After 15 million views on TED Talk + General Hospital, what's next for comedian Maysoon Zayid?
+ Meet a Midster: "An all-around elder millennial hype woman"
Maysoon Zayid continues to innovate as an Arabic comedian with cerebral palsy
By S. Nicole Lane
In a 2014 TED Talk, Maysoon Zayid opens the floor with what she calls the “Oppression Olympics,” saying, “I’m Palestinian, Muslim, I’m a woman of color, I’m disabled…and I live in New Jersey,” to a laughing audience.
That TED Talk, “I got 99 Problems…and Palsy is Just One,” would change Zayid’s career, becoming the most viewed TED Talk of 2014 with 15 million views, and propelling her toward book deals and sitcoms.
Now known as one of America’s first Muslim women comedians, Zayid is also an author, activist, and actor. She not only represents the Arab community but also the disabled community, as she was born with cerebral palsy due to her mother’s doctor’s intoxication, a form of medical negligence, during her birth. Cerebral palsy isn’t genetic; it occurs after a newborn suffers a lack of oxygen or experiences head trauma during birth.
In her 2020 touring show, Find Another Dream, Zayid details the true story of her journey as a daughter of immigrants to a teen imagining her life as a soap opera star to finding her voice in comedy.
Along the way, she definitely found her voice. And it includes the best type of medicine — laughter.
I interviewed the 50-year-old comedian about her beginnings as a performer, her love for Miss Piggy, her fight for equality, and her avoidance of mean people.
The Midst: What led you to become an actor and comedian? And how did your cerebral palsy influence your journey that resulted in you becoming a well-known name?
Maysoon Zayid: My parents couldn’t afford physical therapy, so they sent me to tap class. They couldn’t afford occupational therapy, so they sent me to piano. I was performing from a very young age, and I didn’t realize that I was getting standing ovations because people thought that, as a disabled kid, I was “inspirational.” I believed it was because I was extraordinarily talented and destined to be a star.
I had my eyes set on Broadway, and the daytime soap opera General Hospital. While, miraculously, both of those dreams have come true, I wouldn’t consider myself a well-known name. I’m much more Z-list.
Meet Amber J. Adams, the leadership coach and risk-taker by design
I like to say that I am “rebellious by nature and a risk-taker by design.” At the core I am a woman who loves finding ways to make the everyday fabulous. I love helping women do this in my roles as a writer, leadership and brand development coach, and all-around elder millennial hype woman.
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Devoting myself to helping my midlife clients reimagine their careers and reconnect with their power to move their career and their lives forward. At 39 years old, I am proud to be aligning my career and work with who I truly am: a person who believes that the intersection between life and career can and should be fabulous.
I currently split my time between New York City and London. At the tail end of my 37th year, I met an English gentleman who inspired an unexpected plot twist in my life. You could say that I’m in the midst of bridging the gap across the pond so I can stay connected to all of the people, places, and things I love.
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