Ahmed Albasheer, born on October 17, 1984, is an influential Iraqi comedian, journalist, and director, renowned for his work on the weekly political satire program, Albasheer Show. Recognized by the Global Influence Research Centre as one of the twenty most impactful figures in the Arab world, Albasheer has made significant contributions to the media landscape.
Raised in Baghdad, Iraq, Albasheer’s early life was marked by profound tragedy. The Iraq War claimed several of his family members, including his brother and father. In 2005, he faced a harrowing experience when he was kidnapped and tortured by a militia. Despite these hardships, Albasheer pursued a career in journalism, studying at Nahrain University in Baghdad and subsequently working for state-owned Iraqi television.
Albasheer’s career in journalism began with a focus on political reporting for Iraq’s state-run news channels, where he worked for eight years. In 2012, he relocated to Jordan and founded Lagash, his own media production company. This venture led to the creation of Albasheer Show, which debuted in 2014. Inspired by Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, Albasheer’s program satirizes Iraqi politics, addressing issues such as corruption, sectarianism, extremism, and terrorism. The show quickly gained traction, attracting an audience of 19 million by 2015, which represented over half of Iraq’s population.
Due to threats from the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission, the show has experienced several changes in its broadcasting platform. Currently, Albasheer Show airs from outside Iraq on Deutsche Welle’s Arabic channel and has a substantial presence on YouTube, where it has garnered over five million subscribers as of 2021. The show’s influence was notably evident in the 2019–2021 Iraqi protests, where it played a crucial role.
In recognition of his contributions, Albasheer received the Maurice R. Greenberg World Fellowship at Yale University in 2019. He also appeared in the Netflix documentary series Larry Charles’ Dangerous World of Comedy in 2019 and was featured in the critically acclaimed documentary series Once Upon a Time in Iraq in 2020.
Following an injury from a suicide bombing in 2011, Albasheer moved to Amman, Jordan, where he lived until 2019.
