About

Ali Al Sayed

Ali Al Sayed is one of the most versatile and recognisable names in comedy across the world. Dubai’s own, Ali has spent nearly two decades building a comedy career that stretches from the stages of New York and London to living rooms across the MENA region through Comedy Central and Shahid MBC.

He began writing, performing, and producing comedy in 2008. Ali launched the first comedy and performing arts school in the Middle East, training thousands of students and giving an entire generation of comedians their first platform.

Ali’s stand-up career has taken him to iconic venues: Caroline’s on Broadway, Comic Strip Live and Gotham Comedy Club in New York, the Top Secret Comedy Club in London, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the New York Arab American Comedy Festival.

On screen, Ali has appeared in featured specials on PBS, CBS, and BBC World. He can currently be seen on Comedy Central’s Ridiculousness and as co-host of Comedy Central Presents: Stand-Up Sketch Show, now streaming on Shahid MBC. He starred alongside Freida Pinto in the acclaimed Dubai short film ‘Two Bellmen Two’ and debuted his solo special ‘Onestly Sbeaking’ at the Dubai Comedy Festival in 2015.

As founder of Viva Arts and Co-Founder of Dubomedy, Ali has undertaken key roles as an OSN Consultant, Producer and Presenter, Ali has had the privilege of interviewing global icons including Usher, Dave Chappelle, Nick Frost and Cheb Khalid.

The accolades speak for themselves: Comedian of the Year (Esquire Magazine), Funniest People of the Year (Rolling Stone ME), Knockout Comedian (The National) and Most Creative People in Business 2024 (Fast Company). Toastmasters International has named him among the most influential comedians in the world.

Ali’s mission has always been to create a comedy industry, not just import entertainment — to build a platform that exports Arab voices to the world. With his upcoming show Ali is Unperfect and a debut feature film in production, that mission is far from over.