Bhaswati Borthakur
Mohammed “Mo” Amer is a talented and hilarious stand-up comedian, actor, and writer known for his exceptional observational and satirical comedic work. Beginning his journey in his mid-teens with the tiny audience of his classroom, Mo became the first and only Arab-American refugee comic who performed for the overseas US and coalition troops at only age 19. He also received worldwide fame with his Netflix comedy special ‘Mo Amer: The Vagabond’ and the live-in-concert documentary ‘Allah Made Me Funny.’
Furthermore, Mo’s talent has taken him on tours in more than 27 countries spanning over 5 continents and numerous other festivals and events worldwide. After achieving several feats as a comedian, Mo finally co-created ‘Mo,’ a semi-autobiographical show about Mo’s life. Co-created with Ramy Youssef, it revolves around Mo Najjar, who is caught between three languages, two distinct cultures, and an unresolved asylum request. After his family emigrates from Palestine to the US, he experiences a great deal of injustice as a refugee, yet he still needs to work hard to provide for them.
In this fictionalized version of himself, Mo attempts to balance comedy and tragedy, which has helped him win over more admirers and further increased their curiosity about his private life. As a considerable number of his followers are now curious to know about Mohammed Amer’s life behind the mic, here’s everything you need to know about the same.
Mohammed Amer’s Family and Background
Mohammed Amer AKA Mo and his family originally hail from Palestine. He lived with his family in Kuwait until he was 9. He is the youngest of six siblings. During the first Gulf War, only Mo, his mother, a sister, and an older brother were able to flee to the US via Baghdad. To add to their troubles, his father, a Telecommunications Engineer for an oil company in Kuwait, also went missing during their journey to Houston, Texas, where they now reside.
However, Mo’s mother — whom he has always referred to as “gangster” because of her strength and resilience — returned to the war zone for nine months to find her husband to join the family. His father reunited with them in the US in 1992. Sadly, his father passed away due to heart issues three years later, when Mo was 14. He still fondly talks about his father, emphasizing how much he misses him every day and is grateful for the time spent together. Growing up, Mo was always the entertainer and would ask his family members to watch him instead of TV.
Mo was first introduced to the world of comedy at the age of 10 by his elder brother at a Bill Cosby show at the Houston Astrodome and later at 14 at a Texas rodeo. When he was in Piney Point Elementary school, Mo’s teacher, Mrs. Broderick, encouraged him to complete high school by asking him to perform a monologue by William Shakespeare for passing marks. This meant he could then try comedy in front of a real audience for the first time AKA his friends.
Mo eventually started performing in local comedy club scenes just after graduating high school. He is very close to all his family members, including his nieces and nephews. Mo also went back to visit their native place along with his mom and brother, who visited the place after 37 years in 2016. All his siblings are now well-settled, out of which his one brother, Omar, is a pilot, and another brother, Amer, got a Ph.D. in biochemistry.
Mohammed Amer’s Ex-Wife
Mo Amer was previously married to a Mexican-American woman whose name remains undisclosed to date. She also has a daughter from a previous relationship. Hence, Mo lovingly took on the role of the step-father to the young girl. They used to live together in the sprawling city of Los Angeles in Southern California. However, Mo mentioned he got divorced in his Netflix comedy special, ‘Mo Amer: Mohammed In Texas.’ He clarifed that he and his now-ex-wife divorced during the lockdown that took place because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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In the special, Mo said, “Divorce is real. Divorce… [laughing] Divorce is real as f–k. Divorce is so real. I got divorced in the pandemic. It happened, you know.” The reason for the divorce is unknown since he hasn’t given out any details about the same. However, he vaguely talked about the uncertainty that persisted during the pandemic, which also contributed to the decision. However, it seems like it was an amicable decision and the ex-partners do not hold any hostility toward each other.
Mo jokingly added, “It’s not like those stories that you hear where a comedian’s like, “F–k that bitch.” No. It just didn’t work out. You know what I mean? And it’s fine. And when you’re married for so long you’re just use to certain things. I was dead asleep one night. And then I farted so hard. [laughing] I farted so hard I woke up ashamed. Like… [gasps] Like this. [laughing] And I looked over to my left and I apologized. And there was nobody there! [laughs] [laughing] I just turned over and cried. .”
In the Netflix series, ‘Mo,’ like other aspects of his life, the role of his wife is also somewhat similar to his real-life counterpart. However, we would advise taking it all with a grain of salt as it is not the best source to derive real-life details about his life with his ex-wife. From what we can tell, Mo has not re-married since and is most likely single. Moreover, we hope his relationship with his step-daughter has remained unchanged. As of writing, Mo is busy working on several new projects, for which we wish him the best.
Read More: Where is Netflix’s Mo Filmed?
