Going to interview one of the funniest men we know in the country, Hesham Mansour, was a bit of a challenge. I saw him from a distance and I panicked. Kan tweel fash5 w leyh heybah keda. I found out how simple the man was; he was a normal human being Ā just like us.

He is known for his love of boobs! He loves all the simple things in life.Ā Fash5.Ā As I was interviewing him, I tried to take him down, but he took everything and still stood tall. Fash5.

Disclaimer: All the swear words in this interview are a trademark of Hesham, as stated in the interview, it’s his thing.Ā 

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Can you tell us how the idea behind the show and how it started?

It hit me after I left “El Bernameg” with Bassem Youssef. I went to work at JWT, then Shady Sherif, the founder of GTV, told me that we need to make an online show. It was the brainstorming of me and my ā€“at the time- fiancĆ©, we thought that we should do something that people would want to say, on everyoneā€™s mind, but do not talk about.Ā We then came up with some ideas and started working.

What is the main message behind your satirical show?

I donā€™t think there’s a message, but if there has to be one, it’ll be that we ,as people, need to change before we demand change. We, as people, have problems way more than the government! People have mental issues; so to become better people, everyone needs to start on themselves and be better. I’m not saying I’m a good person, I’m the last person to talk about that. But from my perspective, if we want the country to be better, we have to become better ourselves because we’re all in the same pool. We pick out presidents, politicians, activists, doctors, etc.. from the same pool, and we need to clean it first for good people to start showing up.

Would you have thought, 5 years ago,Ā that you would come this far and have thisĀ successĀ with your show?

How far? Elhamdulelah, I don’t see that it’s as big as how people view it. I made it online and I go by Ā withĀ my life normally. Maybe some people view it differently, but I deal with it normally. When someone comes to greet me I am thankful and happy, when someone tells me he watches my show I am happy, when someone tells me I laugh at your jokes I am happy, but that’s all I see and feel. I don’t see it as success or stardom or as a public figure status or anything like that, I donā€™t think I am at that place yet even if some people treat me that way.Ā I’m just living my life normally.

What is the one thing that you haven’t tackled in your show and you wish you could?

There are still so many topics I want to tackle, but the online production is very limiting and “El 3elm wal Emaw” was over when IĀ left GTV, and I’m happy with what we did together. We did a lot of great things together and I’m moving on now and trying new things. I’m writing 2 movies with a couple of friends, andĀ working onĀ lots of projects with BIG productions. I’ll always remember who made me, the people on social networks, will always be thankful and grateful to them. And I hope everything I do makes them happy.

We all love to read your constant facebook posts and love to share it, because we relate to it, how does it feel to have such an impact and influence on so many people?

I didn’t know I hadĀ that impact on social networks. Some people make it seemĀ bigger than it actually is though. I just write what’s on my mind, and people who know me see the same person on el 3elm wel emaw, social media and anywhere else. Those who don’t know me, I thank all of them but they probably see me as someone who Iā€™m not.

Why did you pick the name “El 3elm wel Emaw”?

Because the show that influenced my childhood most was Dr Mostafa Mahmoud’s “Al 3elm Wal Eman”, and I met him, may he R.I.P, at the AUC campus. They had his play “Zyara ela al Gana w Al Nar”, and I met him then. Had a very long discussion with him, and he was amazing, and impressed me even more in person. He was my biggest influence! His show was about analysing scientific and religious topics, so then I wanted to start my show that analyses social topics and everything- stupid in our society. The e-maw part wasn’t from him, obviously. it was from an old colleague at work who would always tell me “eh ya maw”. So we had to analyse his mental health andĀ why he was like that. Eventually, parts of his personality came out in the show’s analysis.

Meen Howa Santos?

Santos, is a Mexican citizenĀ who wasĀ in the witness protection program, so we can’t talk about him.

Mish 7atbatal aba7a ba2a?

Well, I tried this year.Ā My mom would say “enta ebn nas, stop this! enta metraby”. I told her Iā€™ll try but I failed miserably. The thing is I don’t think of it as “safala”, but more of “removingĀ the filter”. I like talkingĀ like this, I don’t mean anything. I just don’t filter myself. Its so much fun to live your life unfiltered.

Who do you think can replace you if you leave?

Replace me?? Well, basically anybody can. The internet is full of funny people, and all the ideas are already taken.Ā Finding originality is hard, so I talk about my personal issues and experiences.

I'm taking over the show.
I’m taking over the show.

Who do you think are the funniest people on social media?

Mostafa Helmy, Sherif Naguib, Tameem Younes, Hamady, Eslam hossam, Ahmed Saad, and way more! Those are just the names off the top of my head.

Hottest celebrity?

Females, right? Charlize Theron and Keira Knightly are the most beautiful women ever.Ā If I even marryĀ their distant cousins, I’d be happy!

  • And Kate Upton?

Kate has a very nurturing beauty. “3andaha se3et sadr keda we beteb2a 3ayez tenot start fel cleavage” . I can marry Charlize, and go to Kate when I have a problem. I’d want to cry in her bosom, and sleep over there probably…

  • What about Adriana Lima?

Victoriaā€™s Secret models have a special place in all our hearts. We can’t talk about them. Ne3ma mn 3and rabena, netfarag 3alehom w netbeset w nosgod ba2a.

Do you improvise?

No, its 95% scripted, butĀ I do if something feels wrong. It just feels natural at the moment of saying it.

If you’d have any job for one day, what would it be?

Male masseur for ladies only, because IĀ have so much love to give. I think I can make a lot of people happy and give them emotional support. I also took some courses in it, some practical training too.

Share with us your most embarrassing experience?

One thing I remember when I was a kid, is with aĀ friend of my relative. She was very pretty, mozza fash5! She’d always come hug me and kiss me and play with my hair. So when puberty hit me, and I was melaza2, my moustache was just coming out and I had pimples, she was like “oh hesham..” and would shake my hand from a distance, trying to keep the moustache and pimples as far away as possible, and it felt like “5aleek be3eed, stay distant ya m3afen”. That affected me very much and made me very self conscious about my looks around people who kiss me and play with my hair.

What is Sarcasm?

A defence mechanism. In this country if you don’t joke you will be depressed, so we joke to stay alive. It’s a perspective and a way of dealing with life.

A clichĆ©’ question- if you would have any superpower, what would you pick?

I don’t want to be invisible,Ā I want to fly! When it comes to impressing women, I have no competition. I canĀ fly, no contest here!Ā Also I donā€™t like applying for Visas.

Who are your idols?

Idols? astaghfour allah al3azeem…. the best comedian ever is Richard Pryor. He is the number one stand up comedian fl 3alam. He was one of the first people to ever successfully talk about his own personal problems as aĀ stand up comedian. He had lots of problems, but he had a gift of story telling, making these stories funny, and he knew how to make people laugh. I also like Dave Chappel & Louis C.K

What would you want to tell all of your fans?

All my fans? Ely homa 7? Thank you for turning me into something! All the job offers and everything IĀ get and all the good things happening to me, is because of you, ba3d rabena of course. I thank all of thoseĀ who supported me. Fa shokran fash5 ya3ne, fash5. I owe you.