In case you’ve been living under a rock, then you probably know that United Media Services (UMS) had announced that they would stop working with the director and screenwriter Mohamed Samy.

The decision’s announcement was posted on the UMS’s platforms, including Youm7, with no explanation of the decision’s reasoning. 

The circulating rumors about Mohamed Samy’s ban:

Immediately after the decision, however, many critics and viewers started speculating about the reasons behind this move.

After all, Mohamed Samy has been one of the most successful directors within the company, and UMS produced his most famous work.

However, many claim the reasoning may be due to financial loss from this Ramadan’s series “Nas El-Aghrab.”

Others blame Samy’s failure to adhere to what was agreed upon with him and UMS when it came to actors’ roles, and he ended up giving his wife, Mai Omar, and sister, Reem Samy, more prominent roles than they deserved.

Some say it’s due to many scenes of violence and exaggerations, which do not reflect the people of Upper Egypt.

Politics was the reason by some, stating that his portrayal of the Egyptian police led to the government interference, which we honestly think is a stretch. 

And finally, others say that it was meant to hit Mohamed Ramadan, since just hours before the UMS announcement, it was noted that Mohamed Samy would be the director for Mohamed Ramadan’s series for 2022.

What was the actual reason he got banned?

We couldn’t know for sure since no official statements have been released by either party, but “Sky News Arabia” claims to have contacted a source within the UMS, who confirmed why the decision was made.

Sky News Arabia’s source claims: 

“Samy was doing on his own thing without referring to the company, and he used the fait accompli policy at times as the series began airing.

He also exceeded the given budget for the series, which led to the company having more hopes for the success of the series. Eventually, it met with sharp criticism from the public and critics.”

And, of course, the source confirmed that he gave “some of the actors” in the series roles greater than what was initially written for them and sometimes marginalizing the original work stars.

So, yeah, Mohamed Samy may be a tool. Great. 

But why did they have to make the decision so public?

Moreover, what led to Mohamed Smay going from being UMS’s golden child, especially with the success of Lo2 Lo2 and El-Prince?

Mohamed Samy isn’t the only person to push his wife on screen.

Let’s be honest; creatives have been pushing their spouses and family members ever since the film industry started.

Heck, even Omar Alsherif was pushed by Faten Hamama.

Look at all the upcoming generation of actors, all kids of actors. 

Do we need to talk about Reham Hagag, who went from being a C-list actress all the way to the main actress with her own show just because her husband is a producer?

The same guy who used to produce for his ex-wife, Yasmin Abdel Aziz?

Yasmin Abdel Aziz, who is now letting her B-list husband be the leading man in her own series?

Anyone?

Also, what happened to the freedom of creativity, or whatever the hell Amr Salama was on about when the historically fucked up Ahmos series was canceled?

Why is no one supporting him here?

Look, I don’t want it to sound like I’m overly defending Mohamed Samy just because I’m a fan or something. 

In fact, I genuinely dislike his work and would rather bang my head to a wall for an hour than see Mai Omar on my screen. 

But the hate Samy is getting just doesn’t make any sense, whether it’s the hate from UMS or viewers.

I get it; hating on him is now a meme. He’s the punching bag of the industry. 

Just don’t be hypocrites. You want to hate on Samy, great. But don’t support any second-generation actors. 

Maybe ban people from the industry from marrying each other. Actors syndicate, possibly hire an HR manager or something.