Sound It Out

Ismael Loutfi wants to know why people keep asking “moderate Muslims” to publicly disown international terrorism. In his half-hour debut, Sound It Out, he tackles the media’s obsession with moderate Islam by comparing it to his father asking him to go to the grocery store for milk—he would immediately assume his dad was testing his loyalty. It is a joke that highlights Loutfi’s strength as a writer: taking heavy, systemic frustrations and turning them into highly personal, domestic absurdities.

Filmed at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, New York, the special was released by Comedy Central in March 2022. At the time, Loutfi was establishing himself as a reliable late-night writer, having spent two years writing for Netflix’s Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj and NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! before transitioning into solo stand-up.

Throughout the set, Loutfi brings a relaxed, understated delivery to topics that often tempt other comics to lecture. He compares the respective public energy of Donald Trump and Joe Biden, questions why Floridians aren’t legally or culturally considered Southerners despite central Florida’s deep-country leanings, and details the bizarre timing of getting married right before the 2020 pandemic lockdowns. He also digs into the paranoia of relationships, tracking why a current wife might have a hyper-specific interest in his ex-wife.

The special was released as part of Comedy Central’s digital stand-up showcase, following Loutfi’s writing work on late-night and variety programs.