer]

Where does all this money come from? It all has one source. This is nothing to do with it. I sold tickets there. That's where I think about. I think about going there as pre negotiated. I go there and do that. Nobody's sitting there. No royal family sitting there writing checks to you do that as part of a big fund.

[Andrew Schulz]

I think they don't realize that people had to buy tickets to go to the shop.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, people had to buy tickets to go to the shop.

[Mark Gagnon]

To be honest, I wish they didn't.

[Mo Amer]

They booked it free. They booked people who can come out and sell tickets, kids. And we could have done a much bigger venue. Probably. I was last, you know, one of the later ones to be added up enough. I was booked on October 7, which was like, why did you do this to me in Dubai, October 7? We flip, bro. It was.

[Andrew Schulz]

They were exhausted from celebrating.

[Mo Amer]

Okay? They came to cut that out. I ain't sign. I sign. That was funny. As Michael, I was. I can't do it. I can't do it. I can't do it.

[Andrew Schulz]

No, but it's good to hear that perspective. And like, it is funny.

[Mo Amer]

The cash, right? I think it's standing. I think it was fake. Fucking.

[Andrew Schulz]

I'll be honest.

[Mo Amer]

I think it was fake. Yeah, like.

[Andrew Schulz]

Like there are people who fell for it, but I think that a lot of it was started by bots. Because literally two weeks after we all said this, like, in two weeks, nobody will even make a peep about this. And it has completely died down.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, it is.

[Andrew Schulz]

And then what has happened in Saudi over the Next two weeks.

[Mo Amer]

I think it was a negotiating thing. Somebody was negotiating something and that' created the pressure. That's probably what it was. And then even fans, like, maybe like, creating a little fuss to, like, create some negotiating leverage. I don't know. I'm just speculating here.

[Andrew Schulz]

You're saying between countries maybe.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, maybe. Maybe it's the case. Or agencies, whatever.

[Mark Gagnon]

People did hop on it, though. CNN was on it.

[Andrew Schulz]

Comics or on it.

[Mo Amer]

Any distraction that they can fucking come on, like, they just start doing it.

[Andrew Schulz]

They just need to have an opinion on it.

[Mo Amer]

The part that really frustrated me is, like, really pissed me off, is that I'm nobody even, like, you just lumped me into this shit. And me being Palestinian, me being what? My background and the. Everything that we've done as comedians to try to push the needle forward and try to just be truth tellers, hopefully, and storytellers. And then there's people that even took the money and came back and fucking apologized. That's just crazy, bro. Don't do that. Don't do that. These people want the fans in Saudi. I mean, 50%, I think, of the population is actually Saudi. I think something like that. And who's the other 50%? Who's the other 50%? So it's just like. It's not like we were sitting and performing. We were performing for real. Fans had appetite for this. People that wanted to see this. And I can't tell you enough, like, the amount of emails that I got from, like, people like parents that brought their kids out or Palestinians that were there that were like, oh, my God, I can't believe you said those things. And it's just. But it's going to be fun because.

[Andrew Schulz]

A lot of people that talked about it, they're going to go out on tour around the world and they're going to start to realize that, like, you know, there are rules in certain countries that might not align with their progressive policies or politics. And we're going to see if there's any pushback. I don't think there will be because I think the whole thing was fake in the first place.

[Mo Amer]

It is. And there's.

[Andrew Schulz]

Nobody actually cared.

[Mo Amer]

Exactly. And here's another thing, too. It's like, even some of my fans were like, I expected better from you. I was like, well, I expected better from you, actually. Cause I thought you would trust me. I thought you would trust me to be the same person no matter where I went. That's the biggest thing. I don't change. There's a lot of people that Go do change. I'm not saying it doesn't exist. People that go to a certain country and then they become the monkeys for that country. Like, no, no, no. I'm myself, no matter where I go, it's very important to be thoughtful on the things that you say. And I'm very, very, like, technical with it. And I've been doing this shit for a long time. No, I don't know who. Give us some Cat Williams. Give us that Cat Williams, bro. I have nothing. I genuinely don't really have examples. I'm talking about myself only. That's the only person I can speak for is, like, I expect more from you as well, to trust me and to know, like, everything that I've done with the show and how groundbreaking it is and what, what I did with that last episode in season two is nobody's gonna do that. Nobody's gonna do that. Yeah. Like, I can't wait for.

[Andrew Schulz]

You think you've gotten your credit. You think you've gotten your credit for.

[Mo Amer]

I got it from the people, man. Like, the amount of tickets that I've sold on the road and the people that want to see it from every background that you could think of. That's, that's what I don't care what anybody else says. I don't care what industry says or anything like that. The, you know, the numbers on the road and the people that have come up to me, no matter where I am on planet Earth, that's, that's my award. That's how I feel like it. And if there's many, you know, there's things coming up, and I hope they do recognize it because it's good for the next future filmmakers, and I think it's the right thing to do. Just because objectively is so dope.

[Mark Gagnon]

I, I, I was telling you, I have not gotten a chance to watch season two. It has been on the road too much. Season one was awesome. Season two, from the people, I hear, like, unbelievable praise. Unbelievable. Like, it meant something to people. And I think, I think you, you are kind of the man of this moment, whether you want to be or not. I just think you don't really have a choice, and you've risen to the occasion. But I'm just very proud of you as somebody known for, like, 15 years, watching this whole thing happen.

[Mo Amer]

No, it's genuinely like, something that I feel like is my life's work. You know, it's like a life purpose. Like, to go into something like this and get this off my chest was not an easy thing. Where? First season, I was kind of like, you know, it was pandemic. I was divorced by a year and a half. I was dealing with so many things, but the first Zoom room ever, and I think you know what I mean, it was like so many things in the air and people telling you you should do this, not do that, and you feel confident in a particular storyline, they start picking at it enough, where you start losing confidence, like, fuck. And went into the second season, we're like, nobody's touching me. These are the guys I love, y'. All. You come with me. If you don't, I can't have this, like, doubt shit, you know, I can't have. You gotta trust yourself completely. And I did that to the fullest extent. And nobody really meddled in what I had. And the vision that I had. And it was just. To me, it was like a perfect piece of heart.

[Andrew Schulz]

You're. You're single now, right?

[Mo Amer]

No, I'm married. I have a baby.

[Andrew Schulz]

Again.

[Mo Amer]

What do you mean?

[Andrew Schulz]

You said you got divorced.

[Mo Amer]

Had divorced. In the pet. First season one. That's four years ago. Five years ago. Oh, six years ago.

[Andrew Schulz]

I know. You got the baby. Well, I'm sorry. I don't want to put out there. Congratulations. That's amazing.

[Mo Amer]

No, no, no, it was awesome. I don't know. I got remarried.

[Andrew Schulz]

The girl. The girl I met.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah. You did meet her, right? Yeah. Yeah.

[Mark Gagnon]

Let me ask a question. Did you come back home?

[Mo Amer]

Did you?

[Mark Gagnon]

Did you come back home?

[Mo Amer]

What do you mean?

[Andrew Schulz]

Couple?

[Mo Amer]

Brown girl. Oh, she's brown? Yes. I've always been brown.

[Andrew Schulz]

What type of brown?

[Mo Amer]

Always been brown. What type of brown? The other brown. What type of brown? Portuguese. Wait, Portuguese sound. Spanish.

[Andrew Schulz]

You only went back to Mecca once, huh?

[Mo Amer]

Three times. Three times. Hold on, hold on now. Hold on. Here's. Here's the thing. Here's the thing. We've known each other since eighth grade.

[Andrew Schulz]

They got you, huh?

[Mo Amer]

And we know she's not white.

[Andrew Schulz]

What is she.

[Mo Amer]

Spanish? Not. I know, but she's not, bro. North African influence, like, crazy now. Don't even try. That's true, though. What do you mean? Delete history. Listen. Oh, did you.

[Andrew Schulz]

Did you revert her?

[Mo Amer]

No. She converted herself, though.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh, really? With no influence from you?

[Mo Amer]

Zero. Yeah. Zero.

[Andrew Schulz]

Get out of.

[Mark Gagnon]

She was the first time, too, to be honest.

[Mo Amer]

No zeros. For real. She was pregnant with our son, and it was like she was about three, four months pregnant, and she just woke up, like, just crying and just, like, very. Just, like, just. She just wanted to do it from her heart. It was beautiful.

[Andrew Schulz]

It was really. And then. What do you. What is your reaction to that? That.

[Mark Gagnon]

Got it.

[Mo Amer]

Are you sure?

[Andrew Schulz]

Got it.

[Mo Amer]

No, you have to, like, I genuinely, like, don't like to press about these things, and I think it's. It's. It's my responsibility is, like, to surround the family with, like, good vibes, good spirits and things like that. And. And. And that was, like. Came from her, and I just wanted her to be sure, 100%. Like, I don't want this to come from, like, I got to do it because, you know. No, it's got. You got to feel it in your heart.

[Andrew Schulz]

Heart.

[Mo Amer]

It has to come. And the rest is between you and God and divine.

[Andrew Schulz]

So now she's on board.

[Mo Amer]

She's on board. Yeah. She's amazing.

[Andrew Schulz]

But.

[Mo Amer]

But I've known her since eighth grade. And all these years went by and we rekindled. We never dated like back then.

[Andrew Schulz]

Long game, long game, long game.

[Mo Amer]

Super trust. My mom met her, like, five minutes later. My mom gave her a ring. I was like, what are you doing? Oh, she was like, she's so dope, bro.

[Andrew Schulz]

She like white girls too, huh?

[Mo Amer]

Bro, you're the worst. Top five. Worst. Don't downgrade.

[Andrew Schulz]

You gave me the fucking top spot.

[Mo Amer]

No, there's nothing. There's a lot of worse. There's a lot of worse. You distilled it into top five. Everybody has top five.

[Andrew Schulz]

Is she school and you want stuff. That's what I'm saying. Like, does it put more pressure on you to be 100%, like, committed? Like, you got to be. Is she about it?

[Mo Amer]

Because there's no religious person, like, a convert, you know? Yeah, yeah. There's, like, extreme examples of people who convert and things like that. It hasn't been, like. It's been a very natural and, like, smooth thing, you know, My whole thing is, like, compulsion. And religion is also bad, too. So it's like, I was always taught that it's like the balance. My way is the middle way is what the prophet Muhammad Salah s used to say. It's like, my way is the middle way. So you always have to be balanced in everything that you do. Can't be too extreme in everything that you do. But she's not just, like, pulling out hadiths out of nowhere, and you're like, oh, shit. I'm shocked that you're pulling out hadiths right now.

[Mark Gagnon]

Can I tell you something that I love? Mark has been trying to relate to you all the time, and every time you're like, shut the fuck?

[Mo Amer]

Like, I love it. It's so fucking disillusioning. Y' all better enjoy this.

[Andrew Schulz]

When white.

[Mo Amer]

Last long, it could be Syrian. I might take Shahad after this, bro. Who knows? It's not that big of a deal, but just cleanse you.

[Andrew Schulz]

Compulsion.

[Mo Amer]

Do it. It's okay. You want to go to hell, it's not a big deal. But you can. You can get me out, though. You can get me out. You can get them out all. Matter of fact, the Prophet Muhammad said, I hope to see half of my ummah in heaven. Who's the other half? Oh, who is the other half exactly? Everybody. That's your boy right here.

[Andrew Schulz]

Half of my ummah.

[Mo Amer]

Half of my ummah, which means the Muslim world, I supposed to see half of them there. I hope. I hope to see half my. And correct me if I'm please, like.

[Mark Gagnon]

So that means just being Muslim ain't enough to get you in?

[Mo Amer]

Yes, that means.

[Mark Gagnon]

And not being Muslim to keep you out.

[Mo Amer]

Exactly. This is beautiful. Exactly. But if you're in Jannah, you can help get me out of hell a little bit. I mean, I don't know how much pool I have then, but I'll check it. But you.

[Andrew Schulz]

What do you mean? You don't think you're gonna get some pull when you go there?

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, they're gonna. I don't know. They're Gonna check the IMDb season two.

[Andrew Schulz]

Put those ideas in your head.

[Mo Amer]

I don't know what that's gonna be like. I don't know. I don't know what kind of pull. But I'll. You know, I'll put in a word.

[Andrew Schulz]

I'm gonna put in a word for you.

[Mo Amer]

Thank you.

[Andrew Schulz]

I'm gonna put in a word for you.

[Mo Amer]

Oh, yeah. On the flip side, I'm gonna be.

[Andrew Schulz]

Up there, Omen in it, and I'm gonna be. I'm gonna look out for my boy Mo. Okay. I know he loved the white women, but everybo.

[Mo Amer]

My wife's going to really be upset. She's not white, bro.

[Andrew Schulz]

She's not white.

[Mo Amer]

She's not white. Hot sauce, very brown.

[Andrew Schulz]

White sauce.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah. All right. Why are you saying, like it's a bad thing? You're the whitest guy here.

[Andrew Schulz]

I think it's a great thing. I'm trying to convert you.

[Mo Amer]

I re.

[Andrew Schulz]

I reverted you.

[Mo Amer]

Oh, I got you. Okay. Yeah, I see what's happening now.

[Andrew Schulz]

You have Islam and I have whatever. The white one, you don't even know.

[Mo Amer]

You have no direction. Yeah, it's not about that. You're just Making up as you go. That exactly. It's just in the middle. I'm middling it. I don't believe in compulsion. Just take from here and take from there. I'm going to go to India for six months. Talk to Makashi. I want to keep this guy.

[Mark Gagnon]

Go to India.

[Andrew Schulz]

No, let me go to India.

[Mark Gagnon]

Nah, nah, nah, nah.

[Mo Amer]

You don't want to go to India.

[Andrew Schulz]

Why don't I get to go to India?

[Mark Gagnon]

Yeah, because you're too.

[Mo Amer]

You're.

[Andrew Schulz]

No. Last time we went there, we organized that.

[Mo Amer]

What?

[Andrew Schulz]

Built some railroads, did a little jewel swap.

[Mo Amer]

Little partition here. Is that what you want to call it?

[Andrew Schulz]

J.

[Mo Amer]

Pretty sure there was a robbery.

[Andrew Schulz]

We'll give you the language or whatever cast.

[Mo Amer]

Pretty sure that was a robbery. Might have been a robbery.

[Andrew Schulz]

Might have been a robbery.

[Mo Amer]

And spices they don't even use. Oh, this is fantastic. But what do we do with these air.

[Andrew Schulz]

We got to take that food because we really perfected food.

[Mo Amer]

They just. Who perfected food?

[Andrew Schulz]

White people.

[Mo Amer]

That's. Get the hell out.

[Mark Gagnon]

Italians got it.

[Mo Amer]

Get the hell out from Arabs.

[Andrew Schulz]

What are you talking about?

[Mo Amer]

Look it up. No, I did.

[Andrew Schulz]

They got. They got it from the Chinese.

[Mo Amer]

Okay.

[Andrew Schulz]

They got noodles from the Chinese. Y' all didn't have noodles.

[Mo Amer]

All right, all right.

[Mark Gagnon]

Maybe they were Uyghurs.

[Mo Amer]

Hey, we weren't. We're not an Asian. Maybe they were Uyghurs. That's right. This is my hot take. I think Christian food's the best food in the world.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh, without a doubt.

[Mo Amer]

What is Christian food? I'm glad you asked. Italian, Brazilian, Mexican.

[Andrew Schulz]

French, French, Portuguese, Portuguese. Phenomenal Brazilian steakhouse. Oh, my God.

[Mo Amer]

Brazilian food.

[Andrew Schulz]

Arab traders and settlers significantly raped and pillaged.

[Mo Amer]

Significantly influenced Italian food, particularly in Sicily, introducing key ingredients and techniques that already caught it. Fundamental to Italian.

[Andrew Schulz]

What is that?

[Mo Amer]

What is that?

[Andrew Schulz]

I feel like that get you arrested, bro.

[Mo Amer]

No, no. I love having him here. I love it. Yeah, go sit over here. Make sure to wipe. Make some real fun.

[Andrew Schulz]

Tell people where to live, huh?

[Mo Amer]

Great. Actually, when I became a citizen, I was like, give them a little bit of power. What do they do? That's how I felt when all the Californians were moving to Texas. I was like, go back to where you came from. I was like, oh, what's that? But it felt nice.

[Mark Gagnon]

Exactly.

[Mo Amer]

I see why they do this.

[Andrew Schulz]

See that white girl got you. All right, guys, take a break for a second, okay? You need to take care of your skin, or you're going to look old. As your under. Eyes get darker, you get wrinkles and you generally just look like. And that's why you need caldera. That's why you need caldera. Right, Right here. Okay? They put together skin care for men in a simple package. It's a four step process that takes care of everything. You need to look better, wash your face, put on three products, and you're done. Your face is less puffy, your under eyes look better, and your face won't wrinkle nearly as quickly. Okay? So look better and feel better. Go to calderalab.com flavor flagrant. Use the code flagrant for 20 off your first order. Now let's get back to the show. All right, guys, take a break for a second, man. It's time. It's time, man. You know that fall is turning into winter quickly. You know, time to cozy up. You spend a lot more. A lot more of your day under the covers, and Bluechew is going to help you with that. You got a special partner. You got a side chick, you know, you got a teacher at your school that's taking an interest in you. You got Bluechew to have your back. It's really that simple. It's going to give you the best dick you've ever had in your life. Rocked up, stocked up, and ready for the long sleep. And you're going to get it all for free. First month is free. First month is free. All you got to do is pay $5 shipping. When you go to bluechew.com, use the promo code flagrant. How incredible is that? Go do that right now. Thank us, love later. All right, shout out, all y'. All. Shout out all your dicks. Yeah, shout out your dicks. You know, speaking of dicks, they're burying Cheney. Yeah, the main dick, bro. The. The main dick is getting buried. Rip.

[Mo Amer]

All right.

[Andrew Schulz]

RP Dick Cheney, man. Not even Blue Chew could raise him from the dead. Dude, that is a great Blue Chew ad. That's what you gotta do. It's like Dick Cheney in a cast at the funeral.

[Mo Amer]

But.

[Andrew Schulz]

But like, you know how zombies hands reach through the dirt, close the roof off. Exactly.

[Mo Amer]

Undertaker style.

[Andrew Schulz]

Gorgeous dick just winds itself right through the dirt and comes back. Are you going, Are you going to the funeral? Dude, we need to look up, see if Kalshee has a. Has a. An odds or whatever, a market for the people going to the dick chain. Because this is going to be interesting because everybody knows whoever goes lose, they're using this against you for as long as you're alive. Yeah, right.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah. Which must be a tough invitation to get. Like, please Join us for the memorial of Dick Cheney. Yeah, you gotta be like, oh, God.

[Andrew Schulz]

But I also wonder if, like, all these politicians are like, yeah, we all do up shit. Just kill tons of people. Like, I wonder if they're desensitized. Okay, what do we got here? Go back. Go back to the top. What do we got here? Okay, Biden 98. Chance he's dead soon anyway. Why not?

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, just see.

[Andrew Schulz]

George Bush 95. You got to go. What else is George Bush doing? He's got a. He's got a baseball. Like, he's. He's, you know, he's long for a ride. That's 100%. Let me see Kamala Harris, 72%.

[Mark Gagnon]

N. She doesn't go.

[Andrew Schulz]

I don't think she goes. I don't think she goes. Barack is 60%. I don't think she goes.

[Mo Amer]

And he. Sorry about that.

[Andrew Schulz]

He's. He's him. Do you think Trito is going? I don't think Trompito is going.

[Mo Amer]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Andrew Schulz]

He's got to talk in Air Force One.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, he's got way too much stuff to do. I mean, that is insane.

[Andrew Schulz]

This is crazy. We could. There. There. There's a market for who's showing up. Bonnie Blue. 20%. That's pretty good, yo. That is. She's been popping up everywhere. That's a video. She's been everywhere, dude. That is a video. She can sniff blue out of anything. Dick Cheney's dead body of blue. And then Bonnie Blue rides the last bit of. Come out of it. Can we get back to the show?

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, we should.

[Andrew Schulz]

Can we get back to the show? Listen, we're all going to India. Mo, you gotta come to India.

[Mo Amer]

I'm not doing it. I saw those cooking videos. I'm sorry, I can't do.

[Andrew Schulz]

You don't want a little toaster?

[Mo Amer]

Oh, my God. You don't want a little toaster? Listen, listen. I really, really have nothing but love and respect. But I'm.

[Mark Gagnon]

But.

[Mo Amer]

But all my Indian friends that go back home to India all get sick. I have no shot. I have no shot.

[Mark Gagnon]

I got sick. I got sick from a donut at.

[Mo Amer]

A five star hotel. Exactly, bro. We ain't buil. He does get sick every time. That's what it is. I'm not. Bro, there's no way.

[Andrew Schulz]

We got to go to the Dung Festival.

[Mo Amer]

What's a Dung Festival? Come on. No, no, there's not. Come on. You don't want to go to the Dung Festival. Look how much fun they're having. They're having a great time.

[Mark Gagnon]

They're having a great time.

[Mo Amer]

Burning Man, Pink Guy for everybody. Oh, my God. I don't like you depending on. Take the Indian people this way. I really don't.

[Andrew Schulz]

That's not me. That's that YouTuber.

[Mo Amer]

That's a YouTuber. Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

I'm saying I want to go. You're saying that you don't want to go.

[Mo Amer]

I don't want to go because I know I'm gonna get sick. I just don't like being sick. You pack a lunch. NASA food packs, MREs.

[Mark Gagnon]

My wife has a pretty good. She won't eat any cold, like uncooked fruits or vegetables.

[Mo Amer]

You can't do it.

[Mark Gagnon]

She won't do any dangerous dairy.

[Mo Amer]

Okay. Fair.

[Mark Gagnon]

And then only bottled water, obviously. Well, those three.

[Mo Amer]

They glue that together too, sometimes.

[Mark Gagnon]

So, yeah, they do this glue.

[Mo Amer]

What?

[Mark Gagnon]

Really fill it up with tap water and then glue it.

[Mo Amer]

I want to go.

[Andrew Schulz]

Y' all need white people.

[Mo Amer]

Want to go.

[Andrew Schulz]

You need white people.

[Mo Amer]

No, you don't.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yes. Some bad things happen, of course, but this glue.

[Mo Amer]

Once you hear a glue to top sarcasm. Okay. I want a billion people messaging me on Instagram, please.

[Andrew Schulz]

Do you. Do you have to deal with that?

[Mo Amer]

No.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay, listen, guys.

[Mo Amer]

I don't really look at it.

[Andrew Schulz]

From now on, we're only going to give the right opinions for the rest of the episode. Thanks for right opinions for the episode. We shouldn't go back there.

[Mo Amer]

And it was up what we did.

[Andrew Schulz]

And you guys should.

[Mo Amer]

What you guys do there. Why do you keep saying. Why do you keep saying. We get. Yes, I got you.

[Andrew Schulz]

We get to own everything. Wait, what?

[Mo Amer]

That's not the way to goes.

[Andrew Schulz]

Wait, how does it go?

[Mo Amer]

Just everybody has their own share. There's plenty on this earth. And stop stealing. That's how it's supposed to.

[Andrew Schulz]

There's plenty on this earth. And stop selling. I agree with that.

[Mo Amer]

Yes.

[Andrew Schulz]

I agree with that.

[Mo Amer]

100.

[Andrew Schulz]

What if somebody has oil?

[Mo Amer]

Yes.

[Andrew Schulz]

And there's not plenty where we're.

[Mo Amer]

And then what you do is you force your currency on them and then.

[Andrew Schulz]

Don'T try to let women read or whatever.

[Mo Amer]

That's not democracy.

[Andrew Schulz]

Democracy mode.

[Mo Amer]

What is half democracy? The Muslim word has regressed dramatically with the invasion and colonialism. 100%. 100%.

[Andrew Schulz]

I know. Because you guys had all the algebra.

[Mo Amer]

We had the algebra. We let women own businesses. We let them progress. They had rights. They still have rights. Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

Why do you have to say that? Why do you have to say that?

[Mo Amer]

We know that. Because it's. No, you don't. Apparently they're like, I can't believe they laughed when I went to Charlotte Radioville. But that's not me. I'm sure it was you. I roped him with this. Words like shahada. This guy's been doing research since 5am Butter chicken. Butter chicken. Huh? Butter chicken. What the does that have to do with me?

[Andrew Schulz]

Are you.

[Mo Amer]

I'm not into it.

[Andrew Schulz]

Butter chicken. Butter chicken.

[Mo Amer]

Oh my God. Butter chicken is delicious.

[Andrew Schulz]

Thank you. See, look at this. This is cultural exchange.

[Mo Amer]

Yes, it is.

[Andrew Schulz]

Butter.

[Mo Amer]

Butter chicken is okay.

[Andrew Schulz]

Now you exchange something back with me.

[Mo Amer]

Some butter chicken.

[Andrew Schulz]

Give me some exchange.

[Mark Gagnon]

Mumbai got some of the best food ever.

[Mo Amer]

French fries.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh, see what we did?

[Mo Amer]

See? We did see what we did. French fries. Unity.

[Andrew Schulz]

French fries are exceptional.

[Mo Amer]

That's the only white food that I can think of.

[Andrew Schulz]

Hamburgers.

[Mo Amer]

Hamburgers.

[Andrew Schulz]

Burritos.

[Mo Amer]

Burritos.

[Mark Gagnon]

Sandwiches. Sandwiches, Sandwiches.

[Mo Amer]

Paninis. Paninis. I don't like how hard you hit that sand on the witch.

[Andrew Schulz]

Sand.

[Mo Amer]

I had to let you.

[Andrew Schulz]

I didn't want to let you know about.

[Mo Amer]

I was trying to entice.

[Andrew Schulz]

I was flirting.

[Mo Amer]

Sand. I don't come from the sand region.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay.

[Mo Amer]

I might actually. Pretty sure we did overlap at some point.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah, people. People were roaming like you said.

[Mo Amer]

My brother did a big DNA test. He goes back like thousands of years.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh, my God. Did he find out he was part of small hat?

[Mo Amer]

No, it's not. Did he find out? I'm sure we all were. At some point before the conversion.

[Andrew Schulz]

Did he take that and just like.

[Mo Amer]

That found out or no? Yeah, no, it's just very open. Like we. I'm sure that that's what we were at some point. If you think about beginning of time, I mean, what the.

[Andrew Schulz]

What was Adam and Eve? What were they?

[Mo Amer]

What were they? It's a good question. Maybe white people can tell us that Christians.

[Andrew Schulz]

They were Christians.

[Mo Amer]

If we look Muslim, Adam might have been Indian, bro.

[Andrew Schulz]

Adam was. Cuz he was made from mud.

[Mo Amer]

All right, it's been good, guys. Thank you so much. Peace out. Thank you very much. Where's the exit? Where's the exit?

[Andrew Schulz]

That's.

[Mo Amer]

That's technically. This looks like the front of a mosque right here. That's so up. Genuinely, what's happening with ice is really diabolical. It is so up.

[Andrew Schulz]

I agree.

[Mo Amer]

So up. And who's gonna finish your roof? It's really funny. I get the. I get the podcast now. I get it. Hell yeah. No, genuinely, it's really up. I really, really feel terrible for those people. I really, really feel awful for them. It's like even people who have US Citizenship are being picked up. There's no rhyme or reason to the whole thing. It's really what you think about them.

[Andrew Schulz]

Venezuelan bo.

[Mo Amer]

I didn't read much about it recently. It's just the bombing of. Is it. You talking about the drug?

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah. Game of Battleship.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, game of Battleship. I don't know what that. I honestly, genuinely don't know. I didn't read about it.

[Andrew Schulz]

Take this seriously.

[Mo Amer]

I'm not very informed about it, to be honest with you, but it seems kind of like, yeah, these are fucking drug ship. And you just start shooting them down. It's like, how do we know they're drug ships?

[Andrew Schulz]

Exactly.

[Mo Amer]

That's my point. And what drugs? It's crazy.

[Andrew Schulz]

Also, some drugs is a great point. We might want to let up in here.

[Mo Amer]

Yes, they do very well. They do let all that up in here. I mean, the only reason why they were mad at Escobar because nobody was getting a piece of that money. That's why all the cash was disappearing. They didn't give a fuck that thousands of murders were occurring in Miami. They were like, wait, wait, wait. Where's the cash at? That's where the cash at. Hold on. See? Irs. But there's so many dead people. Yeah, yeah. Where's the cash at?

[Andrew Schulz]

So should we let drug dealers pay taxes?

[Mo Amer]

I think that's already happening. They probably don't even pay taxes.

[Andrew Schulz]

It's called the pharmaceutical industry. Oh, yeah.

[Mo Amer]

Trash. It's like Walgreens. Pisses me off. It's like, we don't sell cigarettes, but we have fentanyl talk that. You feel like that. Oh, we'll never sell cigarettes. Every single addictive drug. Synthetic heroin in the back. You could like it, but God forbid you have some nicotine.

[Mark Gagnon]

I just found out most smoke cigarettes, and this really bothers me.

[Mo Amer]

Are you serious?

[Andrew Schulz]

You smoke?

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, I smoke. Yeah, I smoke cigarettes as a smoker.

[Mark Gagnon]

Oh, I do remember.

[Mo Amer]

I'm having a hard time right now.

[Andrew Schulz]

Do you want to have a smoker?

[Mo Amer]

Let's get the Medra. Get them.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh, you don't know about the Medwach, man.

[Mo Amer]

Oh, you told me the. The stick with the little filter.

[Andrew Schulz]

Listen, white guy, let me tell you.

[Mo Amer]

About the middle, okay?

[Andrew Schulz]

Do you want to have an actual real Middle Eastern smoke?

[Mo Amer]

What are you talking about?

[Mark Gagnon]

Put you on your ass, dude.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, the DOA thing. No, I'm not smoking.

[Andrew Schulz]

It's too strong.

[Mo Amer]

No, I smoke real weed, but nobody needs that. It's like tobacco with the wooden pipe and. Oh, that is Fire. That's a substitute for. For weed. That's what that is. Which DOA means like being dizzy.

[Andrew Schulz]

Got it.

[Mo Amer]

Or we got to get the gat. The. The yemini G. You ever try that before? I want to try that. Hey, look at me.

[Andrew Schulz]

I got about.

[Mo Amer]

You. Shut the up, Dude. I hate that. I want to try it every time I ask the guy.

[Andrew Schulz]

I hate that.

[Mo Amer]

Y' all cry about racism all time. Takes it. I'm not taking his take.

[Andrew Schulz]

I really like you people. Second, white people take an interest in your culture.

[Mo Amer]

It's like, but that's me.

[Mark Gagnon]

I don't.

[Andrew Schulz]

I know you don't want it.

[Mo Amer]

I know. I. I'm judging you.

[Andrew Schulz]

I'm judging you.

[Mo Amer]

I really like culture.

[Andrew Schulz]

How do you feel about the pandering?

[Mo Amer]

Do you approve of the pandering? It's taking his pandering. I think he's taking interest in genuinely trying. I think it's really cool. It's not your culture. Stop speaking for me, Indian. Yeah, Just joking.

[Andrew Schulz]

That was two middle eas, sir. I got passport in his pocket. You not leaving.

[Mo Amer]

You're not leaving this country. Which camera? I have nothing.

[Mark Gagnon]

Matter of fact, I'm finishing his roof.

[Mo Amer]

After this, which, by the way, it's leaking. This is a mistake.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yo, we're just out here trying to have cultural exchange.

[Mo Amer]

No, genuinely. Genuinely.

[Andrew Schulz]

What's your favorite white thing?

[Mo Amer]

Ooh, my favorite white thing? Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

His wife, man.

[Mo Amer]

Let me tell you something, bro. I was waiting. I was so glad I didn't have to do it. I'm so glad I didn't. I'mma FaceTime my wife. Listen, listen. I'm about to Will Smith somebody. I'm about to Will Smith a Right now. We're proud.

[Andrew Schulz]

We love the fact that Will Smith.

[Mo Amer]

To keep my wife st your mouth.

[Andrew Schulz]

My wife is white too, bro.

[Mo Amer]

Yes, It's. Yeah. Out here. Out here. Out here.

[Andrew Schulz]

No, come on, bro. For real.

[Mo Amer]

Out here.

[Andrew Schulz]

Listen, my culture is not your costume, bro.

[Mo Amer]

What do you mean?

[Andrew Schulz]

Don't be out of here.

[Mo Amer]

Forget about it.

[Andrew Schulz]

Don't. Out of here.

[Mo Amer]

I was Italian after 9, 11. That's not Italian months.

[Andrew Schulz]

That's New York.

[Mo Amer]

New York Italian. How you doing?

[Andrew Schulz]

That's. That's New York. Italians don't talk like that in Italy.

[Mark Gagnon]

In Jersey, though. All American Italians.

[Andrew Schulz]

This is. This is a New York I got.

[Mo Amer]

So get about. Is that what you want? Okay, cool. Yeah. Congratulations.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah. Like that.

[Mo Amer]

I know which one you like. Y. That's more like.

[Andrew Schulz]

Don't you agree with it?

[Mo Amer]

No, no, no. That's what you want. I just wanted to make you feel more comfortable. Haven't you been know 10 years? Haven't you watching, like not doing it. Which camera do I look at? Nothing to do with this. Nothing to do with this.

[Andrew Schulz]

No.

[Mark Gagnon]

Watching the speech is like, yeah, that is our conference.

[Mo Amer]

No, that's up. I'm not dealing with none of this. This is up.

[Andrew Schulz]

You walked in the door.

[Mo Amer]

I know, it's crazy.

[Andrew Schulz]

Everything's going so good. Top three white countries. Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

Top three white countries.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah.

[Mark Gagnon]

I. I don't know about country, but London, great white city. Even though we taking that over, got.

[Andrew Schulz]

To give that to English.

[Mark Gagnon]

They own the buildings, we got the people.

[Mo Amer]

That's true. That's true. I do like make it way more vibey. Okay, so England, Holland is great. Amsterdam in particular is really a fun name. Copenhagen is really a spectacular.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh, Copenhagen. There you go.

[Mo Amer]

Indiana is great too. Amazing. You would like. I liked it a lot. I liked it a lot, bro. I had went to Source. I was really pleasantly surprise in Vienna. No, we just did the tour there and we had a tour stop there. It was really awesome, man.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh, no way.

[Mo Amer]

It was such, such a great city, man.

[Andrew Schulz]

You go to his childhood home.

[Mo Amer]

Dublin was fire. No out of here. I didn't even know he's from there, actually, now that you say that. Who? The dj. DJ kh. Your friend, your pen pal. I heard he lives in Argentina.

[Andrew Schulz]

No, he might.

[Mo Amer]

He might, bro. You think you got.

[Mark Gagnon]

Why you think Andrew Spanish?

[Mo Amer]

Yeah. He sent you guys messages right out.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh, I thought that was Cambodia.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

What was that? It was a prayer.

[Mo Amer]

Yes. You have to like, you know, you had to balance out, being balanced.

[Andrew Schulz]

Got to cleanse. Can you give us a good prayer? Can you give us a good quick one?

[Mo Amer]

What do you mean, a good prayer? There's many good prayers.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah, you just give one.

[Mo Amer]

I mean, a prayer is. A prayer is something within yourself to between you and God. Like there's things that I say to myself all the time, like just praying with God. There's that, you know.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay, so that's personal.

[Mo Amer]

You.

[Andrew Schulz]

That's your personal.

[Mo Amer]

I like. Brilliant. Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

What about that one, brother? What is that?

[Mo Amer]

You haven't seen this? No. Oh, this is the best dude ever. What is this?

[Andrew Schulz]

I think he's like, yeah, While you get that up. While you get that up. Let me ask you a question. Fast forward, fast forward. Okay.

[Mo Amer]

Holy. Listen, while you get that up. Let me start on something while you.

[Andrew Schulz]

Get that up, right?

[Mo Amer]

Yeah. Pause.

[Andrew Schulz]

Do you watch. Do you watch Arab prank videos at all?

[Mo Amer]

Arab prank Videos? Yes. No.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh, the little dude. I can't. It's like, there's certain things that are just so incredible. I can't believe it's not part of your algorithm.

[Mo Amer]

Oh, that's crazy. Yeah, yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

You don't watch this at all.

[Mo Amer]

No, no, let me try to find them. It's. I need. It needs to be on my algorithm. I need to switch it up for sure.

[Andrew Schulz]

All right. There's always a little person. There's always a little guy, and that's why. What I was gonna ask.

[Mo Amer]

I'm such a fan of. This is the Arab dude. The little Arab guy. Well, no, no, not.

[Andrew Schulz]

Not. You're thinking of who. Because that guy's.

[Mo Amer]

No, no, he's not Arab. Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

This is one of the.

[Mo Amer]

Oh, I've seen this guy.

[Andrew Schulz]

These guys are sensational.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah. They said this guy is awesome, but.

[Andrew Schulz]

There'S three of them that are like a crew.

[Mo Amer]

I've seen a video where he's dancing and he's hilarious. They always smack this guy. It's such an Arab thing. Just smack the back of the neck. Yeah.

[Mark Gagnon]

Wait, can I see this?

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, please.

[Andrew Schulz]

I don't know. I don't know this one, but. Go, go.

[Mo Amer]

It's not even that neck. Oh, he's about to get rocked. Oh, my God. He's praying to God, bro. He's like, alhamdulillah. He's about to rock. But I love the other dudes, like, y'. All. This is very. This is a very Arab thing. Like.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh.

[Mo Amer]

Like, he's just, like, swearing to God, like, it's about to go down. You know what I mean? It's a thing to it. That made me happy, but the rest of it really sucked. It was really. You want this part of my algorithm? Get the out of here. Way better things in my algorithm really should be part of your algorithm. Nobody wants to see this. No, this guy's a. I don't know which part is. Oh, yeah, it's at the very top. This is like.

[Andrew Schulz]

I think he's from Australia, New Zealand.

[Mo Amer]

But he's in a. Mom that does.

[Andrew Schulz]

These speeches.

[Mo Amer]

Live simple lives.

[Andrew Schulz]

Brother.

[Mo Amer]

Pause. I can't. I can't. Yeah, we don't know. Funny.

[Andrew Schulz]

We don't know what he's feeling about.

[Mo Amer]

So we about to. Yeah, Yeah. I don't want to do that.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

I just don't like making fun of religious figures and stuff like that. But I think it's really funny, though.

[Mark Gagnon]

He trying to make fun of it.

[Mo Amer]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Andrew Schulz]

That.

[Mo Amer]

Ooh, brother is hilarious. Though, E, I already know these.

[Andrew Schulz]

He knows this went crazy viral.

[Mo Amer]

He has to.

[Andrew Schulz]

He knows it.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah. He knows he's probably going to keep doing it. Like he's addicted to it now. He wants to keep doing it.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

He must be Australian or something like that. I don't know. I couldn't tell from. I didn't hear any. You for the white woman. Ew.

[Andrew Schulz]

Ooh.

[Mo Amer]

And then she convert to Islam. Then you bring them over to us, to the path, you know, Is there any pressure infiltrate the DNA?

[Andrew Schulz]

All right, guys, let's take a break for a second. When it comes to supplements, you already know there's a lot of misinformation out there. Fake claims, like, honestly, I don't even want to make this about misinform information or fake claims. These grooms gummy bears are actually good for you and they taste delicious. Just imagine you could have delicious gummy bear that has all the things that you need, okay? The proper dosing to ensure that you have an optimized and safe life. You're probably taking supplements from these other places. You're pouring them in your water, whatever. They suck, they taste horrible. Why not just have the delicious gummy bear bears? We go through them, they send boxes to the office, and in a few days they're absolutely gone. Is it proven product? Multivitamin, greens, powder, prebiotic. It's got all of them. Okay. And at a fraction of the price, a fraction of the price, you're going to be. It's going to be nice and affordable to you. Also, you don't have to take some, like, big tub anywhere you go. You throw these little packets on your little trip. You go on a little trip to Europe, you grab some groons packets, you're eating them on the plane. You feel good about your snacking, okay? It's low sugar, gut healthy, has immunity, cognition, benefits. You want a supplement you could enjoy. This isn't a chore. It's something that you'll look forward to. So go to www.groons.co. get up to 52% off. Use the code flagrance now. Let's get back to the show. All right, guys, let's take a break for a second. I need to talk to you about sleep. Something I am very deprived of. Something that I need desperately, desperately. Okay? The most crucial thing in your life, probably sleep. How can we maximize this? How can we get a little bit more of it? How about bed sheets? You get a pair of cozy earth bed sheets, okay? They're temperature regulating. Why is that important? Because you don't want to get hot when you're in that bed. You sleep worse when you're hot. You want everything to be cooled down. They're naturally wicking away heat and moisture from your body helping you sleep several degrees cooler. It's going to get you deeper, longer, longer sleep. They also have a bubble cuddle blanket. This blanket offers a combination of comfort and style and distinctively textured bubble design. Intricately woven with ultra soft fibers, these sheets and blankets are guaranteed to give you a comfortable night of sleep. If you don't believe me, they have a hundred night guarantee. Try them out. If you don't love them, return them hassle free. They also have a 10 year warranty so you won't waste money buying new bed sheets multiple times a year. So head to cozyearth.com and use our code flagrant for up to 20% off. And if you get a post purchase survey, make sure to let them know that you heard about Cozy Earth right here. Now let's get back to the show. Once somebody is Muslim, right? Like would there be any? Because that is the identity that I imagine supersedes everything. Obviously ethnicity is incredibly important. It's history, it's, you know, you know, food is everything. But if somebody is Muslim and they are white or they're black or they're Asian or whatever it is, would that matter to certain families?

[Mo Amer]

It does not matter at all, bro. Like there is like there is cultural things that do exist but to Islam itself, if you look up the last, if you look up the last sermon of the Prophet Muhammad, it'll blow your mind.

[Mark Gagnon]

What does he say?

[Mo Amer]

It'll literally blow your mind. I just don't want to do it any disservice but essentially is that, you know, the last thing, the big thing in Islam is like don't misquote thing or mislead. It's very, very important to be clear and concept on things. But one of them is like, you know, basically an Arab doesn't have a right over another Arab or a white over another white or a black black over another black. It's just like basically described like was.

[Andrew Schulz]

This a thing that impacted Muhammad Ali?

[Mark Gagnon]

Malcolm.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh, sorry. Malcolm.

[Mo Amer]

Malcolm.

[Andrew Schulz]

That's right.

[Mo Amer]

When he went to Hajj. Yeah, when he went to Hajj and he saw everybody wearing the same, you know, same attire. There was no like distinction of who's rich and who's poor or whatever. Everybody's in the same in so many colors. Like everyone, every walk of life. And this doesn't exist like In Arab culture, like, you know, like, you just, you know, they're all Arabs. You don't think like, oh, it's a black. This is a very American Westernized thing. It didn't exist in our psy. I mean, it did to a degree because Prophet Muhammad did acknowledge it and say very clear parameters, like, nobody has a right over anybody else. That's very, very clear. But then after that, it's just like, you're just Arab, bro. You speak Arabic. I don't look at it like, that's a black guy that speaks Arabic. Well, that's a white guy that speaks Arabic. That's a more Western thing. Yeah, it's a Western thing completely. It's not within our psyche at all.

[Andrew Schulz]

Can you speak about the first time you did the Hajj? Is that what you said?

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, I've never done Hajj, but I've done it Omrah.

[Andrew Schulz]

What is the difference?

[Mo Amer]

Omrah is like the shorter version that you could do off, you know, outside of Hajj time. So Hajj happens like three months after, so, you know, so to speak. Almost three months. It's since we deal with the lunar calendar. So after Ramadan, there'll be like, Daed and then there's the big Eid, which Eid Al Adha. And that's around the time everybody goes to Hajj.

[Andrew Schulz]

So if you go to Mecca, not during that time, it's called Umrah. Umrah.

[Mo Amer]

Umrah, yeah. Which is a much shorter condensed.

[Andrew Schulz]

But you saw and you.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, I've done this. Yeah, I've done this. After my brother died, I went, what. Took my. Took my family with me. And then I went a second time a few months later. It just happened like four or four months. Four or five months later. And then I went on this past trip, I took my son and wife with me.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay.

[Mo Amer]

It was amazing.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah.

[Mark Gagnon]

Can you.

[Mo Amer]

It was one of the hardest things I've done on this particular trip. It was just really, really tough with my son and everything. But it's amazing how the kid, like, knew, like, he knew he was in the presence of something.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

He just immediately started praising. It was so instinctual. It was so dope. Because it's a kid. I never taught him, like, hey, make sure you do this, do that. He just walked in and, like, knew. It was so amazing.

[Mark Gagnon]

What is so powerful about it? I had a friend who did it and his whole. He just changed his whole life after he came back. Mother SHAMI COMEDIAN but what is so powerful?

[Mo Amer]

All about it, I think from Each person is. It'll vary, but from outspeak, from my own experience is that, you know, this is like the center of the world. And you know that all the prophets existed in, like, at some point in time. And you know that there's a tremendous amount of significance of being there. And also the presence of everyone there, the. The gathering itself, and then know, knowing that just, it's. It's a spiritual thing you can't really describe fully, but I have the meaning for it. You know, it's like you get there and it's just like you just caught.

[Andrew Schulz]

Up in the energy.

[Mo Amer]

The energy is just so palpable, you know, and once you do that, once you go through it, and sometimes it's really, really hard. Like, it was this past trip and you, you know, there's a lot of things you're not supposed to do. Like, you can't. You can't go there angry. You can't go there mad. You can't, like, kill any, like, lizard or roach or anything. You can't kill anything. You have to be, like, super pure and in a positive mindset. And you have to wash before you even go into Mecca and change the tire and put on the Haram. And it has no stitching in it. It's all just like 100%, like this cotton covering. You just go in and you're just naked. You just have nothing except you and God and all these people. And just having my son there with me and my wife was just really incredible, incredible experience. And it's just so moving. And you're supposed to go from there to Medina and visit the Prophet's mosque. It's incredible. I can't. I can't. It's very. You have to just do it to experience it. Even Medina is one of the safest places on Earth. According to insurance companies, it's the safest place on earth for women to go anywhere on planet Earth.

[Andrew Schulz]

Can you tell me about the first time you went? Like, I imagine. How old were you at that time?

[Mo Amer]

First time I went, it wasn't that long. It was three years ago.

[Andrew Schulz]

Go, okay. I imagine your entire life, you built up what this experience is going to be, the emotions that you would have. You know, what is happening, like, the day before, what is happening when you show up that day? Like, are you nervous? Are you excited?

[Mo Amer]

Are you nervous about even getting back in the U.S. no. Well, no, at that point, you're like, nothing like that about that experience.

[Andrew Schulz]

Like, compared to what you built it up to be, to what everybody had told you about like, that's a really good question. Are you chasing the emotion of it or is it overwhelming you? Like what, what happens the day you arrive?

[Mo Amer]

Well, for me again, me, I was stripped down to zero. You know, my brother had just passed like maybe two or 15 days prior. It was a complete out of nowhere. He was the healthiest one, he was a pilot. He was just so nobody saw it coming, you know, he like texted us, I'll hit you guys, I'm charging my phone, I'm at the hospital getting a checkup, my chest, whatever. And then the next call we got that he was dead. So it just like changed my entire world, all of us, you know. So when I went there I had a different energy completely. I was just like, you know, I'm in this position where I'm like, I don't want to say like the leader of the family, but I am like in a way. And so my mom depend. Everybody depends on me in a way. And I'm just thinking about his kids, his wife, all these things. And so I wasn't really thinking about like, oh, I was more like, I'm taking my mother for her heart, I'm taking his kids. Whoever wants to come with me, whoever wants to come. It wasn't about mtl, it was about them, it was about everybody else. And to me being of service to my mother, it's a big deal. And to be able to push my mom to do the laps, the seven laps was a big deal. So all that is there like culminates to the experience, you know, just brings it all together for me. But it was deeply, deeply powerful. And actually that's why I prayed for my son. Like I prayed, I didn't know. I said God, please. And I don't really say this publicly but I said like, you know, you know, just thinking about my brother passing and my sister was sick at the time too. We just found out about her diagnosis. Diagnosis, it was just like, if it's good for me and give me a son and a great wife or, you know, a child and a great wife and a family, if it's not good for me, please don't give it to me. Eight months later I was, you know, pregnant, expecting a child. Wow. Yeah, so it was just that, it was just that like being there for the family. But it's like you gotta be, it's depending on which space you're in. And some people go and it's like forced and it's a. Some people do that and then you say Allah, Adam. It's only. Only God knows what's in their hearts and what they're intending, intentions are. But for me, it was. It was deeply, deeply powerful. Easily. One of the greatest things I've ever done in my life. Taking my mom there after my brother passed and all this.

[Andrew Schulz]

When you're there and you're doing the. The laps is. Does somebody tell, Forgive me, I'm ignorant to this, but does somebody tell you where you can stand? Can you go up and be closer to it?

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, you can, you can. You can be as close as you want to it. You can. And there's, you know, there's people that are overwhelmed by it. There's a lot of different emotions. There's a lot of different emotions. I'm more of like, I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to like, try to topple people. I just think it's very important to just be as controlled and as balanced as possible and to see it and appreciate it. And if there's room to go and I don't need to do. I don't feel the need to have to go and touch it and do all this because I just see so much chaos over there and everyone just kind of. Which I don't agree with.

[Andrew Schulz]

Disrupt you.

[Mo Amer]

Everybody's feeling a certain thing and you don't know what emotions they're going through. I lost my sister, my brother. This guy could have lost his whole family. I mean, you don't even know what loss people are going through, what mindset they're at or what reasons they're doing it for. So you don't, you know, I just try to stay in my own lane and just think and then just think.

[Andrew Schulz]

If you're not of the faith, are you allowed to go?

[Mo Amer]

No.

[Andrew Schulz]

No, you're not. When people go there, are they going there with a prayer in mind, per se? Are they going there to like, maybe seek advice or a message? Like, is it both?

[Mo Amer]

I think it's all of the things together. Like number one is that you're going there to purify your heart and essentially cleanse yourself. And so there's things that you follow while you're there, things you can say while you're going around. And there's ways to do that. But really what it boils down to is being as like internal about us, like being really from the heart and having your intention with the. The divine. You know, that's really, really what it's about. It's like you can just keep talking to God while you're Walking around. Sure. There's things, there is an actual, you know, things you can say on the way there while you're going around. There's is like things you can do 100% in the end. Like you have to be like your intention and with God and the things that you say and things you should pray for and ask for, that's the most important thing. It's like you being like in tune with the divine in a corporate. And I keep saying like divine and God. It's like the way I was taught it was like your incomprehension of God is your comprehension of God.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah. Acknowledging that you can't possibly comprehend it.

[Mo Amer]

Exactly, exactly, exactly. Like if you try to describe what God is, your brain should short circuit.

[Andrew Schulz]

Exactly.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah. It's too much for your comprehension. Exactly, exactly.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

It's easily one of the greatest things I've ever done in my life. It was hardest, one of the hardest things. And the first one you do, you do it, you have to do it for yourself. And then the other times you do it, you can do it on behalf of, of others, you know, like people who couldn't go, oh, you can make the intention to do that. Yeah. Oh wow. This was my third time I made an intention for someone else, you know, and you go and do it on their behalf at this point going, people must know you like, they must be so familiar with you or people stopping you while you're actually sometimes they smiley but this a very respectful thing to be honest. I'll get messages after. Like I saw it, I saw you brother, but I didn't want to interrupt you. Is a very, very sweet thing.

[Andrew Schulz]

They're also probably hyped too.

[Mo Amer]

They're hyped too. They're in tune. But they see you and then sometimes it breaks that focus a little bit. But for the most part it's. Everyone is there for a particular purpose and they understand that. So they don't really interrupt that at all. It's very cool. They don't really, really don't. And actually most of them were just thrilled to see my son. He was the main attraction, you know what I mean? Just seeing this not even 2 year old go around, it's such a blessed thing. Kids are like, they see this as like he's like the innocent, the purest one. So they, he was, he was getting way more attention than I was, you know, and I was praying for him most of the time. Praying for him, my wife and those I've lost before.

[Andrew Schulz]

Why is that place specifically so important? Like, what is the historical significance of it?

[Mo Amer]

Is that that's the first place of worship ever, you know, ever in the Muslim religion? Yes. Yeah. In all religions. Yeah. Abraham. Prophet Abraham.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh, I didn't know that. It went back to Abraham.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh, wow. Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

Yo, Abraham built the Kaaba. Yes, I believe so.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh, wow. So that's.

[Mo Amer]

Fact check me on this. But I'm pretty sure that's exactly what it is because he's the one who. So this is the source.

[Andrew Schulz]

This is the first.

[Mo Amer]

He saw the moon. He saw the oneness of God and the monotheistic belief in religion. And he. The story in Islam is like, he saw these statues and he broke all the statues and then he put the hammer around the big statue and everyone's like, oh, my God, the big statue, you know, destroyed all. He's like, what are you talking about? I did this. Like, you know, this is ridiculous. But it's interesting. It just kind of broke the. That whole moat. You're looking that up. Wow.

[Andrew Schulz]

That's temple. So.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, he.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay. No, Abraham did not build the first temple. King Solomon built it. It's supposed to be built by Abraham and Ishmail. Yeah, Abraham and Ishmael built that. The temple.

[Mo Amer]

The cab. Yeah, the cab. The. Is Islamic text. Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

Wow. And then what would the difference be a Kaaba compared to a temple compared to.

[Mo Amer]

It's a place of worship? I mean, it's like, I don't. Again, like, it's one of those things that I don't want to misspeak. It's very, very important that I keep it clear. But do your research. Do the thing. And I'd love to talk about it more clearly, but this is like, different setting for that. You know what I mean?

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Wow. Oh, I didn't know that it went all the way back to.

[Mo Amer]

Oh, yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

Source.

[Mo Amer]

Oh, yeah, yeah. It's been destroyed and rebuilt and destroyed. Rebuilt. This many, obviously many things that have happened throughout history since then, but it's a extremely, you know, powerful place for sure. And.

[Andrew Schulz]

And are. Are like Christians and Jews. Do.

[Mo Amer]

Do they.

[Andrew Schulz]

Do they also revere that place?

[Mo Amer]

Like Christian and Jews will go to Jerusalem. Right.

[Andrew Schulz]

That's what I've always seen that, like.

[Mo Amer]

Jerusalem will go to Jerusalem. So used to be like pilgrimage would. Would go to Jerusalem until the Prophet Muhammad changed the Kaaba. Sorry, the. Excuse me. The. The direction of prayer.

[Andrew Schulz]

I feel the pressure that you have to get this right.

[Mo Amer]

No, it's really important.

[Andrew Schulz]

I know it's important to you, and I can Feel that.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

And there's this part of me that's. I really empathize with that because I can see how important it is to you, and you don't want to get it wrong.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, of course not. But it's very important. Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

But I do know for a fact he used to pray towards Jerusalem, and then it was changed to Mecca. To Mecca, yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

So the prophet, peace be upon him, he says that this is going to be the new place because it was the original place.

[Mo Amer]

Yes.

[Andrew Schulz]

And this is where. Oh, wow, wow, wow.

[Mo Amer]

But to be there. Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

But Jews and Christians, don't they look at Jerusalem as more.

[Mo Amer]

Yes, they look at Jerusalem. Yeah. Jerusalem. They go to Bethlehem and Nazareth, obviously. Birthplace, Jesus. Yeah, exactly.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh, wow.

[Mo Amer]

We don't also have the same obligation for like, a Hajj that Muslims have.

[Andrew Schulz]

That there's, like, an actual specific place to go to. Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

And I think that there's a connection with that. They do feel that way. Like it is some sort of, like, pilgrimage to them. But the idea is that I, you know, the. The idea is that Christians. And it's a beautiful thing. You know, there's a lot of Palestinian Christians, too. Like, where do you think it came from? You know what I'm saying? So. So it's like, there's a lot of brown people. You're welcome. And. And that's where they go. They would go visit Bethlehem, Nazareth, of course, and. And they would tour those lands.

[Andrew Schulz]

I will say, when I. I went.

[Mo Amer]

To Jerusalem, it's a beautiful thing.

[Andrew Schulz]

And like, I, again, I obviously never been to Mecca, but, like, what you were describing in terms of, like, the intensity of the worship there, like, everybody there is like, it's game time.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

This is the thing that I believe. And we're talking about everybody, right?

[Mo Amer]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

This is the thing that matters to me the most. And I love it and I appreciate it, and I'm in the presence of it right now. And it was. It was quite overwhelming, that feeling. Yeah, it was quite overwhelming.

[Mo Amer]

It is.

[Andrew Schulz]

And someone who did not grow up religious at all, I was, like, caught up in it in a way that I've never experienced anything else.

[Mo Amer]

It's incredible, man. It's like, really a profound feeling that you have, and it's just like the energy, you know, it's a real thing that many people coming together for this sole purpose of just, like, being faithful and their belief in God is just a beautiful thing. Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

This transmission to a higher power. Yeah. Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

It's incredible. It's incredible. And I remember being so torn up because I was visiting my family in the west bank, and my aunt, you know, she doesn't have the same freedom as I would because I have a US Passport. She was just begging for me to put her in a dish.

[Andrew Schulz]

Take me with you, please, to go back home.

[Mo Amer]

Put me in the trunk to go to Jerusalem.

[Andrew Schulz]

Witness it.

[Mo Amer]

They can't go freely. You have to get permits. They're usually denied, like, and they're right there because it is all separated by the apartheid wall.

[Andrew Schulz]

Oh, yeah. Let me. The Jews are telling you to stop talking. Okay, cool. Talking too much.

[Mo Amer]

Shut down the mic. Shut down the mic. But I take. So, yeah, it's like. It's a very painful thing for me, you know, because I grew up with these stories from my mother and talking about my grandfather and those stories of, like, where, you know, there's so many Palestinian Christians and, of course, there's Palestinian Jews and Muslims as the majority, but it was not the life that I see today. And what. That. What has turned into today is really, really disheartening.

[Andrew Schulz]

Do you have that thing that it's.

[Mo Amer]

Called, say the least. My heart is shattered, bro.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah. Survivor's guilt.

[Mo Amer]

Have you heard of that?

[Andrew Schulz]

That term?

[Mo Amer]

Oh, I just. I don't know about survivor's guilt and all this.

[Andrew Schulz]

It's a term.

[Mo Amer]

I know. I know. I've heard of it. Yeah. I think about it as just. It's just like. I don't know about survivor's guilt, but I feel like my heart is shattered, and I just, you know, you think that it can't get worse, and it does, and you feel helpless. So the best way that I can contribute in any kind of way, because I do believe in a unifying rather than like, being just like, this instigator. There's too many of that going on. So it's just, like, really, really important for me to share, like, really grounded stories from where I come from and what it is. I don't call it survivor's guilt because, you know, I don't. I don't think that's. My parents were just trying to do the right thing and have a future for me. So as they thought coming to Texas was the best thing. Yeah. You know, and it has been. And it has been. And I. And didn't it. It was the best thing, like.

[Andrew Schulz]

Absolutely. In terms of your impact, like, could your parents ever imagine the impact that you've had on your pen. People's lives?

[Mo Amer]

My mom is blown away. This is what I ended. Coming to Houston, Texas could have that Type of impact, Never. Nobody saw a car. My father passed when I was 14, so I don't. I know that he would be wildly proud of it. Like, insanely proud. He would be, like, humorous, but not only proudly blown away. Astonished. Astonished. Does your mom tell everybody that you're her son? My mom doesn't really talk. Like, she's very. My mom is very protective. She's old school like this. But this is when I knew I was famous. For real? For real. My mom got a WhatsApp video of me, and they didn't know they were forwarding it to my mom.

[Mark Gagnon]

Wow.

[Mo Amer]

You know what I mean? They're like, have you seen this guy? You know what I'm saying? This one. I was like, couple times. WhatsApp family, bro. What are those views like on WhatsApp? Those WhatsApp immigrant views are crazy.

[Andrew Schulz]

You hit that.

[Mo Amer]

I was like, you making it, bro? I made it. For real. If my mom is getting WhatsApp, have you seen this guy? Incredible. Because there was a few moments where I do showcase the village that we come from in my series end and my second special, Muhammad in Texas, where I go back to our village, and it was just such a profound and funny story at the same time. I went to the mosque, and I was just like. I was like, oh, my God. So my father prayed, my grandfather prayed. It was the first time I ever went there in 2009 when I was allowed to go back. And I get there and I do a quick little prayer there, and I'm thinking, and I'm waiting for Maghreb to prayer to go off. And then this guy goes, hey, it's time for Maghreb prayer. Do the call to pr. I was like, no, I'm not doing the call to prayer. He's like, no, no. Do the call to prayer. I was like, I don't want to do it. He's like, you have a beard. I was like, what the hell does it matter if I have a beard or not? I don't want to do the call. It's a lot of pressure to do the call to prayer to the entire village. And they finally forced. He's like, just do it. I'm like, okay, I'll do it. You know, it's one of those things. And I get on the mic and I do the call to prayer. I'm just, like, overwhelmed. I was like, oh, my God. And this guy comes right in, right? Who did the call to prayer like this? And everybody sells me out, Even my cousin. He's like, this guy I was like, wait, wait, wait, wait. They made me do the call to prayer. Why? He was like, wait, you did it 10 minutes early. I was like, that's not what the clock says. He goes, that clock is 10 minutes ahead. I was like, bro, how the hell am I supposed to do this? Why don't y' all fix the clock? It's a digital clock. I'm sure just a couple of buttons will fit the whole situation. And he was like, wait a second. I know everybody in this village. Who are you? I've never seen you before. I tell him my name. He goes, huh? He goes, who's your father? I tell him, my father is. He gets so quiet. He goes, oh, man. He goes, mustafa. He goes, you know who installed the sound system in here?

[Andrew Schulz]

No way. No way.

[Mo Amer]

Crazy.

[Andrew Schulz]

Holy.

[Mo Amer]

Lost it. Not in that moment, but I had to walk away, and I'm just like, holy. Intense. That is wild. But it became a whole story. My mom found out about it immediately. She called me up, yo, you doing call to prayer 10 minutes early. You know, like a whole thing. But they didn't know, like, how. And I have it all on video. So I put it in, like, in my encore in the Muhammad, Texas special. It was just. So then I reenacted it, like, in the series and episode eight.

[Mark Gagnon]

Yeah, I saw that scene. Season two.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

Beautiful. It was really, really dope, man. So it's just, like, things like that. I think comedy sincerely has, like, saved my life, where being generationally displaced has allowed me to, like, rekindle all my family across the world. Being a perform in all these different places around the planet has created, like, this situation for me where I'm, like, the glue to keep everybody together. Yeah. I didn't choose to do it. It just chose me. And to be in that position has really been priceless. And the fact that I get to share with my son now is just amazing. Forget about it.

[Andrew Schulz]

Is there, like, your relationship with America? Right.

[Mo Amer]

Like.

[Andrew Schulz]

Like, you've had so much success, and you've been able to not only create a career that is incredibly successful, but, like, on your own terms of success, while at the same time, there are things that, as America has done around the world that has deeply impacted your family.

[Mo Amer]

Sure.

[Andrew Schulz]

Like, how are you juggling that? You go, is there a part of you that internally. Yeah. Like, are you. I imagine there's part of you that's, like, very angry about it, but then maybe. Is there a part of you that's, like, very grateful for some of the things that America provides of Course, first.

[Mo Amer]

Of all, I'm American, you know, so it's like that's happened. First of all, it's really important to note, you know, like, I am American and I am also Palestinian. So it's like those are a balance that needs to happen inside, both internally. And what I did was, is like, especially after 9 11, like I started staying up in 95. I was a little teenager, bro. Like little. I was 13 years old or not even 14 yet. And I was. After my father died, I was just like doing stand up in class and all that. Fast forward to me doing stand up in the clubs. I realized very quickly, like, I'm the only one here. There's nobody else, you know. This is the laugh spot. It was one of the clubs I started at back then is laugh stop, Laugh spot in the comedy showcase. And I used to go to these clubs and there was not a mother. Most of them were Arab in sight, you know, and all the white communities just wanted to be Bill Hicks and Sam can, you know, like, that was the whole crews that were there. And I didn't even know who these guys were. Yeah, I've been in the country like eight years. I don't even know. They're like, you don't know that? What the fuck's wrong? You know, it was that thing. So I realized that there's a tremendous responsibility there. And also like, oh, I'm the first guy. This is, this is a huge responsibility. It's cool. But also like, you better be fucking good. And then after 9 11, he did this hard, hard switch where I was like, oh, there's even a bigger responsibility now because I got invited to go do shows in. In Germany, Italy and Sicily for U. S. Troops in April of 2001. I was like 19 years old. They give me this day. I didn't even have a passport. I had a refugee travel document. Wow. I go do these shows. I didn't even know. Like, I had to. I went to the German consulate the day I'm flying out. I was like, I need a visa. He's like, what are you stupid? Like, you're supposed to be here way before he goes, but. But you're in luck. He goes. The travel document that's issued by the United States does not require a visa to enter Germany. And today the schengen law goes into effect that when you fly into a European country, you can fly in domestically everywhere else. I mean, what are the chances of that? I went, did that whole tour doing shows with US military. Crazy had a different meaning to it. Then five months later, 9, 11 happens. Shanghai shifts. I was booked to do Japan, Korea, Guam, these military tours there. And then they canceled me. They were like, oh, you know, we're worried about your safety. I was like, my safety, Nobody, Nothing's gonna happen. I believed in it. I was like, oh. It was really a moment where I was scared to be myself. And I thought, like, the best approach is to go do these shows. I could be myself in front of them. I could be myself in front of anybody. And it was really. And I ended up doing it. They loved me so much. They made. Brought me back three years in a row. And I was able to connect with so many soldiers there and realized very quickly, like, America occupies the entire planet, you know. And once I started realizing this, and then I got invited to go to Kuwait and Iraq, the very place that I was, you know, that I fled from. Couldn't turn that down. I was like, I gotta go do this. This was before I even was a citizen. So I had to like, mislead the immigration officer to get into the country.

[Andrew Schulz]

Wow.

[Mo Amer]

I just spoke perfect English. Like, oh, well, I don't know where. Doing shows for US Groups here and this and that. And I end up at Saddam Hussein's palace, which was converted into a hotel. And it's just like, you know, experiencing that, being able to. To. To resolve everything that was going on in my heart and communicate with all these soldiers on such a human level. And realizing that these guys didn't even want to be there and realized they were also miscellaneous led in such a significant way is, you know, somehow made me feel more at ease about it. And I was doing shows, but there was like all these US Soldiers here and there was like Iraqi soldiers up there. I was flipping into Arabic, those guys were laughing. I'll come back to English. Those guys are laughing. But then Americans are like, yo, would we trust this guy? And I start talking shit about them with the Arabic and they start laughing and I start talking shit. It was so nobody's done this. Nobody's ever gonna do this again. It's not, not possible, never going to happen. And this is when I realized, like, oh, there was a big play here. It wasn't really Saddam Hussein. It wasn't really all this. It was about like, American domination in the region and just made me. It just settled things down a lot better for me. And just like. And that's the way I kind of balance things out. It's like I hit them head on.

[Mark Gagnon]

You know, because in my mind that would make me feel a little bit more like, oh, we're this one.

[Mo Amer]

No, because you. Like, when you're mad, you don't understand. Understand it. And then when you're upset about something, it's because you don't fully grasp. You don't fully grasp what happened. But when you do understand it, it becomes more logical, and it just helps you, like, heal. You know, it creates this thing. And also, got to go back to Kuwait. I saw my aunt after, like, 20 years. She was like another mom to me. It's wild. So they're supposed to escort me back to the plane. Me, another comedian. That's their protocol. And this is in 2009. And they go. They go, no, no, we have to take you to the plane. I was like, come on, man. Just like, you know, just go ahead. I booked my flight three days later so I can hang out with my family that I haven't seen in that long. And then he gets a call. He's like, oh, sorry, I have to go back to. I don't mean. I got this call out of the Suburban. He goes in the call, and he runs back to us. He's like, I'm so sorry. You guys are gonna have to walk yourselves to the plane. Bradley Cooper just landed from Afghanistan. I was like, thank you, Bradley Cooper. I was like, tell him I said thank you. He was like, what? I was like, he'll get it later. It was him and Dax Shepard actually on their tour. And I figured out Dax was on it when I did his podcast. He was, like, nuts. And, yeah, he was just fresh off of Hangover, I think, in that whole tour. So he flipped out. And then I got to spend, like, three days with my family that I haven't seen all that long. Go to the house that we fled from. And it was just. That's the way I dealt with it. It's just like going there, seeing it with my eyes and just. And just healing that way. That's what's really helped me throughout that whole process. Yeah.

[Andrew Schulz]

Crazy, man.

[Mo Amer]

Yes. That is just, like, I skipped so much. But, yeah, I mean, yeah, this is.

[Andrew Schulz]

Not the last time you're going to be on here. Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah. There's so many stories, bro. We have so many stories.

[Andrew Schulz]

Now. There is something that we wanted to do with you before we left because we know that you are a connoisseur of hummus. So we have a little hummus taste test.

[Mo Amer]

No, you don't. I already hate it. Sucks. Throw it away. Who fucking made this? We have Sal.

[Andrew Schulz]

We have a little Hummus. Joey, can you bring in the hummus please? Thank you so much. So we have a little hummus taste test for you. And you know once we will go through that.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah. In your opinion, where's the best. Where's the best hummus from? Like where can you find.

[Mark Gagnon]

Is there a good hummus in New York City? Hummus.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

First of all, how you're pronouncing it really hurts. I said. I said hummus. Thank you so much. I said hummus. You know what I mean? Which I expected more from you. Akash. What?

[Andrew Schulz]

How do you pronounce it?

[Mo Amer]

It's homos. It's a hamus, not homos. I don't know why you sound like Peewee Herman.

[Andrew Schulz]

That's how y' all sound.

[Mo Amer]

Us. No, I did this with the han. You can just say homos. Homos. Fine.

[Andrew Schulz]

Hummus.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, it's better. But you're in adding more of a to it.

[Andrew Schulz]

No, I'm not. Hummus.

[Mo Amer]

That's better.

[Andrew Schulz]

Hummus.

[Mo Amer]

Say the white way. It's perfect. Hummus. Yeah, hummus.

[Andrew Schulz]

It's a white word.

[Mo Amer]

Hummus.

[Andrew Schulz]

A white word.

[Mo Amer]

It's definitely means chickpeas in Arabic. Hummus. No, hummus. That's what. Hummus.

[Andrew Schulz]

Ch.

[Mark Gagnon]

That's what we call it.

[Mo Amer]

What is it?

[Andrew Schulz]

Ch.

[Mo Amer]

Ch. First of all, yes, this is all sacrilegious. Why? Why you don't have hummus and Tupperware? Cuz it's just. No, not the Tupperware part. The fact there's no garnish on it whatsoever. You guys are monsters. Absolute monsters. You should be all disgusted with yourself. Okay, so there's no olive oil on, which makes you disgusting. Also, why don't you give me some goddamn candies?

[Mark Gagnon]

Is there good hummus in New York City?

[Mo Amer]

We got some pe.

[Andrew Schulz]

So this is number one.

[Mo Amer]

First of all, that looks terrible. Okay.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay.

[Mo Amer]

It's all chunky and just. It's not supposed to. What is this? Peanut butter with fucking nuts. This is better. Number two. This is. This is. Whoever made this deserves to be whipped. 17 lashes for sure.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay.

[Mo Amer]

Whoever thinks. Thinks this is appropriate. It's just disgusting and there's no staghfar. Allah. You shouldn't say this about food because it's food. So. God forgive me. So it's really beautiful.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay.

[Mo Amer]

Each one looks worse than the other.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay.

[Mo Amer]

What is this? I feel like I'm in India.

[Mark Gagnon]

I made this one. My feet. To be honest with you, it's probably.

[Mo Amer]

Gonna taste the best. Thank you. I appreciate it. You're welcome. All right, all right. Here we go. All right. What am I supposed to be figuring out?

[Andrew Schulz]

Which one's one is the best?

[Mo Amer]

Oh, my God.

[Andrew Schulz]

Or.

[Mark Gagnon]

Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

Tricking me.

[Andrew Schulz]

There's no tricks made this.

[Mo Amer]

There's no tricks in this. The massage set this up. Listen. Oh, man. Papers are not funny.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay, let me get. Let me get stuff. Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

It's so terrible.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay. That's terrible. Number one is terrible.

[Mo Amer]

So much garlic.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay. Two, garlic.

[Mo Amer]

Okay. Oh, that's. Is that what I'm doing?

[Andrew Schulz]

I don't. We have to look afterwards. We have to see after.

[Mo Amer]

Afterwards.

[Andrew Schulz]

I'll try.

[Mo Amer]

Oh, my God.

[Andrew Schulz]

You're saying this is too gy.

[Mo Amer]

Not bad.

[Andrew Schulz]

But is this.

[Mo Amer]

Is this.

[Andrew Schulz]

What about texture wise? And what about.

[Mo Amer]

Okay, let me just give one more rip. We're converting them. It's very pasty. No, you. We prefer. Supposed to be like a creamy pause. Flavor and texture to it. It shouldn't be like glue. It's some really kind of gluey.

[Andrew Schulz]

Got it. Okay.

[Mo Amer]

This one has the most hope.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay.

[Mo Amer]

Of all these.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay, let's go, let's go, let's go.

[Mo Amer]

All right. I'm trying. Relax. Yeah. See? See how this is moving around freer?

[Andrew Schulz]

I love this.

[Mo Amer]

Where this one. Look at this.

[Andrew Schulz]

Love this. This.

[Mo Amer]

You could just tell from how it's moving.

[Andrew Schulz]

So we like the texture here. Okay. Okay.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, I'm right.

[Andrew Schulz]

That one sounds good.

[Mo Amer]

No, Definitely. Somebody poured cumin on this. So much cumin on this goddamn thing. What are you having? Can you give me. Petal. You gave me the taste it.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay.

[Mo Amer]

Oh, it's just like flooding number three. Oh, so much cumin. This is for someone who's worried about gas.

[Andrew Schulz]

Can I ask you a question? I noticed you take very little bread.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, because these are terrible. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Not because I want to.

[Andrew Schulz]

Fair enough. You're doing this as a.

[Mo Amer]

A. I'm also trying to watch my bread intake.

[Andrew Schulz]

I'm working.

[Mo Amer]

Fair enough. Fair enough. Fair.

[Andrew Schulz]

We would have had some carrots.

[Mo Amer]

All right. Oh, what's that?

[Andrew Schulz]

That's horrible.

[Mo Amer]

Horrible what you guys put in this hold, huh? Is there tea in this?

[Mark Gagnon]

That might be the one Indians mean.

[Mo Amer]

No, no. Hold on.

[Andrew Schulz]

I don't like that one. That one I don't like.

[Mo Amer]

That one's not even h. All right.

[Andrew Schulz]

What about this one?

[Mo Amer]

That's not real. You spit that out. Somebody was in a rush when they made that.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah.

[Mark Gagnon]

I like this one. Be honest.

[Mo Amer]

These two are the best one so far. Yeah, that's the best one.

[Andrew Schulz]

That's. That's quality.

[Mo Amer]

I don't know what Quality, but it's the best one.

[Andrew Schulz]

That's the best of these.

[Mo Amer]

Let me see now.

[Andrew Schulz]

Double, double check.

[Mo Amer]

All right, here we go.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay. Okay, so that's.

[Mo Amer]

That's one.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay, number four.

[Mo Amer]

You're going with number four.

[Andrew Schulz]

What is number three?

[Mo Amer]

Hold on.

[Andrew Schulz]

I'm sorry. This is number one for you. That was number two.

[Mo Amer]

Three.

[Andrew Schulz]

Four.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's. Yeah, that's right.

[Andrew Schulz]

Let's look at number four. Number four is Sabra.

[Mo Amer]

I'm joking. We're joking.

[Andrew Schulz]

We wrote Sauron, everyone.

[Mo Amer]

That's how it works. I just did that for the cut.

[Andrew Schulz]

Okay, what is number four? Okay, number four is Salma, Mediterranean Lebanese restaurant in the East Village.

[Mo Amer]

There you go.

[Andrew Schulz]

Number one is Sabra. Number two is Cedars. It's a Lebanese place.

[Mo Amer]

That's why. Yep.

[Andrew Schulz]

So this is.

[Mo Amer]

So you picked the two. Lebanese is one.

[Andrew Schulz]

And then number three is Ithaca. That's the worst one.

[Mo Amer]

We all agree.

[Andrew Schulz]

Yeah. That's an American one.

[Mo Amer]

Yeah, of course it is.

[Andrew Schulz]

So I'll be.

[Mo Amer]

I gotta give you credit. Put like fucking green tea in this or some shit.

[Andrew Schulz]

You did go. Wow, that's. You did go. 1, 2, 3, 4. Yeah.

[Mo Amer]

Wow. My man. Yeah. You thought it was a joke. I do these for the click. I do this for my history, my lineage, my culture.

[Andrew Schulz]

Go check out the. The Netflix special right now. Wild Worlds. This is your third?

[Mo Amer]

My third Netflix.

[Andrew Schulz]

Third Netflix special. Make sure you go check them all out. And then check out season two of his show, Mo. Go do it right now. Thank you so much for coming and just sharing the story and just hanging, man.

[Mo Amer]

I really appreciate. Really like this, man. I've been looking forward to this. Me, too. Me too. Really Dope.

[Andrew Schulz]

Love you, dog.

[Mo Amer]

So much. Thank you all so much. That sovereign thing.