We&#x27;re Not Kidding with Mehdi &amp; Friends – Details, episodes &amp; analysis

FIND MEHDI:

Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan

FIND NISH:

Twitter: https://x.com/MrNishKumar

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrnishkumar/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrnishkumar

CREDITS:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Nish Kumar

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

Special thanks to: Stephen Wentzell

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zeteo.com/subscribe

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‘We’re Not Kidding’ Will Return in September with a Very Special Guest!

Thursday, August 8, 2024 • Duration 02:51

‘We’re Not Kidding’ will be taking a break during the month of August, but will return in September with new episodes and a very special guest host - check out Mehdi’s announcement video for a sneak peak!

‘We’re Not Kidding’ launched just a few months ago, and has already had hundreds of thousands of people watch and listen, six amazing guest hosts, and a live show in DC in front of a studio audience with Zeteo’s paid subscribers.

If you haven’t had the chance yet, consider becoming a paid subscriber so you don’t miss any new episodes and can watch them without a paywall the moment they’re released – and get an invitation to future live events. Also, we’d love if you could please take a few seconds to rate and review ‘We’re Not Kidding’ on Apple or Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts - it helps other people find the show!

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FIND MEHDI:

Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan

Twitter:

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‘We’re Not Kidding’ LIVE! - Alana Hadid & Mehdi on Palestine and the Fight for Liberation

Tuesday, July 23, 2024 • Duration 01:03:58

On this week’s special LIVE episode of ‘We’re Not Kidding,’ filmed in front of a studio audience in the Washington DC area, Mehdi is joined by activist, influencer and fashion designer Alana Hadid, who has been one of the most vocal advocates for the people of Gaza over the past nine months. Alana’s family is arguably the most famous Palestinian family on Earth, and the Hadids have received a ton of backlash - and a lot of threats - due to their outspoken criticisms of Israel’s genocidal campaign.

Mehdi and Alana, who is also creative director for Watermelon Pictures, discuss her family’s history of being displaced from Palestine in 1948, the double-edged sword of speaking out on a massive social media platform, the experience of losing friends since October 7th, and why ‘hope’ shouldn’t be confused with ‘optimism.’ They also take live questions from Zeteo paid subscribers who were invited to the taping!

“If you have to defend me, you’re in the wrong room,” a defiant Alana tells Mehdi.

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"I Will Do the Right Thing for those Children in Gaza." - Hollywood Star Rob Delaney Speaks Out

Thursday, July 11, 2024 • Duration 44:23

On this week’s episode of ‘We’re Not Kidding,’ Mehdi travels to London to speak with U.S. comedian, writer, and actor Rob Delaney, who has lived in the UK for the last 10 years. In this powerful, wide-ranging, and at times emotional conversation, Rob speaks with Mehdi about how the tragic loss of his 2 year-old son in 2018 drove him to speak out against Israel’s brutal assault on Palestinian children.

“What I do not have in common with the people in Gaza,” Rob tells Mehdi, “is once my baby died, I did not have to worry about the safety of my other children.”

They also discuss the rise and fall of Twitter, Rob’s role in the new Deadpool movie, the recent U.K. election results and the role of the NHS, and whether Joe Biden should stay in the presidential race (spoiler alert: Rob makes the case for him dropping out!).

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The Missing 'Beheaded Babies' - Mehdi & Bassem Debunk Oct. 7 Lies

Tuesday, July 2, 2024 • Duration 01:00:16

On this week’s bonus episode of ‘We’re Not Kidding,’ Bassem Youssef joins Mehdi for an honest and critical conversation about Oct. 7, and the avalanche of Israeli propaganda and lies that followed Hamas’ deadly attack.

Bassem and Mehdi discuss and debunk a number of lies and distortions about the events on the day, from Israel’s controversial “Hannibal directive,” which led to the Israeli military killing a number of its own citizens, to the the now infamous “40 beheaded babies” and “babies in ovens” falsehoods that began to surface only days after the attack.

Bassem and Mehdi are also joined by NYU journalism professor and war correspondent Azadeh Moaveni, whose recent reporting went into detail about how sexual violence and claims of mass rape have been weaponized by supporters of Israel over the past eight months, and how the New York Times in particular misreported this incendiary story.

This episode includes discussions on sexual violence, the specifics of which may be disturbing or traumatizing for some viewers and listeners. Below is a list of resources for survivors of sexual violence.

RESOURCES:

* RAINN: National sexual assault hotline

* Dart Center: Reporting on Sexual Violence

* Poynter: 11 Resources for Responsibly Reporting on Rape

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“Revolutionaries, Not Reformists” - Mehdi and Amanda Seales talk Biden vs Trump, Gaza, and… Jerry Seinfeld

Thursday, June 20, 2024 • Duration 44:46

On the new episode of ‘We’re Not Kidding,’ Mehdi is joined by stand-up comedian, actor, and social justice advocate Amanda Seales for an unfiltered conversation about Palestine, and the cultural backlash for speaking out against genocide and U.S. imperialism. Amanda, who has Palestinian family members, has been a vocal proponent for Palestinian liberation over the last eight months, at great professional cost. She and Mehdi discuss the culture of fear in Hollywood - and the pressure on her own career for speaking out on Gaza - and why the term “liberal” needs to be redefined. They also talk about Jerry Seinfeld’s recent interventions on the Middle East - and whether George Costanza would have been as problematic.

“I just think you’re misusing the word ‘liberal.’ They're not progressive. You know, ‘liberal’ at this point just means ‘I'm not okay with bad things as long as they don't inconvenience me.’”

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Gaza, Police Brutality and Batman with Mehdi and W. Kamau Bell

Thursday, June 6, 2024 • Duration 32:33

Stand-up comedian, best-selling author and acclaimed TV host W. Kamau Bell joins Mehdi as co-host of 'We're Not Kidding' this week. They discuss the student protestors, who join a long line of American anti-war demonstrators, as well as the police’s use of brute force against them. Mehdi and Kamau also examine the censorship of pro-Palestinian voices in the media and Hollywood, why Batman is politically problematic, and the cynical “defanging” of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. since his death.

“People celebrate [Dr. King] as a hero and forget the part where he was assassinated,” says Kamau. “He didn't die of old age… He was assassinated and many people were happy he was assassinated.”

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