Whoever said you need a cause to grab public attention, particularly if it is in cyber space? Badr Saleh is a 29-year-old YouTube show host who has managed to steal the hearts of Jeddawis and made them laugh since 2011. His YouTube channel is aptly named “Eysh Elly” which means “What is” in Arabic.
His YouTube show airs almost twice a month and has been the number one on the most followed YouTube channels in the Kingdom. Saleh brought something different and very refreshing to the Saudi comedy scene — he did not focus on social and governmental issues but just created a show that highlighted funny YouTube videos. And Saudis followed him seeking 10 minutes of pure comedy.
“My show is more like the YouTube police, commenting on and criticizing the silly videos on YouTube. I started doing it for fun, but now, I am pretty much serious about it,” he said.
“Family and close friends inspire me the most, not to mention Jeddah's multiracial humor, which is a huge part of my personality. I found myself drawing a smile on everybody's face since youth. I knew back then that I might fit into comedy,” he said. After the success of Eysh Elly, Saleh started hosting his own standup comedy and has been on comedy tours in the Kingdom and abroad. Different merchandise brands approached him to be their brand ambassador knowing that his name and face will help sell their products.
Saleh has just reached one million followers on Twitter and his YouTube show “Eysh Elly” has more than 1,404,500 subscriptions and more than 176,880,0541 views (and counting)!
Badr Saleh — the funny face of a Saudi
