Ramy Youssef is back with his third HBO standup special, set to hit screens this month with his signature mix of personal stories and sharp social observations.
The award-winning comedian will bring Ramy Youssef: In Love to HBO and HBO Max on Friday, April 17, 2026. The special runs from 9:00 to 10:05 p.m. ET/PT.
The performance was filmed at The Hideout, a small bar built during Prohibition in Chicago. The venue holds only a few hundred people, creating a close connection between Youssef and the audience. This intimate setting matches the personal nature of his material.
Nina Rosenstein, HBO’s executive vice president of late night and specials programming, said:
“Ramy’s third HBO special feels like a homecoming — for him, and for us. He has this rare ability to make a room feel like it’s just you and him and then uses that closeness to say something that catches you completely off guard. Filming inside a small, Prohibition-era bar in Chicago only deepens that intimacy — it has a lived-in, timeless quality to it, and the result is a special that feels completely and unmistakably Ramy.”
Topics Covered in the New Special
The special covers a wide range of subjects from Youssef’s life. He talks about his marriage, being a dog parent, artificial intelligence, and religion. The official description says Youssef approaches everything with the belief that people can find light and hope in all things if they try to see them through a lens of love.
Some of the jokes from the trailer have already gotten attention. Youssef makes fun of the Saudi comedy festival he did not perform at.
“I didn’t do that, because I wasn’t invited. My wife, her whole family’s in Saudi. I go there anyway. I’m the only guy in Hollywood that loses money going to Saudi Arabia.”
He also jokes about AI tools on social media. He talks about how people use Grok to turn pictures of women into inappropriate content. The crowd laughs as he connects this to traditional face coverings worn by some Muslim women.
Who Is Making the Special
Christopher Storer, who created the hit FX series The Bear, directed and executive produced the special. Youssef worked with Storer before on an episode of The Bear called “Honeydew.” That work earned Youssef his first DGA Award nomination.
The special comes from Youssef’s production company Cairo Cowboy. Youssef wrote and performed the material. Tyson Bidner and Josh Senior also serve as executive producers.
Streaming Details for Global Audiences
The special premieres April 17, 2026, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time in the United States. Viewers can watch it on the HBO cable channel or stream it on HBO Max (called Max in some regions).
For viewers in other countries:
- United Kingdom: Available on Sky Comedy and NOW TV
- Canada: Available on Crave
- Australia: Available on Binge and Foxtel
- India: Available on JioCinema and HBO content partners
The special runs for 65 minutes total.
Youssef’s Recent Success
This marks Youssef’s third HBO special. His first, Feelings, came out in 2019. The second, More Feelings, released in 2024. That second special earned him nominations for a Golden Globe, a Critics’ Choice Award, and a Writers Guild Award in 2025.
Youssef has been busy outside standup as well. He co-created, executive produces, and voices characters in #1 Happy Family USA, an adult animated series on Prime Video that premiered in April 2025. He also appeared in Poor Things, the Oscar-nominated film starring Emma Stone. He had a role in Mountainhead, an HBO film from Jesse Armstrong, who created Succession.
Many people know Youssef from his Hulu series Ramy, which he created, produces, directs, and stars in. That show won a Peabody Award, and Youssef won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical in 2020. The series also received two Emmy nominations.
He also co-created Mo, the Netflix series about comedian Mo Amer, which won a Peabody Award and a Gotham Award.
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Trailer Highlights
The trailer for Ramy Youssef: In Love gives a preview of what fans can expect. Youssef moves between funny stories and more serious thoughts about life, love, and faith. The trailer shows him talking directly to the crowd, making everyone feel like they are part of a private conversation.
One standout moment in the trailer has Youssef talking about social media and AI. Another part shows him discussing family expectations and marriage. The jokes land because they come from real experiences that many people can relate to, even when the topics are specific to his background as an Egyptian-American Muslim.
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