
John Achkar. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine)
“I wasn't good at anything, not at maths, sports or literature,” said comedian John Achkar. However, the former student at Jamhour's Collège Notre-Dame possessed a talent that his classmates still remember: He was funny.
After seven years of expressing this talent “with sincerity,” Achkar is now selling out venues in Lebanon and beyond. His latest tour includes 10 dates in Australia. He is also opening for Moroccan-Canadian comedian and actor Gad Elmaleh in Dubai in April, then in Paris at the Olympia on June 30.
From his childhood, his travels, his first marriage, his divorce, his new relationships, his departures, his move to Dubai, Achkar opened up to L'Orient-Le Jour. “These are subjects that everyone can identify with, dramas that end up making you smile when you step back... Everyday difficulties, which can seem dramatic at the time they are experienced, never cease to inspire me. When we take a step back from our absurdities, we can laugh about them and make people laugh,” he said.
"Finally, I'm not alone in this absurdity,” he added. "Many people have experienced these same emotions, and that's why they laugh heartily. I love the empathy you can feel in the room.”
Double life
Achkar is an entrepreneur by trade, having studied economics at the Université Saint-Joseph (USJ), where he obtained a bachelor's degree and then a master's in international relations. As part of an Erasmus exchange program, he joined the Institut d'études politiques (IEP) in Paris, obtained a master's degree in business management from the Singapore Management University, and finally took management courses at the IE Business School in Madrid.
But that was before comedy and the desire to make people laugh caught up to him. With his mother Rafka, he created Everythink, a label specializing in board games for companies and schools. "Today, my life is 90% comedy and 10% entrepreneurship," he said.
The entertainer made his mark with a simple, slightly French style, and a genuineness against all odds. "My slightly French-y side helped me in the beginning,” he said. "In the beginning, I expressed myself much more in French. I kept that attitude in my sketches right up to Dubai. Since I've been touring abroad, my audience has grown to include Palestinians, Syrians and Jordanians. I wanted to get out of this local bubble, to have a more global outlook and a new approach. But the most important thing is to be yourself on stage," he explained.
There are no politics in his stand-up routines; sometimes a name is slipped in, but with a “lexicon” that's very much home-grown and ultimately funny. “Being Lebanese is so absurd that it's comical in itself. I've never found a Swiss comedian hilarious. It's the sons of immigrants, the immigrants who make us laugh the most, and for good reason. French author Claude Roy once said, 'Happy people have no stories,' and that's so true.”
Despite the no-politics routines, Achkar has been tackling serious social and political topics in Lebanon since Nov. 5, 2023, in a TV program on LBC called "Tar al-Waket." “This is the second aspect of my career. Here, analysis is important; it's not just jokes and levity. We're dealing with social issues that need to be explored in depth. The show is still in its infancy, so we want to build a relationship of trust with the audience first.”
The Lebanese comedian opens for Gad Elmaleh at the Olympia. (Credit: Courtesy of the artist)
Gad and I
Achkar works to establish a solid foundation with an ever-growing audience, and to take his performances to the next level. However, he warned his audience at the start of the show not to expect much. “You might be disappointed,” he said.
Inspired by Gad Elmaleh, whose show he opened in Dubai and then in Paris, he confided, “There will be a before and after Gad in my life. I learned from him professionalism, precision and, above all, humility. It's a change from the Lebanese, who tend to think they're experts at everything. And then to remain true, authentic, to remain oneself."
“Some people still call me to animate baptisms and first communions!” he recounted humorously. "At 33, my whole life is a sketch,” he admitted.
This Friday, Achkar will perform in front of 2,900 people. Feeling the stage fright, he joked, “It's the first time I've performed in front of so many people. When I started out, it was my parents who bought the tickets and invited the family. They forced them to come.”
Upon his local and international success, Achkar will perform at the Olympia in October 2025. “My mother and grandmother prayed so much. I don't pray; I paid them to do it. It was worth it in the end!”
John Achkar at Beirut Holidays Festival 2024, Beirut Waterfront, Friday, July 26 at 9 p.m.
Tickets on sale at Virgin Ticketing.
This article was originally published in L'Orient-Le Jour.