Actor and Comedian Ramy Youssef to Speak at Rutgers-Newark Commencement Ceremony

Former Rutgers-Newark student Ramy Youssef, an award-winning Egyptian-American creator, actor, producer, director, and comedian, will be the keynote speaker at Rutgers University–Newark’s May 22 commencement ceremony at the Prudential Center, where he will also receive an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree.

Youssef, whose vibrant voice and unique perspective in storytelling have led him to become a leading artist of his generation, attended Rutgers-Newark from 2009 to 2011 and majored in Political Science. He left before graduating to embark on his career as an actor and comedian.

“Thirteen years ago I took a ‘break’ from Rutgers to pursue acting. The break is now over. I am honored to be giving this year’s commencement speech, and to finally receive a college degree. Thank you Rutgers for this honor, and for making my parents feel like the three semesters of tuition they paid for was actually worth it,'' he said.

Youssef is perhaps best known for Hulu’s Peabody Award-winning comedy and Emmy-nominated series, Ramy, which he created, produces, directs and stars in. Inspired by his own experiences, it centers around a first-generation Egyptian-American Muslim on a spiritual journey in the politically divided New Jersey neighborhood of Rutherford, where Youssef was raised.  

Youssef, who won a Golden Globe for his performance in Ramy, is also the co-creator and executive producer of Netflix’s Mo, a semi-autobiographical series inspired by Mo Amer’s life as a Palestinian refugee growing up in Houston. The series has won numerous accolades, including a Peabody Award.

Youssef’s latest project, which had its April 17 premiere on Prime Video, is the adult-animated series, #1 Happy Family USA, which was ordered for two seasons. The series follows the maniacally upbeat Husseins — the most patriotic, most peaceful, and most definitely-not-suspicious Muslim family in post-9/11 "Amreeka." 

With satire and absurdity, it redefines finding humor in hardship as the Husseins navigate the early 2000s under the watchful eyes of their terrified neighbors. Youssef lends his voice to father “Hussein” and son “Rumi”, alongside Alia Shawkat, Salma Hindy, Randa Jarrar, Mandy Moore, Timothy Olyphant, Chris Redd, Akaash Singh, Whitmer Thomas, Kieran Culkin, among others. 

Recently, Youssef released his second critically acclaimed HBO comedy special, Ramy Youssef: More Feelings produced by A24 and Youssef’s production company, Cairo Cowboy. The special was nominated for a 2025 Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice Award, and Writers Guild of America Award in the Best Comedy/Stand-up Special category, and recently was nominated for a Peabody Award in the Entertainment category. More Feelings is the follow-up to Ramy Youssef: Feelings, which also earned him Critics’ Choice Award and a Writers Guild Award nomination in 2020.    
 
On the big screen, Youssef made his feature performance debut in Yorgos Lanthimos’ critically acclaimed Poor Things opposite Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo.The film, released in 2023, was awarded the Venice Film Festival’s highest honor, the Golden Lion, before screening at prestigious film festivals around the world including New York, Telluride, London, and others. Poor Things went on to win four Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and was named one of the top films of 2023 by the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review.   
    
Behind the camera, Youssef was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series for his work on the highly praised episode of FX’s Emmy-winning series The Bear,  titled “Honeydew,” in which pastry chef Marcus (Lionel Boyce) travels to Copenhagen on a journey of personal and professional discovery while interning at one of the world’s most renowned fine dining restaurants. Youssef received his first DGA Award nomination for this episode, continuing to garner recognition for his directorial prowess.    

This spring, he also stars in Mountainhead, an HBO Original feature by Jesse Armstrong, director of Succession. Youssef stars as the co-lead alongside Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman and Cory Michael Smith.  The film, which is written by Armstrong and marks his feature directorial debut, follows a group of billionaire friends who get together against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis. It is slated to premiere May 31.