“I got 99 problems and palsy is just one of them,” this stand up comic has a beautiful message for you

This comedian did not let disability or the colour of her skin stop her from doing everything that others could do

By: Shamita Harsh |
October 13, 2017 5:36 pm

She is a writer, a stand-up comic, a philanthropist, and an actor. Meet Maysoon Zayid, a beautiful soul who suffers from cerebral palsy. Maysoon is not just an inspiration for countless disabled people across the globe but is also a motivational speaker for people of colour. She is of Palestinian descent and is known as one of America’s first Muslim women comedians. She was also the first person to do stand-up in Palestine and Jordan. From being a TED speaker to co-founding the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival back in 2003, Maysoon is someone who has become an inspiration for unknown talents that yet to be discovered.

Her Comedy Festival is all about Arab-American comics, actors, playwrights, and filmmakers who are struggling in the field waiting to be discovered. In 2014, Maysoon gave a powerful TED Talk, ‘I’ve Got 99 Problems… Palsy is Just One’ and the video recently went viral.

“I have cerebral palsy. I shake all the time,” Maysoon Zayid announces at the beginning of the exhilarating, hilarious talk.

“I’m like Shakira meets Muhammad Ali,” she says as she draws reference to the boxer who had Parkinson’s disease. With grace and wit, the Arab-American comedian takes us on a whistle-stop tour of her adventures as an actress, stand-up comic, philanthropist, and advocate for the disabled.

“I’m everything Hollywood rejects and yet here I am, living the dream,” Maysoon says.

She describes herself as “a fluffy, ethnic disabled chick.”

Brimming with wit, here are 5 epic moments from the Arab-American comedian where she takes us on a jovial tour of her adventures as an actress, stand-up comic, philanthropist and advocate for the disabled.

#1 When she debunked all taboos around Cerebral Palsy

#2: When she made a joke on how everyone expects TED talks to be revolutionary

#3 When she openly called out to the people who thought being disabled could bring them privilege like reserved parking spots

#4 When she saluted her parents for treating her as an equal as the rest of her siblings, especially in household chores

#5 When she showed us how relatable her life was, including the occasional beating for not doing good in studies

She is a delight to watch as she proves to the world that her disability is only a tiny part of her graceful and larger-than-life personality.

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You can watch her laughing riot of a Ted Talk here:

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