Ramy Youssef was born in 1991[3] in the Queens borough of New York City, to Egyptian parents,[4] and raised in Rutherford, New Jersey.

[9][5] He went on to study political science and economics at Rutgers University, Newark, but he left before graduating to enroll at William Esper Studio to focus on acting.

[13] The show, in which Youssef plays the title character, tells the story of a millennial Muslim who is a first-generation American born to immigrant parents in the United States.

[16] He received a Golden Globe in January 2020 for this role, and was also nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, as both an actor and director.

[23] In a February 2024 interview, Youssef told Vanity Fair that his art has often taken him to Palestine, including to perform stand-up comedy in 2014 and in the aforementioned third season of Ramy.

[12] In 2023, Youssef toured his comedy show "More Feelings" and announced that proceeds from the final 12 nights would raise funds for Gaza through American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA).

[24] On December 8, 2023, Youssef's "More Feelings" show at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), which donated all proceeds from ticket sales to ANERA, drew headlines when celebrities including Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez attended.

[26] In August 2024 it was announced that Youssef was entering into a partnership with Netflix to develop serialized first-look projects through his production company Cairo Cowboy.