Renowned Comedian, Actress, Writer, and Disability Advocate
Maysoon Zayid: Biography at a Glance
- Maysoon Zayid is a renowned comedian, actress, writer, and disability advocate known for her famed TED Talk I got 99 problems… palsy is just one, which has over 11M views.
- In her New York Times bestselling memoir Find Another Dream, Maysoon shares her hilarious and poignant journey of failures, successes, and insights about what it takes to make your dream a reality.
- Her upcoming book, Shiny Misfits, is a hilarious and one-of-a-kind graphic novel about fame, friendship, and fighting to take back your own story.
- Maysoon has performed around the world, including headlining the Arabs Gone Wild Comedy Tour and The Muslims Are Coming Tour, in which comedians toured the U.S. in an effort to counter Islamophobia.
- She is also the co-founder and co-executive producer of the New York Arab American Comedy Festival and The Muslim Funny Fest.
- A current Princeton University Arts Fellow, Maysoon teaches in-demand courses on comedy, brand messaging, and collaboration.
- Maysoon is a highly sought-after speaker on the unique challenges affecting the disability community, the ever-changing healthcare landscape, and the importance of representation and diverse storytelling.
Videos
Biography
Renowned comedian, actress, writer, and disability advocate Maysoon Zayid jokes that if there were an ‘Oppression Olympics’, she would win gold: “I’m Arab, I’m Muslim, I’m a woman of color, I’m divorced, disabled, and I live in New Jersey.” Zayid has performed around the world, headlining the Arabs Gone Wild Comedy Tour and The Muslims Are Coming Tour, in which comedians toured the U.S. in an effort to counter Islamophobia. She is the co-founder and co-executive producer of the New York Arab American Comedy Festival and The Muslim Funny Fest. In her New York Times bestselling memoir Find Another Dream, Zayid shares her hilarious and poignant journey of failures, successes, and insights about what it takes to make your dream a reality. Known for her famed TED Talk I got 99 problems… palsy is just one, which has over 11M views, Zayid is a highly sought-after speaker for events with groups like the Ralph Lauren Foundation, Fidelity, Veeam, the Asia Society, Salesforce, and many more.
Zayid served as a full-time on-air contributor for Countdown with Keith Olberman, and has been featured on The Nick Cannon Show, including Cannon’s Comedy Club, Let’s Kiki with Miz Cracker, CNN, The Wall Street Journal’s Secrets of Wealthy Women podcast, in The New York Times, and Glamour, which hailed her as “the most fearless comic alive.” Her writing has been featured in Refinery29, The Daily Beast, among many others, and Zayid is currently working on her second book and first middle-grade graphic novel, Shiny Misfits, which is slated to be published in 2024. A current Princeton University Arts Fellow, she teaches in-demand courses on comedy, brand messaging, and collaboration. Hilarious, disarming, and sharing a message of inclusion that matters, Zayid’s comedy and commentary resonate with audiences of all kinds.
Topics
Find Another Dream
The daughter of Palestinian immigrants, as a child Maysoon Zayid dreamed of one day dancing on Broadway. As a teen, a bubble-bursting choreographer told her to “find another dream”, so she set her sights on becoming a soap star, undeterred by the fact that the odds were against her. While chasing fame, Maysoon found her voice in stand-up comedy, performing in multiple languages in sold-out shows all over the world.
In this talk, Maysoon tells tales of family, friendship, love, and career as she takes audiences on a hilarious, poignant journey of failures and successes. She inspires audiences to chase their dreams, ignore the doubters, and defy the odds.
If I Cancan, You Cancan (DEI)
This extended version of Maysoon’s viral TED Talk takes listeners on her crooked journey as a multiple minority, dreaming big, and spinning failure into laughter. The comedian, writer, and disability advocate makes DEI fun, easy, and hilarious. As a multiple minority, she has learned the keys to creating a more inclusive and more productive environment. Maysoon will share her expertise and give the audience advice they do not want to hear but definitely need to.
Surviving Healthcare
Disability and healthcare go together like peanut butter and jelly, including the peanut allergy. Maysoon, who has Cerebral Palsy, deftly tackles the relationship between patient and provider, using her perspective as a life-long patient. In her most recent dalliance, she was paralyzed from her nose to her toes and had to learn to walk again. She will bring a laugh to your bored conference audience while creating a new understanding of the ever-changing healthcare landscape.
Standup Comedy Workshop
Are you looking for a fun team building activity for your leadership or executive board? Princeton Fellow and comedy coach Maysoon Zayid’s standup comedy workshop is the perfect fit for any event. Each participant will learn the tricks of the trade and will get a chance to take the mic. This workshop builds confidence, camaraderie, trust, and is laugh out loud fun.
