Sammy Obeid

Sammy Obeid
Obeid in 2026
Born (1984-02-09) February 9, 1984 (age 42)
Oakland, California, U.S.
EducationUC Berkeley (B.S.)
Comedy career
Years active2008–present
Medium
Genres
Websitesammyko.com

Sammy K. Obeid (born February 9, 1984) is a Palestinian-American writer and stand-up comedian. He has released one comedy album, Get Funny or Die Tryin. The New York Times described his comedy as displaying "an analytic style full of wordplay, clever misdirection and ethnic humor riffing on his Middle Eastern roots". On his website, Obeid is described as 'Lebanese-Palestinian-Syrian-Italian-American'.

Obeid has been featured on America's Got Talent, Conan and Last Comic Standing. He once performed 1,001 nights of comedy in a row, which he claimed as a world record. Obeid is also a host for the Netflix show 100 Humans and the founder of KO Comedy.

Early life

Sammy Obeid was born in Oakland, California and was raised in Fremont. He attended Mission San Jose High School and graduated in 2002. Obeid earned bachelor’s degrees in applied mathematics and business administration from UC Berkeley in 2006.

Career

After graduating, Obeid became a high school math teacher in Fremont and started performing comedy routines for Ohlone College's speech and debate team, and by 2009 he was performing at local comedy shows around the Bay Area. He won first place in a Bay Area-wide comedy competition in 2008, and he won the Vallejo Music Theatre’s Friday Night Supper Club’s Comedy Clash in 2009.

Obeid performed a 1,001-day streak of consecutive daily comedy shows from December 26, 2010 to September 21, 2013, breaking the previous 730-day record set by Hal Sparks. Shortly before finishing the streak, he made his television debut on Conan on September 18, 2013.

Obeid was scheduled to perform two shows at the Victoria Theatre in Singapore on August 31, 2025. On August 27, Obeid announced on Instagram that Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) had refused to issue permits for the performance. In an August 28 statement, IMDA stated they had not requested edits of Obeid's script, but claimed Obeid's application came less than 40 working days before the performance. On August 31, Sammy posted a video to Instagram of him on a call with an unknown party, where he used it to claim that the issue was over censorship. On September 1, Obeid was issued a Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) correction order for over the claims he was told to edit his script by the regulators. On September 4, the Government of Singapore announced that it had directed Meta and Twitter to issue correction notices, after Obeid did not comply with the correction order. The requirement obliges them to inform users in Singapore who have viewed or may view the posts.

Political activism

Obeid is an outspoken advocate for the Palestinian rights, and he frequently incorporates political commentary on Palestine and Israel into his stand-up comedy. He has described his approach to comedy about Palestine as filling a void left by other comedians, stating, "Really, I treat comedy about Palestine like an illegal settler does land in the West Bank. Like, if I do not take this, someone else will". He has also organized an international "Ceasefire Comedy" tour, launched a platform called Pal Collective to connect individuals with families in Gaza for support, and has been open about facing potential career repercussions, including losing booked shows and feeling pressure to self-censor due to his pro-Palestine views.

Obeid was interviewed and featured in the award-winning documentary feature film Seeds for Liberation (2026) by director Matthew Solomon. The film discusses the Free Palestine movement.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hasan, Mehdi (November 7, 2025). "A Palestinian and a Jew Walk Into a Podcast - Sammy Obeid & Matt Lieb Reflect on the Oct. 7 Anniversary". zeteo.com. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  2. ↑ Layla, Quran (July 15, 2025). "Palestinian American comedian uses humor to process the war in Gaza". PBS News. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  3. ↑ Fadel, Leila (August 14, 2024). "Former math teacher turned stand-up comic weaves the war in Gaza into his act". NPR. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Zinoman, Jason (September 20, 2013). "Wake Up, Be Funny, Do it Again 999 Times". The New York Times. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  5. ↑ "About Us". Sammy Obeid. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  6. ↑ Yasmin, Shahana (August 30, 2025). "US comedian says he was told to remove mentions of Palestine for Singapore show". The Independent. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  7. ↑ Kavanagh, Niall (May 23, 2013). "1,001 Straight Nights of Standup". Vulture. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Sammy Obeid". KP Comedy. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  9. 1 2 Freedman, Rich (August 18, 2009). "Fremont teacher wins comedy clash". East Bay Times. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  10. ↑ Martin, Kyle (December 13, 2024). "Fremont comic Kabir 'Kabeezy' Singh remembered as a 'Bay Area comedy legend'". The Mercury News. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  11. ↑ Mehra, Curan (May 4, 2014). "Interview: Sammy Obeid". The Daily Californian. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  12. ↑ Swan, Rachel (December 30, 2009). "Indolence Is Bliss: UC Berkeley alum sees a future in stand-up comedy". East Bay Express. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  13. ↑ Zinoman, Jason (September 20, 2013). "Wake Up, Be Funny, Do It Again 999 Times". New York Times. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Sammy Obeid - About us". Sammy Obeid. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Yong, Clement (August 28, 2025). "US comedian Sammy Obeid claims censorship after shows cancelled; IMDA says application was late". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Comedian Sammy Obeid alleges censorship as shows cancelled; IMDA cites late licence application". CNA. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  17. ↑ Iau, Jean (August 28, 2025). "US comedian alleges censorship after Singapore show cancelled". South China Morning Post. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Singapore issues correction order to US comedian over censorship claims". South China Morning Post. September 1, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  19. ↑ "US comedian Sammy Obeid fails to comply with POFMA correction order; Meta, X directed to take action". CNA. Archived from the original on September 4, 2025. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  20. 1 2 Nawaz, Amna; Quran, Layla (July 15, 2025). "Palestinian American comedian uses humor to process the war in Gaza". CANVAS Arts. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  21. 1 2 "Comedian Sammy Obeid talks politics and the Middle East - Student Life". www.studlife.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  22. ↑ ZAINAL, NURSYAHMINA (September 2, 2025). "Palestine joke or paperwork problem? Why Sammy Obeid's Singapore show was cancelled". Sinar Daily. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Is Cancel Culture Bad For Business? Comedian Sammy Obeid Discusses Canceling Comics and Activists - Habibi House Podcast - Podcast on iVoox". iVoox. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Cast and Crew". Seeds For Liberation. Retrieved January 22, 2026.