Comedian Ramy Youssef

Summary

The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Guest: Comedian Ramy Youssef
Date: April 27, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Stephen Colbert sits down with Ramy Youssef, acclaimed comedian, actor, and writer, best known for his work in Ramy and the recent film Poor Things. The conversation seamlessly blends humor, personal anecdotes, and sincere discussion as the duo revisits their extraordinary trip to the Vatican, the complexities of faith, and comedic craft. Notably, Youssef discusses the inspiration behind his comedy careers, reflects on milestone moments, and shares behind-the-scenes stories featuring Conan O’Brien and even Martin Scorsese.

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Key Discussion Points & Highlights

Meeting the Pope: An Unforgettable Vatican Visit

• [03:03–05:16]
  • Stephen and Ramy recall their joint visit as part of a small American delegation to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis.
  • Ramy humorously details his initial skepticism about the invitation:

    "I was like, okay, is Steven trying to get me in the Illuminati? Like, I don't know." (Ramy Youssef, 03:27)

  • They joke about their “exclusive” entrance:

    "We came in through the servants entrance…It was not a good entrance. We came in through the back door, basically." (Colbert & Youssef, 03:44)

  • Ramy shares that his Muslim faith made the visit particularly meaningful and recalls his father’s advice:

    "Rami, this is incredible. You're a Muslim. You get to go meet a really holy man. We believe in anyone who believes in pure love. Go meet the Pope. It's your job to meet him, love him, and convert him." (Ramy Youssef, quoting his father, 03:59)

Rome Adventures & Celebrity Encounters

• [05:16–06:08]
  • Ramy describes it as his first trip to Rome, calling it "incredible" and referencing the surreal experience of "courtside Pope."
  • Youssef talks about connecting with Conan O’Brien and Stephen Merchant during the visit, teasing Conan's sunburn after just three minutes in the Roman sun.
  • A standout tale involves an insider tour given by Amir, "Scorsese’s guy," adding an extra layer of high-profile hijinks:

    "He's this Iranian guy with an Italian accent, and he takes you in a golf cart all around Rome... Cause he's Scorsese's guy." (Ramy Youssef, 05:22)

The Art of Comic Impression

• [06:08–06:57]
  • Colbert brings up Youssef’s recent SNL appearance portraying politician Zohran Mamdani, prompting Youssef to explain his approach:

    "I would just watch him smile no matter what he was saying…It could be the most serious thing, and he'd have a smile and then be incredibly serious. And I thought that was kind of the way in." (Ramy Youssef, 06:19)

  • The real Mamdani's reaction?

    "He called me when I was still dressed as him, and he was really creeped out by it." (Ramy Youssef, 06:51)

Comedy and Faith: A Delicate Balance

• [07:05–07:54]
  • Colbert asks Ramy why faith is often a theme in his comedy:

    "Why? I've got my own reasons why I enjoy doing that when the opportunity arises...Why you?" (Stephen Colbert, 07:05)

  • Ramy responds with nuanced insight:

    "Cause it means so much, you know, And I think we're inherently imperfect and it's nice to laugh at ourselves. So I'm never making fun of the thing. It's always just…" (Ramy Youssef, 07:11)

  • He reflects on how surreal it was to go from his first-ever standup appearance on The Late Show to meeting the Pope with Colbert:

    "That felt like a spiritual moment…if we looked in the eyes, I feel like you could have made me Christian. So I looked away." (Ramy Youssef, 07:11)

  • Colbert jokes back:

    "I'm coming for you." (Colbert, 07:53)

Personal Moments and Signature Humor

• [02:36–03:03, 02:47–02:57]
  • Playful banter about Youssef’s cologne and not wanting to reveal the scent to avoid imitation:

    "It's the kind of thing, it's, you know, I wouldn't really tell you. Cause I don't want." (Ramy Youssef, 02:53)

  • Colbert teases the idea of stealing Youssef’s career if he wore the same cologne.

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Notable Quotes

• "I was like, okay, is Steven trying to get me in the Illuminati? Like, I don't know."
  —Ramy Youssef, [03:27]

• "We came in through the back door, basically."
  —Stephen Colbert, [03:47]

• "It's your job to meet him, love him, and convert him."
  —Ramy Youssef (quoting his father), [03:59]

• "It was my first time [in Rome]. First time Vatican, courtside, Pope. Incredible."
  —Ramy Youssef, [05:14]

• "He called me when I was still dressed as him, and he was really creeped out by it."
  —Ramy Youssef, [06:51]

• "We’re inherently imperfect and it's nice to laugh at ourselves. So I'm never making fun of the thing."
  —Ramy Youssef, [07:11]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Vatican Visit & Pope Anecdotes: [03:03–05:16]
• Celebrity Encounters in Rome: [05:16–06:08]
• SNL Impression & Reaction: [06:08–06:57]
• Comedy & Faith Discussion: [07:05–07:54]
• Signature Humor & Cologne Bit: [02:36–03:03]

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Memorable Moments

• Ramy’s playful anxiety over whether the Vatican invitation was an Illuminati recruitment ([03:27])
• The story of Conan O’Brien’s rapid Roman sunburn ([05:01])
• Ramy’s heartfelt reflection on how much faith and comedy intertwine in his work ([07:11])

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Conclusion

This episode offers a warm, candid, and consistently funny peek into Ramy Youssef’s worldview—combining stories of international travel, spiritual encounters, and the inside world of comedy. The chemistry between Stephen Colbert and Ramy Youssef keeps the conversation sharp, genuine, and memorable. If you enjoy humor that straddles reverence and self-deprecation, this is an episode worth your time.

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Ramy Youssef in Love debuts April 17th on HBO and HBO Max.

Transcript

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[Stephen Colbert]

Welcome back. My next guest is a Golden Globe and Peabody Award winning actor, writer and stand up comedian. You know from Rami and Poor things. His new stand up special is Rami Youssef in Love.

[Rami Youssef]

I got this call again. I can only talk to my wife about this. I got this call from Stephen Colbert. Yeah. And no, but he goes, rami, I would like to invite you to a closed door meeting at the Vatican with the Pope. Yeah. And this was like the Pope Pope. I mean, not the Chicago Pope. No, no offense to you guys. I just think, okay, I think he's a great guy. I just have this belief that popes should not know English. I, I don't know, shouldn't the Pope just be so, you know, the Pope just, there's a vibe. It's just like, I mean, you know, like that kind of Italian. It's so, it, it sounds Japanese. This new one, Pope Bob plays Words with Friends with his brother every day. Okay, the Pope has an apple ID

[Stephen Colbert]

please. Welcome back to the late show Rami Youssef. First of all, and we can cut this out if you don't want me to talk about it. You smell really good.

[Rami Youssef]

Thank you.

[Stephen Colbert]

What is your. What are you wearing? What is very manly but very fragile? What do you wear?

[Rami Youssef]

It's the kind of thing, it's, you know, I wouldn't really tell you. Cause I don't want.

[Stephen Colbert]

Cause you're not sponsored. Well, yeah, you're not sponsored and nobody gets a free ride.

[Rami Youssef]

It's a tough thing. And then you'll start wearing it and it'll be a whole thing.

[Stephen Colbert]

But I'll steal your career. We just saw that clip. So people know you and I met Pope Francis together.

[Rami Youssef]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

What was that day like for you? I actually haven't had that much chance to talk to many people. There were like 16 of us from the United States who went. And we haven't had. I haven't talked to that many people about it since.

[Rami Youssef]

It was incredible. I mean, it was such a spiritual place. I had some doubts about going.

[Stephen Colbert]

Sure.

[Rami Youssef]

Because it was such an incredible invitation. And I also had this. I was like, okay, is Steven trying to get me in the Illuminati? Like, I don't know.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'm trying to get me in the Illuminati.

[Rami Youssef]

Well, which I quickly figured out. Like, we pulled up and I said, oh, he's not in. No, that was clear because we came

[Stephen Colbert]

in through the servants entrance.

[Rami Youssef]

It was not a good entrance.

[Stephen Colbert]

We came in through the back door, basically.

[Rami Youssef]

It was really beautiful. It was actually such a beautiful, gorgeous thing, which. And that's how I knew I wanted. Cause it was such a holy place. And my dad really made it clear that I had to go.

[Stephen Colbert]

Why?

[Rami Youssef]

Well, I called my dad. I was like, do you think I should go to the Vatican? He goes, rami, this is incredible. You're a Muslim. You get to go meet a really holy man. We believe in anyone who believes in pure love. Go meet the Pope. It's your job to meet him, love him, and convert him. And that is the.

[Stephen Colbert]

How

[Rami Youssef]

that drum came so quick. You didn't know I was gonna say that. It's very good. It's very good drum.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But it was an incredible. We had a wonderful group of people with us too.

[Rami Youssef]

Oh, it was amazing.

[Stephen Colbert]

Who did you hang with?

[Rami Youssef]

Mostly, I think it was really me and Conan. We got. We got.

[Stephen Colbert]

He was. Is that. I got this given right before we had this. Is this what you're talking about?

[Rami Youssef]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

There you go. There's the two of you together. We had a lot. I was like. It was hard to like not know where our group was because we had him and Stephen Merchant, who could dunk on Conan. He's so tall.

[Rami Youssef]

And he was just. It was crazy. We were in the sun for three minutes. He got completely sunburned. Like, he didn't. He didn't look like that on the way. And then we were just out there. It was.

[Stephen Colbert]

Had you been to Rome before?

[Rami Youssef]

No, it was my first time.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, Eternal city. What'd you think?

[Rami Youssef]

It was incredible. I mean, first off to go, first time Vatican, courtside, Pope. Incredible, yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

Apostolic Palace.

[Rami Youssef]

No, no. Just unbelievable. And then there was this. Oh, man. So there was this guy, this guy who does these tours in Rome who's incredible. His name's Amir. He's this Iranian guy with an Italian accent, and he takes you in a golf cart all around Rome.

[Stephen Colbert]

They let him do that.

[Rami Youssef]

I think he's the only guy. Cause he's Scorsese's guy. So he just goes. This is where Scorsese eats, and he just shows you.

[Stephen Colbert]

How'd you find him?

[Rami Youssef]

Scorsese.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay. How would you find Scorsese? I can't call up Scorsese. Can you just call up Scorsese?

[Rami Youssef]

Yeah. Well, see, you got. Have the same cologne guy as him, and then. And then you can kind of.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's what I was smelling.

[Rami Youssef]

I knew you smelled like somebody. Yeah, that was. That was a little slow on that one. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

You played Zoran Mamdani a couple months ago back on snl.

[Rami Youssef]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Nice job. What's the trick? What's the trick? What's your hook? I should rather say, what's your hook? For a good momdani?

[Rami Youssef]

I would just watch him smile no matter what he was saying, you know, no matter what was going on. Like, it was just everything. It could be the most serious thing, and he'd have a smile and then be incredibly serious. And I thought that was kind of the way in. It was very fun.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow.

[Rami Youssef]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Even. Even things that shouldn't make you smile. He smiles when he says them.

[Rami Youssef]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He'll just. He'll just. Like ice. He'll be like, you're not allowed in the city. And it's like, big, like, breathing smile.

[Stephen Colbert]

Do you know if he saw it?

[Rami Youssef]

Yeah, he saw it. He saw it. And he actually, like, we had a. He called me when I was still dressed as him, and he was really creeped out by it.

[Stephen Colbert]

How'd he get your number? Did he call Scorsese? You often talk about faith in your comedy.

[Rami Youssef]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Why? I've got my own reasons why I enjoy doing that. When the opportunity arises.

[Rami Youssef]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Why you?

[Rami Youssef]

I. Cause it means so much, you know, And I think we're inherently imperfect and it's nice to laugh at ourselves. So I'm never making fun of the thing. It's always just. And I feel like you're the same way. You have such reverence. I mean, that's what was beautiful about going to the Pope with you, which also, I have to say, was super surreal. Cause I did my first stand up appearance ever, ever on this show in 2017, and it was incredible. That felt like a spiritual moment to go from that. And then less than 10 years later to be at the Pope with you, I was like, wow, I believe in God, but I couldn't look you into the eye. Like, if we looked in the eyes, I feel like you could have made me Christian. So I looked away.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'm coming for you.

[Rami Youssef]

I know.

[Stephen Colbert]

Rami, it's so great to see you.

[Rami Youssef]

Thanks, man.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thanks for being here, Rami. Youssef in Love debuts April 17th on HBO and HBO. Max. Thank you for listening to the Late Show Pod show with Stephen Colbert. Just one more thing. If you want to see more of me, come to The Late Show YouTube channel for more clips and exclusives

[True Crime Podcast Host]

from the trusted team behind 48 hours. Welcome to Case by Case, your weekly update on the biggest true crime stories unfolding right now.

[Stephen Colbert]

Nick Reiner remains in custody without bail.

[Rami Youssef]

Luigi Mangione accused of stalking and gunning

[Commercial Narrator 1]

down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

[True Crime Podcast Host]

From high profile trials and stunning evidence to major breaks in cold cases, we'll follow it all case by case. Follow and listen to 48 Hours case by case. Wherever you get your podcasts.