Maria Shehata
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.
Biography
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]
Start in stand-up
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]
Move to the UK
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]
Podcasting
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]
References
- ^ a b c El-Zobaidi, Dunia (November 6, 2015). "Maria Shehata mixes Middle East/US Midwest in comedy". The Arab Weekly.
- ^ a b "Maria Shehata: Hero". Voice Magazine. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ^ a b Iwasaki, Scott (2014-07-30). "Maria Shehata's Egyptian ancestry is fodder for her stand-up routine". Park Record. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ^ a b "Edinburgh Preview: Maria Shehata: Hero at Gilded Balloon at Old Tolbooth Market". Theatre Weekly. 2019-06-17. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ^ Krefting, Rebecca (September 2014). All Joking Aside: American Humor and Its Discontents. JHU Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-4214-1429-4.
- ^ Najjar, Michael Malek (2015-01-09). Arab American Drama, Film and Performance: A Critical Study, 1908 to the Present. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-1865-4.
- ^ "Interview: Rarely Asked Questions – Maria Shehata". Beyond The Joke. 2024-09-04. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ^ "Maria Shehata: Wisdomless". Fest Magazine. 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ^ "Maria Shehata: Wisdomless : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ^ Bennett, Steve. "Maria Shehata: Wisdomless : Reviews 2017 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ^ Shehata, Maria (2017-07-07). "A FaceTime Relationship Turns Face to Face". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ^ Omaweng, Chris (August 16, 2019). "Review of Maria Shehata: Hero at Edinburgh Fringe". London Theatre.
- ^ "Maria Shehata - First Gig, Worst Gig". British Comedy Guide. 2017-08-24. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ^ "Liverpool Arab Arts Festival returns this July". Explore Liverpool. 2024-05-23. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ^ "BBC Two - Live at the Apollo, Series 19, Episode 6". BBC. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ^ Bennett, Steve. "Who's on the 2024 season of Live At The Apollo? : News 2024 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ^ "2 Non Doctors". Spotify. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ^ "Maria Shehata: 'What does a nosy pepper do? Gets jalapeño business!'". The Guardian. 2020-12-11. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ^ "Ten things the Pyramids tell us about ancient Egyptians". BBC Radio 4. September 11, 2020.
- ^ Marriott, James (2020-01-17). "You're Dead to Me review — history with a helping of zaniness". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ^ Bennett, Steve. "Femmes of Color launches a comedy podcast : News 2022 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-03-18.