Podcast Summary: The Gist – “Funny You Should Mention: Mohanad Elshieky”

Date: December 5, 2025
Host: Mike Pesca
Guest: Mohanad Elshieky (Libyan-born comedian)

Main Theme / Purpose

This episode of The Gist’s recurring feature, Funny You Should Mention, brings on Mohanad Elshieky, a stand-up comedian originally from Benghazi, Libya. The conversation seamlessly weaves biography, politics, and comedy, exploring Mohanad’s upbringing under Gaddafi, his experiences during Libya’s tumultuous years, and the surreal—and sometimes dangerous—encounters that have become fodder for both his humor and his views on politics and culture. Pesca and Elshieky also probe the challenges of making comedy from trauma, the limits of freedom (both artistic and literal), and the comic’s unexpected brush with U.S. border agents.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Life in Benghazi under Gaddafi and Beyond

• Benghazi's Shift in Global Attention:

  • Benghazi was just another provincial city for most Libyan residents until the events of 2012 brought it into global focus.
  • “It's just like living in a small town in the US...only until, like, what, 2012, where it became a thing.” – Elshieky [07:15]

• Living with Dictatorship:

  • Growing up, discussing politics was utterly taboo—even at home. The regime existed out of sight and off-limits.
  • “We don’t talk about politics...like he's somewhere in an alternative universe and we are in our universe.” – Elshieky [09:26]

• The Surreal Lack of Context:

  • The realization of “bizarre” norms only came with access to outside information through social media.

2. Comedy Roots and Family Dynamics

• Humor as Survival and Connection:

  • Family culture, especially on his father’s side, valued riffing and meanness as humor—the perfect training for a comic.
    • “...a lot of riffing and being mean to each other...you develop a sense of humor.” – Elshieky [11:01]

• Libyan Comedy Traditions:

  • There aren’t stand-up clubs, but there’s a history of comedic theater, often light on direct political commentary yet clever within obvious boundaries.

• Oldest Sibling Torment:

  • Elshieky shares a signature prank where he convinced his much younger siblings that he was actually their father—a joke that lived for a single traumatizing school day.
    • “I told them that I was their father...the guy they see at home is their grandfather.” [13:43]

3. Brush with Danger: ISIS, Militias, and “Light” Abduction

• Kidnapping (or Carjacking?) Story:

  • Mohanad describes being forced, at knifepoint, to drive strangers, uncertain if it was kidnapping, a crime, or worse.
    • “I'm like, I'm not sure if I'm being kidnapped...or just bamboozled by these two pros.” [17:03]

• Unpredictable Militia Encounters:

  • Armed groups, not always Libyan, set up odd checkpoints, fostering confusion and fear instead of protection.
  • “Some of these people were not even Libyan, which makes it even worse because I'm like, who are you and why are you here?” [20:43]

• Navigating with Humor and Survival Instinct:

  • When asked who he supported by unknown, possibly extremist militia, Mohanad gave a universal answer:
    • “You just go with God...and no one can say anything to that...” [24:44]
    • Pesca: “So you name the specific iteration or flavor of God, you could step in it, but you know not to do this.” [24:52]

• Aftermath:

  • The encounter ended as strangely as it began—the would-be kidnapper handed over his knife and asked to hang out in the future.

4. From Benghazi to Border Patrol: Struggles as an Immigrant in America

• Border Patrol Incident:

  • In 2019, Elshieky was detained by U.S. Border Patrol on a domestic Greyhound bus in Spokane, despite carrying proper documentation.
    • “They asked for my ID. I was not like, oh, why are you asking... But it was only weird when...they were asking for more papers. And they didn’t ask for the ticket.” [34:13]
  • Even with a work permit, border agents doubted its legitimacy, claiming, “It could be fake.”
  • The episode was humiliating and destabilizing: “When the Benghazi thing happened, at least I know I was not in a safe space... But in the Greyhound bus, I was...just on cloud nine...” [40:40]

• National Attention and Aftermath:

  • The event went viral, leading to policy shifts—now, Border Patrol needs a warrant to board Greyhound buses.

5. Comedy, Politics, and Audience Expectations

• Comedy with Political Edge, Skeptical Humor:

  • Elshieky aims for humor that transcends “clapter”—approval applause—preferring laughter over agreement.
    • “If I tell a joke on stage...and I feel like people agree and that’s it, I don’t want to do this ever again.” [55:55]

• Balancing Entertainment and Activism:

  • He’s skeptical about the power of comedy to enact social change, noting that legal action, not punchlines, brought policy change with the bus incident.

6. Benghazi as a Symbol and the Stereotypes of Being “From Benghazi”

• Benghazi’s very name has become a catchphrase for conspiracy in U.S. political culture, often detached from the reality of the place or its people.

  • “...some people don’t even know Libya. They know Benghazi.” [45:07]
  • “It became a shorthand for some vague conspiracy.” – Pesca [44:45]

• Elshieky often faces baffling or presumptuous curiosity in America, especially in Portland, about Gaddafi and Libya, with some people even assuming Gaddafi was “a good guy.”

  • “Sometimes there are two bad guys and you’re stuck in the middle.” – Elshieky [50:47]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Living Under Dictatorship:

“We don’t talk about politics. We do not talk. Mention it. We do not. Even with my parents...” – Mohanad Elshieky [09:26]

On Survival Under The Rules:

“If you don’t say or do anything, no one is gonna come to you.” – Elshieky [10:25]
“It just beats being held in prison where no one knows where you are.” [10:34]

On Navigating Militia Encounters:

"You just go with God ... and no one can say anything to that because, like, what are you gonna say about that?" – Elshieky [24:44]

On Immigration, Identity, and America:

“I feel like that kind of, like, shook that...illusion that I had. And then I was like, like, oh, this is all, like, very, like, fragile. I'm on fragile ground. I'm like, oh, it doesn't matter.” – Elshieky, after the Border Patrol incident [41:08]

On Comedy’s Purpose:

“There is nothing I despise more than Clapter.” – Elshieky [55:42]

“I just want you to enjoy it, have it be funny...I'm not delusional to think I'm doing some type of big-time change or changing minds and hearts and all of that.” – Elshieky [57:03]

On Benghazi’s Notoriety:

“You say ‘Benghazi’ and...some people don’t even know Libya. They know Benghazi.” – Elshieky [45:07]

On Stereotypes and Portland Curiosity:

“You're just a guy who—I'm just trying to hang out here with my friends, and now you're asking me these questions because you're curious...” [49:05]

On Jokes and Smart Crowds:

Pesca: “Are you saying that [‘very smart’] to them? About them? You’re smart. Or you’re saying that about you, like, that was a smart joke?”
Elshieky: “I'm saying it in a way also where, like, I'm—I'm also like, yes. Can you believe how smart that was.” [60:57]

Important Timestamps

• 06:24 – Introduction: Conversation begins, backgrounds, and growing up in Benghazi
• 13:43 – The “I’m your father” prank on younger siblings
• 16:20 – 26:33 – The “light kidnapping” / patrol militia/carjacking story and danger in post-revolution Libya
• 32:50 – Transition to Elshieky’s Border Patrol incident in Spokane, 2019
• 40:47 – On feeling less safe in the U.S. than during “expected” dangers in Libya
• 44:45 – Benghazi as American conspiracy catchphrase, experience of being “from Benghazi” in the U.S.
• 55:42 – On comedy: avoiding “clapter” and aspiring for real laughs, not mere political agreement
• 57:59 – Outcome of the bus incident: border agents now need a warrant for Greyhound checks
• 63:02–64:57 – How extremist groups developed local support, and why most Libyans rejected them
• 66:29 – On performing comedy in Libya and Libyan audiences

Tone & Style

Energetic, wry, and candid—mixing observational humor, self-deprecation, cultural critique, and a subtle skepticism. Elshieky and Pesca both play with ironies and absurdities, tracing how comedy and lived experience blur in post-revolution Libya and immigrant America.

Summary

This episode is an expansive mix of biographical insight, cultural exploration, and sharply observed comedic reflection. Mohanad Elshieky recounts growing up in Benghazi, the psychological landscape of dictatorship, and the absurdities of both revolutionary chaos and American bureaucracy. His narrative bridges continents and cultures, using humor as a form of survival, adaptation, and clarity—even as he questions comedy’s limits as an agent of change. The episode is both deeply personal and broadly resonant, shedding light on how stories can be funny without erasing the very real stakes behind them.