Pathbreakers of Arab America—Emil Wakim
This is the sixty-fifth of Arab America’s series on American pathbreakers of Arab descent. The series includes personalities from entertainment, business, sports, science, arts, academia, journalism, and politics, among other areas. Our sixty-fifth pathbreaker is Emil Wakim, a Lebanese American stand-up comic, writer, actor, and son of a Maronite Christian Lebanese immigrant father and American mother. He made his “Tonight Show” debut at the young age of 24 and this fall joined the cast of ‘Saturday Night Live’ for its milestone 50th season as the first Lebanese American cast member. Contributing writer, John Mason, depicts Emil as unafraid of poking fun at stereotypes of Arabs and addressing serious issues such as genocide in Gaza.