Dina Hashem: Bio, Comedy Style, and Where to Watch

Who is Dina Hashem?

Dina Hashem grew up in a Muslim household in New Jersey, the daughter of Egyptian and Moroccan parents, and went to Rutgers University to study English, philosophy, and Japanese. She did her first stand-up set there on a bet — entering a campus comedy contest to impress a classmate — and won. That is a very specific origin story for a comedian who would go on to be described by the New York Times as one of the best deadpan artists working.

She first gained wide attention from a roast battle at The Stand NYC. A YouTube video titled “Shy deadpan girl viciously defeats a big loud guy” racked up over five million views. She won on her first appearance on Comedy Central’s Roast Battle, was named a Team Coco/TBS Comic to Watch at the New York Comedy Festival, and made her late-night debut on Conan. Her debut hour-long special, Dark Little Whispers, executive produced by Sam Morril, was released on Amazon Prime in November 2023 to strong reviews. She has written for Mindy Kaling’s The Sex Lives of College Girls, B.J. Novak’s FX anthology series The Premise, and voiced the recurring character Lamby the Lamb on Ramy Youssef’s Amazon Prime series #1 Happy Family USA. She is a two-time Emmy nominee for her writing on The Daily Show, alongside two Writers Guild of America Award nominations. She is also an avid drummer and skateboarder.

Dina Hashem’s Comedy Style

Hashem is a deadpan comedian whose dark material arrives quietly. Her comedy covers her Arab-American upbringing, her introverted personality, relationships, and her observation of the world from a perspective that is simultaneously insider and outsider. The five-million-view roast battle clip is a good introduction: she sat still, said very little, and won decisively. That restraint is the art.

The New York Times calling her one of the best deadpan artists working is not a small statement — deadpan is one of the most technically demanding modes in comedy because there is nowhere to hide. Either the joke lands on its own construction or it doesn’t. Hashem’s jokes land.

Where to Find Dina Hashem

Dark Little Whispers is on Amazon Prime. Follow Dina on Instagram at @dinahashem_ for show dates.

Dina Hashem has performed at the Comedy Cellar in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Check the current lineup and upcoming shows at comedycellar.com.

Catch Comedy Cellar shows live from New York on Mint Comedy at watch.mintcomedy.com.