Rayan Hayek: Getting personal with the 21-year-old talk show phenomenon

After declining to do an interview with CNN and numerous other global platforms, Padre Guilherme enthusiastically agreed to speak with Rayan Hayek in his first interview in four years. The talk show presenter, famous for hosting celebrities, wanted to give people the real story behind the man who caused such controversy.

The whole interview was a new concept for the Father, one he enjoyed, and the topics had never been explored before. Rayan has a knack for digging deep and getting personal. As an infant, the Father had a disease and was not expected to make it through the night. He was baptized at fifteen days old in the hospital’s church. After which his mother took him home and prayed to God all night that if he lived, she would give him to the priesthood, a fact the padre did not become aware of until he became a priest.

Up close and personal

Three years ago, Lebanese talk shows focused on fame and craft, not on the humanity behind them. That’s when the idea for the Baynetna show came to fruition.

I would describe myself as a curious person. Ever since I was a kid, I loved asking a lot of questions, especially the right ones.

He had an earlier show, but it wasn’t what he wanted to do. He wanted to touch the personal side of his guests. In its last episode, they explored that aspect, and it was a revelation.

From the very first episode of Baynetna, he knew it would succeed. Even before filming, he had that conviction. The work, vision, and passion would translate into success. “If someone works so hard on themselves, with so much dedication to what they are doing, there’s no way they won’t succeed”.

In an exclusive revelation, Rayan shared that he shot six to seven episodes before the show even started, each taking more than three days of preparation and six hours of editing, with him returning home at 3:00 or 4:00 am, all to make sure everything went smoothly. He was fully aware that the first two episodes would determine the impact of the show. Sure enough, his first episode reached close to 200,000 views.

Every day since, he asks himself what’s next despite the planning. Constant stress has become a necessary evil, one he lives with daily, waking up and going to sleep with it. At every stage, prepping, shooting, airing the episode, or speaking to the guest, these are all highly charged checkpoints where tension remains present.

In the limelight

Rayan didn’t always know this was what he desired to do. To this day, he questions what he will contribute going forward. Through trial and error, the full picture gradually becomes clear. Since he was six years old, he knew he wanted to be on television, in media, and to become a known figure. He recalls one specific incident at his grandmother’s house. He was playing a game on the laptop and a website popped up. It claimed to reveal what he would become in the future. He entered the site, put in his birthday and other information, and wrote that he wanted to be a TV host. The result said that he would never become one, to which he reacted by hugging his grandmother and starting to cry. This is what he felt like doing.

Another dream Rayan had was to interview the late Ziad Rahbani. “The sadness and devastation I saw in Rayan were so touching”, says his agent Eliane Al Hajj. He was working on achieving this dream before the devastating news. “He’s a legend in music, I’m at a loss for words”, says Rayan. “The guests I search for are in his image, real and honest. What if it were him in the flesh?”

Raw and real content

Regardless of algorithms and numbers, Rayan always has one thing in mind, the content.  The questions vary except for the first: “Are you happy in your life?”.

Then come the people sitting across from him, athletes, politicians, actors, life coaches, psychologists, and successful individuals in their respective fields. “100 episodes are more important than any other number”, says Rayan. He is very careful about how he chooses them. He looks for people with a real story to tell, and authentic individuals in society who will share openly from their personal experiences, no holds barred.

Rayan’s perception of life and success has changed after hearing 100 people share their stories, experiences and perspectives. Growing up has played a part as well. He confessed: “A long time ago, the happiness of success used to be having millions of followers and views, and a lot of money. Today, I see that I can have all these things and still be unhappy. I am happy if four people tell me they’re proud of me”.

A thriving vocation

As for what the future holds, he sees himself staying on the same path while exploring alternative plans. Rayan has big ideas and he’s extremely enthused about them; Eliane helps him to slow down, she grounds him and reassures him that he will accomplish them all in due time. “Rayan is in such a rush. I tell him we have our whole lives ahead of us”. He fears not being able to accomplish the things he desires most, especially not knowing what tomorrow may hold.

For one so young, Rayan is very committed to lending his voice and time to humanitarian causes and raising awareness. He has taken part in campaigns against bullying, supports kids through SOS and the Children’s Cancer Center, and one of his most notable accomplishments, becoming the brand ambassador for the UNESCO campaign combating disinformation and hate speech. That blend of ambition and humanitarian commitment is unusual for someone his age, and impossible to ignore. 

What excites this old soul most is the process of achieving his dreams, “the things we are weaving to bring to people”. He waits in anticipation for the audience’s reaction, whether they like it or not.

“I take pleasure in the process while preparing for the episode. From building it, to shooting, editing, the promo, and publishing it. I love what I do”. If there’s one thing he would improve, it is to take more time to relish in his achievements.

One of Rayan’s biggest goals, if not the biggest, is taking Baynetna internationally by interviewing guests in India, France, Egypt, Jordan, and the US, everywhere. He wants to embark on tours and travel the world with the show building an international audience, introducing them to his Arab guests in the process. This ambitious young man’s dream may very well be realized this year, proving there is no limit to what hard work and self-belief can do.