Comedian and television host Bassem Youssef made his return to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, addressing the brief hiatus from the platform and explaining the reasons behind it.
Youssef, renowned for his incisive social commentary and recent critiques of Israel’s actions in Gaza, shared a detailed explanation regarding his account deactivation. He revealed that the decision was prompted by a series of troubling messages suggesting a possible account compromise, which raised concerns about potential hacking and doxxing threats. This prompted him and his team to temporarily deactivate his account while they investigated the issue.
“I only take these issues seriously when they impact others, not just myself,” Youssef stated. He acknowledged that the removal of his account led to widespread rumors and confusion, exacerbated by the lack of clarity in his initial communication.
The situation, coupled with personal and health challenges, caused significant stress and burnout for Youssef and his team. He had to cancel various commitments, including local comedy shows and event promotions, resulting in both personal and financial setbacks.
“This caused major burnout for all of us,” Youssef explained. He admitted that the intensity of the situation, alongside the security concerns, forced him to take a break from all social media platforms, unintentionally fueling further speculation among his followers.
“I was disconnected from social media and didn’t realize the level of chaos that ensued, even though I was only offline for seven days,” he clarified.
Now back on X, Youssef assured his followers that he has resumed regular posting across all platforms. He hinted at upcoming content, including a new video set to be released tonight. “I will continue to share parts of my interviews and original videos in both Arabic and English to delve deeper into the topics discussed. Look out for a new video in the next 24 hours, something I had been working on before the hiatus,” he said.
Youssef expressed gratitude for the support he received during this period and apologized for the absence and delayed responses. He also noted a temporary drop in his follower count, which was later explained by X as a technical glitch that would soon be resolved. He encouraged followers to refer to his pinned post for more details on the account deactivation.
