It’s been one whole year since the launch of ‘We’re Not Kidding’, and for our anniversary episode Mehdi is joined by comedian and internet superstar Gianmarco Soresi. As a half-Italian, half-Jewish comedian, Gianmarco has become famous for the viral social media clips of his standup comedy, as well as his outspoken criticism of Israel. He and Mehdi unpack how the silencing of pro-Palestine voices can contribute to rising antisemitism.

The two also discuss the hypocrisy of Donald Trump and the Republican party, who claim to be defenders of free speech while simultaneously detaining student activists for their political activity or opinions. Finally, Mehdi and Gianmarco go on an extended rant about the “anti-woke” comedy movement and how its ringleaders like Joe Rogan and Bill Maher have completely sold out to powerful political figures like Donald Trump. “We're watching huge comedians toe the line for the President,” Gianmarco says. “Well, then you're not a f*cking comedian anymore — You’re a propagandist.”

00:00 - Opening montage
1:10 - Intro
3:00 - Doing comedy in London
4:48 - Being Jewish and criticizing Israel
11:59 - Show business & antisemitism
16:20 - Real antisemitism vs. fake antisemitism
19:59 - Republicans’ free speech hypocrisy
24:09 - How Trump gets away with lying
26:41 - Comedians who cozy up to politicians
28:32 - ‘Anti-woke’ comedy
31:17 - Bill Maher’s bullsh*t
35:47 - Being skeptical of power
40:19 - Free speech crackdowns
43:09 - Gianmarco’s tour

This interview was published 10 days earlier on Zeteo.com. If you want early access to exclusive content and hard-hitting, independent journalism, subscribe on Substack here: https://zeteo.com/subscribe

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