Ramy Youssef got political for his opening monologue on “Saturday Night Live” … asking God to free Palestine, as well as the Israeli hostages.
The comedian touched on the conflict Saturday, recounting an anecdote involving 2 of his friends … who asked him to work their struggles into his prayers.
One pal asked him to ask God to help him win back custody of his dog from his ex-girlfriend — whereas another asked Ramy to pray for his family in Gaza.
Ramy joked his prayers had become complicated because of the vastly different requests. He added … “Please free the people of Palestine. And please free the hostages, all of the hostages. And, while you’re at, free Mr. Bojangles. He’s a beautiful dog. I’m praying for that dog.”
Ramy’s politically charged monologue was well-received by the studio audience … as they responded with a round of applause for the first-time host.
Ramy Youssef wears an Artists for Ceasefire pin to the #Oscars: “We’re calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza. We’re calling for peace and lasting justice for the people of Palestine.” | Variety On the Carpet presented by @DIRECTV https://t.co/qxqSOgif3j pic.twitter.com/yyM7HzpVdZ
— Variety (@Variety) March 10, 2024
@Variety
The 33-year-old has been very vocal about his stance on the Israel-Hamas war, previously calling for a ceasefire while at the 2024 Oscars. He notably wore an “Artists for Ceasefire” pin at the awards show, alongside Billie Eilish, Mahershala Ali and Ramy’s “Poor Things” costar Mark Ruffalo.