We're Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends

By Zeteo

We're Not Kidding is a show where funny people talk about serious things, hosted by Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan and regularly featuring internationally acclaimed comedian Bassem Youssef.... more

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How many episodes does We're Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends have?

The podcast currently has 52 episodes available.

Best of We're Not Kidding with Mehdi & Friends

The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

Number 1: Socialists Are Winning Elections — Mehdi & Sam Seder Explain Why
There are few people who have worked in progressive media as long as Sam Seder. As the host of the massively popular and long-running YouTube series 'The Majority Report', Sam paved the way for progressive pundits with his sharp and funny analysis of U.S. politics. That's why Sam was the perfect guest for this week's 'We're Not Kidding' for Mehdi to discuss the wave of progressive and socialist wins across the country. Oh and don't think Mehdi forgot that Sam was the person who told Mehdi to participate in that insanely racist 'Jubilee' debate. They unpack their insane experiences (though Mehdi's was objectively more insane) and what it revealed about young MAGA conservatives. The two also weigh in on what we're now calling 'The Great Tucker Carlson Debate.' Will the right-wing podcaster run for president? Can he be trusted on issues like Israel and foreign wars? Is there utility to going on his platform, or vice versa? And which part of the debate does Sam think is "bullshit?" This interview was published Aug. 10, 2026 on Zeteo.com. If you want early access to exclusive content and hard-hitting, independent journalism, subscribe on Substack here: https://zeteo.com/subscribe Watch, listen and subscribe to 'We're Not Kidding' on Substack: https://zeteo.com/s/were-not-kidding-with-mehdi-and-friends Find Zeteo: Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews Find Mehdi: Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan Credits: Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan Guest Host: Sam Seder Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello Producer: Melanie Riehl Music: Andy Clausen Design: Alicia Tatone Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo
August 18, 202657min
Number 2: 'Politics for Hot People' – The Socialist Comedian Making Politics Cool
This episode is sponsored by Odoo. Go to https://www.odoo.com/notkidding to try it for free. This week's 'We're Not Kidding' guest thinks "hot people" have been excluded from politics for too long — and it's time to change that. Mary Beth Barone is a New York City comedian, actor, socialist, and early supporter of Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign. But before that, she was raised in a Republican household and thought George W. Bush was cool when she was in fifth grade. Mary Beth joined Mehdi in NYC to talk about her political character arc, her new Netflix standup special 'Galaxy Brain', and how the Democratic party can do better. SUBSCRIBE TO ZETEO TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND UNFILTERED JOURNALISM: https://zeteo.com/subscribe WATCH, LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO 'WE'RE NOT KIDDING' ON SUBSTACK: https://zeteo.com/s/were-not-kidding-with-mehdi-and-friends FIND ZETEO: Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews FIND MEHDI: Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan Credits: Hosted by Mehdi Hasan Guest Host: Mary Beth Barone Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello Producer: Melanie Riehl Music: Andy Clausen Design: Alicia Tatone Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo
August 06, 202636min
Number 3: When Hasan Piker Met Mehdi Hasan
This episode is sponsored by Odoo. Go to https://www.odoo.com/notkidding to try it for free. "How is it that a 34 year-old Turkish-American socialist Twitch streamer is now a kingmaker in the Democratic Party of the United States?" Hasan Piker says he can take the heat. The famous political commentator has spent the past several months as the primary target of the Democratic party establishment for what they claim are his repugnant views. According to Hasan, the real reason is the success of the broader left movement that he has been a vocal advocate for. Now, he sits down with Mehdi in Washington, D.C. to talk about becoming a "lightning rod" and the recent Democratic primaries shaking up the political landscape, like the upcoming Michigan Senate primary between the AIPAC-backed Haley Stevens and the progressive Abdul El-Sayed. The polls are close, the money is overwhelming (Stevens has a 12-1 spending advantage over El-Sayed), yet Hasan explains why he thinks "this race will shock the world." They also get into the whole Tucker Carlson debate. Is Tucker setting up JD Vance for 2028, or is he planning his own presidential run? Hasan and Mehdi unpack whether the right-wing Christian nationalist can be a trusted ally on Gaza and Israel. The Hasans also discuss: Socialism's rising popularity in the U.S. Hasan being targeted by both Democrats and Republicans. Accusations of antisemitism. Mehdi's appearance on the PBD podcast. Marco Rubio vs. JD Vance. The hypocrisy of Joe Rogan and Bill Maher. And which Democrat Hasan wants to run in 2028… This interview was published 7 days earlier on Zeteo.com. If you want early access to exclusive content and hard-hitting, independent journalism, subscribe on Substack here: https://zeteo.com/subscribe Watch, listen and subscribe to 'We're Not Kidding' on Substack: https://zeteo.com/s/were-not-kidding-with-mehdi-and-friends Find Zeteo: Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews Find Mehdi: Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan Credits: Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan Guest Host: Hasan Piker 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: Aaliyah Haque To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo
July 30, 20261h 2min
Number 4: Superpower vs. Kryptonite - Which Dem Has the Best Shot in 2028?
The 2028 U.S. presidential election is just over two years away — which means we already have to start talking about it. In a special LIVE taping of 'We're Not Kidding' in New York City, Mehdi was joined by author, political commentator, and host of the 'Fast Politics' podcast Molly Jong-Fast, where they sought to answer the one burning question of every politics (and comic book) nerd: Which of the Democratic presidential hopefuls has the greatest superpower – and what is their 'Kryptonite' that could tank their candidacy? Together, they break down Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's celebrity status, who the sleeper hit of the Democratic primary could be, and discuss why, if she runs, Kamala Harris will probably lose…again. "When you lose, shouldn't you just go away?" Mehdi asks. "That's why I think [Kamala Harris] is not going to run again," Molly says. They also take questions from the live audience in New York on whether social media is to blame for young people being drawn in by right-wing pundits like Tucker Carlson, why the media rarely covers labor issues, and whether Trump has an exit strategy in Iran (spoiler: he doesn't). The two also discuss: The Jan. 6 rioters' billion-dollar payout from the Trump administration. Marco Rubio and JD Vance's 'Apprentice'-style tryout for Trump's backing in 2028. How much right-wing political content is actually astroturfed. This episode was co-produced by On Air Fest and On Air Presents as part of their yearlong programming. This interview was published 7 days earlier on Zeteo.com. If you want early access to exclusive content and hard-hitting, independent journalism, subscribe on Substack here: https://zeteo.com/subscribe Watch, listen and subscribe to 'We're Not Kidding' on Substack: https://zeteo.com/s/were-not-kidding-with-mehdi-and-friends Find Zeteo: Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews Find Mehdi: Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan Credits: Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan Guest Host: Molly Jong-Fast Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi Senior Producer: Frank Cappello Editor: Liam Mann Music: Andy Clausen Design: Alicia Tatone Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo
June 09, 20261h 2min
Number 5: Can You Trust Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson on Israel? Mehdi and Bassem Debate
It's been six months (!) since Bassem Youssef joined Mehdi for an episode of 'We're Not Kidding', and since then Israel has started two new wars, right-wing podcasters have turned on Donald Trump over his war with Iran, and centrist Democrats have mounted a cancellation campaign against leftist streamer Hasan Piker. But before they get to any of that, they dig into Epstein and Mehdi's viral interview with the so-called "Professor Jiang," the two get into a friendly argument over which terms and ideas qualify as religious tropes and how the weaponization of antisemitism by Zionists has diluted the meaning of the word. The two also debate whether right-wingers like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson can be trusted allies for calling out Israel's genocide in Gaza and Donald Trump's war with Iran, or if they're just opportunists who see the writing on the wall for the MAGA movement. "Why don't you like Candace Owens or Tucker Carlson?" Bassem asks Mehdi, who explains his position on the two. The two also discuss: Zionists cracking down on free speech and civil liberties. Why "Pax Judaica" is an antisemitic trope and "Greater Israel" is not. US citizen Moshe Katz who recently died in Lebanon fighting for the Israeli military. Why Bill Maher is… just the worst. This interview was published 7 days earlier on Zeteo.com. If you want early access to exclusive content and hard-hitting, independent journalism, subscribe on Substack here: https://zeteo.com/subscribe Watch, listen and subscribe to 'We're Not Kidding' on Substack: https://zeteo.com/s/were-not-kidding-with-mehdi-and-friends Find Zeteo: Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeteo_news Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeteonews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeteonews Find Mehdi: Substack: https://substack.com/@mehdirhasan Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mehdirhasan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@mehdirhasan TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan Credits: Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan Guest Host: Bassem Youssef Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello Music: Andy Clausen Design: Alicia Tatone Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo
April 14, 202642min