"You know how they say the thing you're most worried about usually turns out fine?" Youssef said in a reel posted to his Instagram account on Sunday. "I was honestly super upset when our Miami show got canceled. But thank God — we found another venue."
In the video, Youssef extolls the virtues of moving the show to Fort Lauderdale: Driving against traffic ("because driving inside Miami [is] a nightmare"), performing in a hub for South Florida's Arab community, and the venue's close proximity to the following day's Al Ahly vs. Inter Miami FIFA Club World Cup match at Hard Rock Stadium.
Youssef's reel announcement once again suggests the show's cancellation was not his decision. Ticketholders were given priority access to the new show at the Parker, but not before Ticketmaster processed refunds for the original Fillmore Miami Beach date.
The comedian addressed the scramble in an Instagram story on Friday: "I know that it is very silly that you are waiting for the refund as you are buying the new ticket." He also vaguely referenced facing "problems and inconveniences" throughout the tour.
"For the last 18 months, despite problems and inconveniences that I am reluctant to speak about, the show was very successful with your presence and support," he wrote. "I decided a long time ago that I don't vent or open up about the silliness that occurs to me on a regular basis, and that's for reasons that you all know. I focus on my job and on my shows, which make you happy. There are two shows in the New Jersey Performance Arts Center that don't have any problems, and I hope we break the previous record of attendance of the past two English shows, [which] had 7,000 people in attendance last year."
Youssef has avoided stating exactly what led to the Miami Beach cancellation, and New Times has not received responses to requests for comment from the comedian's team or Live Nation, which operates the Fillmore Miami Beach.
In his post announcing the Miami Beach show cancellation, Youssef wrote, "Unfortunately, I can't hide from you the amount of pressure we've been under in the past few months. Despite the difficulties and cancellation threats, I was able to perform more than 100 shows in Europe, America, the Middle East, and South Africa. Out of all [places], Miami was one of the few exceptions."
The comedian announced the Fillmore Miami Beach show in early March, part of a tour performed exclusively in Arabic. He announced the cancellation last Sunday, May 11, without going into specifics, but his mention of "the amount of pressure we've been under in the past few months" could be a reference to criticism he's faced for his condemnation of Israel's bombardment of Gaza after the October 7 attacks.
