The phrase "axis of evil" was first used by U.S. President George W. Bush and originally referred to Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. It was used in Bush's State of the Union address on January 29, 2002, less than five months after the 9/11 attacks and almost a year before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and often repeated throughout his presidency. He used it to describe foreign governments that, during his administration, allegedly sponsored terrorism and sought weapons of mass destruction. The notion of such an axis was used to pinpoint these common enemies of the United States and to rally the American populace in support of the War on Terror. The countries originally covered by the term were Iran, Ba'athist Iraq, and North Korea. In response, Iran formed a political alliance that it called the "Axis of Resistance" comprising Iran, Syria and Hezbollah. Other countries were later added to the "axis of evil" by US politicians and commentators. The term "axis of evil" is itself a portmanteau of the Axis powers of WWII and the Cold War era “Evil Empire”.
Dean Obeidallah is an American lawyer, comedian, and journalist. He is the host of SiriusXM Progress' The Dean Obeidallah Show and a frequent contributor to CNN, The Daily Beast, and MSNBC.
Maziyar Jobrani, better known as Maz Jobrani, is an American comedian and actor who was part of the "Axis of Evil" comedy group. The group appeared on a comedy special on Comedy Central. Jobrani has also appeared in numerous films, television shows, including Better Off Ted, on radio, and in comedy clubs. His filmography includes roles in The Interpreter, Friday After Next, Dragonfly, and Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero. He appeared as a regular character on the 2017 CBS sitcom Superior Donuts. He had been an advisory board member of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC).
Ahmed Ahmed, is an Egyptian-American actor and comedian.
Aron Kader is an American comedian.
Play 99.5 previously known as Play 99.6 is an English-language music radio station in Jordan. Founded in 2004 the station is part of the Modern Media Company. The station plays English songs from around the world using the Top 40 model as well as broadcasting celebrity interviews. According to Ipsos, Play 99.5 has the widest reach of English radio in Jordan. Its listeners are between 15–30 years old. Play 99.5 is headquartered in Amman, Jordan.
Shaher "Ronnie" Khalil is an American stand-up comedian and actor of Egyptian descent. He has headlined across four continents, toured the United States as a guest performer with the “Axis of Evil”, performed with “Arabs Gone Wild” and taped two “Friday Night Live” Showtime Comedy specials in Dubai, including “Minorities Rule” and “New World Order”, both were shown across 14 countries in the Middle East. Ronnie has performed in sold-out shows across the Middle East and was part of the first-ever Amman Stand-up Comedy Festival in Jordan, as well as numerous other comedy festivals including the New York Underground, NY Arab-American, South Beach, Los Angeles and Boston Comedy Festivals. He was also twice invited to the Montreal Comedy Festival's "Just for Pitching." Ronnie has been featured on sketches for “Conan O'Brien”, ABC News, NPR, Air America, CNN and Al Jazeera, as well as in Comedy Central's online show "The Watch List", which was later picked up for a pilot, and A&E's "15 Films About Madonna."
Fahad al-Butairi is a Saudi stand-up comedian, actor and screenwriter. Albutairi became the first Saudi Arabian comedian to perform on stage professionally in Saudi Arabia and in the whole of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. He is also one of the most notable YouTube personalities from the country. In 2018, he was forcibly returned from Jordan to Saudi Arabia, due to his ex-wife Loujain al-Hathloul's activities as a women's rights activist.
Mehran Khaghani is a British-American standup comedian, comedic director, and comedy event producer based in the Boston Metro area, of Iranian descent. In 2010, a reader survey in the Boston Phoenix named him Boston's best comedian of the year.
Amman Stand-up Comedy Festival is an international stand-up comedy festival held annually in Amman, Jordan. Among the stand-up comedians that participated in the festival include:
Omar Ramzi is the first white Sudanese stand-up comedian and one of the first stand-up comedians to perform on stage professionally in Saudi Arabia and has opened for a number of accomplished stand-up comedians from the US and the UK.
The Muslims Are Coming! is a 2013 American comedy documentary film co-directed and co-starring Negin Farsad and Dean Obeidallah. It follows a team of Muslim-American comedians as they tour the American South and Southwest performing free stand-up comedy shows, and engaging in community activities, with an aim to "reach out to Middle America" and counter Islamophobia.
Ali Al Sayed is a comedian based in Dubai. Al Sayed was named "one of the most influential comedians in the world" by Toastmasters International Magazine and was recently dubbed the “King of Laughter” by a group of university students competing for an internship with Rolling Stone ME. Al Sayed is the founder of the local entertainment company Viva Arts and is the co-director of Dubomedy Arts, the first and only Comedy and Urban Arts School in the MENA region.
Just Like Us is a 2010 documentary about a comedy tour of international comedians throughout the middle east. Directed by Egyptian-American actor/comedian, Ahmed Ahmed, the film premiered at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival.
Cristela Alonzo is an American actress, stand-up comedian, writer, and producer, who created and starred in the ABC sitcom Cristela. This made Alonzo the first Mexican American woman to create, produce, write, and star in her own US primetime comedy.
Tehran Von Ghasri, or simply Tehran Ghasri, professionally known as Tehran formerly Tehran SoParvaz, is an American international comedian, actor, television, podcast, and radio personality, entertainer of African-American and Persian descent. Tehran was born and raised in Washington D.C. and surrounding Washington Metropolitan Area, beginning his career television hosting and curating exclusive events. Tehran is multilingual, performing stand up comedy in primarily in English for US audiences but also Persian, conversational Arabic, Hebrew, and French internationally.
The Hollywood Pop Up Comedy Club is a Los Angeles and Beirut based brand which brings U.S. comedians to cities where they do not have comedy clubs yet. It was launched by co-founders Ron Senkowski and Samira Kawas in April 2018.
Ron Senkowski is a writer and producer based in Los Angeles. He is the chief executive officer and president of Symply Entertainment, a production company he founded with Lebanese producer and actress Samira Kawas. Together they also founded The Hollywood Pop Up Comedy Club in 2018.
Samira Kawas is a producer and actress based in Beirut. She is the vice president of Symply Entertainment, a production company co-founded by her and American writer, director and producer Ron Senkowski. In 2018 they founded The Hollywood Pop Up Comedy Club.
Leanne Morgan is an American standup comedian, actress, and author. She released her first Netflix comedy special, Leanne Morgan: I'm Every Woman, in 2023.
