Maria Shehata | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation | Comedian |
| Height | 4 ft 11 in (150 cm) |
| Awards | Best Comedian at Hollywood Festival of New Cinema, Best Comedy at the Miami Web Fest |
| Website | https://www.mariashehata.com/ |
Maria Shehata is an Egyptian-American comedian and podcaster based in London. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Shehata became involved in comedy to break down stereotypes of Arab people in the United States. Shehata co-hosts the podcast, 2 Non Doctors with fellow comedian Liz Miele.
Maria Shehata was born and grew up in Columbus, Ohio in an Egyptian family. [1] Her family is from Egypt's Coptic Christian minority. [2] She became interested in pursuing comedy after watching a Jim Gaffigan special at a prom night after party. [3]
Shehata began her comedy career in Los Angeles and New York. She trained in comedy at Second City and with the Upright Citizen's Brigade. [4] In 2003, Shehata became involved with the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival. [1] Shehata's comedy covers themes around family and her personal life, touching on her Arab identity sparingly. [2] [5] [6] She has appeared on The Watch List on Comedy Central and Bridging the Gap on Showtime. [1]
In 2011, Shehata and comedians Amer Zahr and Ahmed Ahmed performed on a comedy tour of the Middle East, performing in Palestine and Doha. [3]
In 2017, her show Wisdomless was shortlisted for one of the Best New Acts at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. [7] The show covered her recent relocation to the United Kingdom from Los Angeles for a romantic partner. [8] [9] [10] Shehata's writing about their relationship later appeared in The New York Times' Modern Love section. [11]
Not long after arriving in the United Kingdom, her relationship fell apart, the story of which would later become part of her comedy routine and 2019 Edinburgh Fringe show, Hero. [4] [12] [13]
Alongside Prince Abdi, Fatiha El-Ghouri, and Janine Harouini, Shehata performed in Arabs Are Not Funny, a comedy showcase of Arab comedians. [14]
In January 2025, Shehata made her debut on the BBC comedy programme Live at the Apollo. [15] [16]
In March 2020, Shehata and comedian Liz Miele began hosting the podcast, 2 Non Doctors, covering health and their personal lives. [17] [18] In September 2020, Shehata appeared on an episode of the BBC Radio 4 podcast, You're Dead to Me alongside Greg Jenner and Sarah Parcak discussing the Egyptian pyramids. [19] [20] In 2022, she appeared on Kemah Bob's Femmes of Color FOC It Up podcast. [21]