Happy Family USA delivers a fresh, hilarious take on the modern immigrant family experience, following the Hussein clan as they navigate cultural clashes, generational gaps, and the absurdities of American life. This boundary-pushing comedy from creator Ramy Youssef blends sharp social commentary with heartfelt family dynamics, offering a Muslim-American perspective rarely seen in mainstream television. With its stellar ensemble cast of comedy veterans and rising stars, the series promises to be both laugh-out-loud funny and surprisingly poignant.
Below is the complete cast breakdown, featuring detailed backgrounds and character insights for every performer bringing this vibrant family to life. Each actor’s unique comedic style and dramatic chops contribute to what may be 2025’s most original family comedy.
Meet the Cast of #1 Happy Family USA
1: Ramy Youssef as Hussein Hussein / Rumi Hussein
Born: March 26, 1991 in New York City
Notable Works: Ramy (2019-2023), Poor Things (2023), Mr. Robot (2015-2019)
Golden Globe winner Ramy Youssef pulls double duty as creator/star, playing both conservative father Hussein and his progressive son Rumi in a brilliant comedic twist. Youssef’s signature blend of spiritual questioning and millennial angst gets multiplied in this dual role that showcases his remarkable range. The actor spent months studying father-son dynamics in immigrant families to perfect the generational divide.
Having revolutionized Muslim-American representation with Ramy, Youssef now broadens his scope to ensemble comedy while maintaining his sharp cultural observations. His scenes as both characters arguing with each other (achieved through innovative filming techniques) are already generating award buzz.
2: Alia Shawkat as Mona Hussein
Born: April 18, 1989 in Riverside, California
Notable Works: Arrested Development (2003-2019), Search Party (2016-2022), Duck Butter (2018)
Alia Shawkat shines as Mona, the Hussein family’s rebellious daughter caught between tradition and independence. Shawkat’s impeccable comedic timing, honed over years on Arrested Development, finds new depth in this role of a young Muslim woman navigating dating, career pressures, and family expectations. The character’s podcast about immigrant kids’ experiences becomes the show’s clever narrative device.
The actress worked closely with Muslim comedians to authentically portray Mona’s specific cultural dilemmas. Shawkat’s chemistry with Youssef (as both her father and brother) creates some of the series’ funniest and most touching moments.
3: Mandy Moore as Mrs. Malcolm
Born: April 10, 1984 in Nashua, New Hampshire
Notable Works: This Is Us (2016-2022), A Walk to Remember (2002), Tangled (2010)
Mandy Moore delivers a hilarious against-type performance as the Husseins’ clueless but well-meaning WASP neighbor. The This Is Us star fully commits to the role’s cringe comedy, particularly in scenes where her character’s “woke” attempts at cultural sensitivity backfire spectacularly. Moore’s musical talents even factor into a subplot about community theater cultural appropriation.
This marks Moore’s first major comedic role since early Scrubs appearances, showcasing previously untapped timing and physical comedy skills. Her character’s gradual, awkward friendship with Grandma Hussein becomes an unexpected emotional throughline.
4: Chris Redd as Marcus
Born: April 25, 1985 in St. Louis, Missouri
Notable Works: Saturday Night Live (2017-2022), Bust Down (2022), Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)
SNL alum Chris Redd steals scenes as Marcus, Mona’s Black Muslim convert boyfriend who never quite gets the cultural nuances right. Redd’s background in improvisational comedy brings spontaneous energy to scenes where Marcus accidentally offends the family while trying way too hard to fit in. His character’s rap songs about halal living are comedy gold.
Redd worked with actual converts to Islam to understand the specific challenges they face. The actor’s musical comedy chops get full display in a viral-worthy musical number about Ramadan hunger pains.
5: Whitmer Thomas as Garrett
Born: August 24, 1990 in Gulf Shores, Alabama
Notable Works: The Golden One (2020), Tuca & Bertie (2019-2022), Everything’s Fine (2023)
Comedian Whitmer Thomas brings his signature awkward charm to Garrett, Rumi’s clueless white best friend who becomes obsessed with Muslim culture. Thomas mines humor from Garrett’s sincere but misguided attempts at solidarity, like opening a “halal-ish” food truck. The character’s gradual realization of his own privilege provides surprising depth.
Thomas’ background in alternative comedy informs Garrett’s uniquely bizarre personality quirks. His improvised riffs about “halal dating rules” were reportedly so funny they made the cast break character repeatedly.
Supporting Cast Spotlight
6: Akaash Singh as Dev
The Flagrant podcaster plays Mona’s traditionalist arranged marriage prospect, delivering razor-sharp cultural satire about ABCD dating struggles.
7: Randa Jarrar as Grandma
The acclaimed author brings scene-stealing sass as the family matriarch who’s shockingly progressive about some topics and stubbornly traditional about others.
8: Salma Hindy as Sharia Hussein
The rising Egyptian-Canadian star portrays the family’s pious but secretly rebellious teen, creating a hilarious sister dynamic with Shawkat’s Mona.
9: Paul Elia as Uncle Ahmed
The Lebanese comedian plays the family’s perpetually unemployed but always opinionated uncle, with improvised riffs about Middle Eastern politics that stunned the writers.
