Dean Obeidallah

EXCLUSIVE
  • Host of the National Radio Program, 'The Dean Obeidallah Show'
  • Columnist for CNN, MSNBC, and The Daily Best
  • Award-Winning Comedian, Director, and Producer
  • Co-Founder and Co-Executive Producer, New York Arab American Comedy Festival

Dean Obeidallah is a lawyer turned writer, national radio host, award-winning comedian and activist countering bigotry and misconceptions about Muslims and race in America. Obeidallah uses comedy, personal anecdotes, and myth-busting to share his experience of growing up as a ‘white person’, with all the benefits of white privilege, until 9/11 – when he lost his privilege and became an activist against Islamophobia. He is the co-creator of the annual New York Arab American Comedy Festival, as well as Stand Up for Peace, an event that brings Jews and Muslims together to laugh. Obeidallah also co-directed and co-produced the comedy documentary The Muslims are Coming! to combat anti-Muslim bigotry. He hosts the national radio program ‘The Dean Obeidallah Show’ for SiriusXM, and is a weekly contributor to MSNBC.com, CNN.com, and The Daily Beast, as well as the host of Salon.com’s Salon Talks, an interview show highlighting his unique perspective on politics and pop culture.

Obeidallah has appeared on MSNBC’s The Reid Out, as well as other MSNBC programs, ABC’s Good Morning America and The View, and numerous programs on CNN. His funny and informative standup has been featured on Comedy Central’s Axis of Evil, Comics Unleashed, and The Nightly Show. Obeidallah is both funny and informative, revealing our biases by being the living manifestation of the concept that in America, “race is a social construct.

 


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Past Hosts Include:
  • Council on American-Islamic Relations
News Commentary - Zahid Quraishi becomes first Muslim-American Fed Judge | MSNBC [1:25] - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Dean Obeidallah
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No Longer White: Race in America

In the years following 9/11, DEAN OBEIDALLAH lost his ‘white card’ and white privilege as America began to view him as a minority, resulting in death threats from Neo-Nazi hate groups. He uses humor to share his unique personal story, and answers questions about how to have productive and honest con ...

In the years following 9/11, DEAN OBEIDALLAH lost his ‘white card’ and white privilege as America began to view him as a minority, resulting in death threats from Neo-Nazi hate groups. He uses humor to share his unique personal story, and answers questions about how to have productive and honest conversations about race in America in a talk that will be impactful for any audience.

Countering Bigotry and Building Allies

Using facts and humor, DEAN OBEIDALLAH shares his unique experience of being a Muslim in America, counters negative stereotypes about Muslims, and offers powerful takeaways about how to overcome our biases – like making friends! His practical solutions for countering bigotry and building allies will ...

Using facts and humor, DEAN OBEIDALLAH shares his unique experience of being a Muslim in America, counters negative stereotypes about Muslims, and offers powerful takeaways about how to overcome our biases – like making friends! His practical solutions for countering bigotry and building allies will resonate with any audience.

How to Have Productive Political Conversations

In this funny and informative non-partisan talk, DEAN OBEIDALLAH reveals how throughout history, we’ve always battled passionately over politics because to Americans, politics has always been personal. He offers practical insights about understanding our past that lead to engaging and more respectfu ...

In this funny and informative non-partisan talk, DEAN OBEIDALLAH reveals how throughout history, we’ve always battled passionately over politics because to Americans, politics has always been personal. He offers practical insights about understanding our past that lead to engaging and more respectful conversations about politics.

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Biography

Dean Obeidallah is a lawyer turned writer, national radio host, activist and award-winning comedian who has used his skills to counter bigotry and misconceptions about Muslims and race in America.

His unique story of once being a “white person” who had all the benefits of white privilege to a minority to ultimately a person targeted for death by white supremacists (who he sued in federal court and won) is both funny and informative. Dean shares through his own story how white privilege is real—since Dean lost his—to being the living manifestation of the concept that in America “race is a social construct.”
 
Dean can be heard nightly across the United States and in Canada on SiriusXM on “The Dean Obeidallah show.”  He writes weekly for MSNBC.com, CNN.com and The Daily Beast on issues from politics to the Muslim community to the intersection of politics and pop culture.  In his “spare time,” Dean also hosts Salon.com’s “Salon Talks” where he interviews newsmakers, authors and celebrities for the publication’s online video platform and writes an accompanying article. 
 
You may have seen Dean on Joy Reid’s prime-time MSNBC show, The Reid Out as well as on various others MSNBC programs. He has also appeared on just about every CNN show on air as well as ABC’s Good Morning America and The View.  In the world of comedy, Dean has appeared on Comedy Central’s Axis of Evil special, Comics Unleashed, and The Nightly Show.
 
In addition, Dean co-directed/co-produced the comedy documentary, The Muslims are Coming! designed to combat anti-Muslim bigotry and is the co-creator of the annual NY Arab American Comedy Festival that will celebrate its 18th anniversary in 2021.