NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — Kareem Rahma has built a massive online following around a simple question: “So what’s your take?”
The creator and host of the viral series “SubwayTakes” has amassed millions of followers and nearly 750 million views by asking strangers, celebrities and everyday New Yorkers to share their opinions. An episode featuring Jennifer Lopez is among the show’s high-profile conversations, but Rahma said the concept has always extended beyond celebrity guests.
Entertainment reporter Joelle Garguilo recently spent a day with Rahma, tracing the path that led him from years of creating largely unseen work to becoming an Emmy-nominated host.
He spent years making things nobody was watching. The calls never came, so he built the show.
Rahma said he decided to create his own opportunities rather than wait for others.
“I didn’t want to wait around for someone to bring me a project,” Rahma said.
Now, he said, people seek him out for a few minutes on a train, whether they are strangers or celebrities with opinions that often become viral moments.
“I believed in myself, so it felt inevitable,” Rahma said.
Despite the success of “SubwayTakes,” Rahma said he hopes audiences see more than just his role as a host.
“People know me as a host, kind of a vessel for takes and humor, but I wanted people to get to know me a little bit more,” he said.
During his conversation with Garguilo, Rahma reflected on his upbringing and family dynamics.
“I think it’s a Middle Eastern thing, an Arab thing. It’s arguing for the sake of arguing. Everyone’s like, why is everyone back?” Rahma said.
He also recalled a period when financial struggles shaped his view of success.
“I’m pumping gas in my car. I’m stopping exactly at $5. And I was like, man, I get out of this, like, $5 hump,” he said.
Before “Subway Takes,” Rahma developed another idea inspired by an encounter with a taxi driver during a difficult day.
“I was having such a sad, sad, sappy day, and the driver was like, ‘listen. You will find a person that loves you and you will love them back,’ and he just made me feel so good. By the time we got to my apartment, I was like, ‘hey. If you wanna keep hanging out, I would love to keep hanging out.’ And he said, ‘I’m gonna have to keep the meter running.’ I said, ‘I can’t afford that right now.’ And I wrote down in my phone, I said, ‘keep the meter running.’ Show hanging out with cab drivers,” Rahma said.
According to Garguilo, Rahma wrote down the idea in 2015 and filmed the first episode in 2022.
“Just hailed a random guy, and it ended up being an amazing show. And I knew right then and there, I always wanted to be rooted in, like, humanity and just giving people a voice and a platform. I think that everyone’s interesting if given the chance to be interesting. Let’s hang out all day. I’ll pay you what you would normally make, but you get to take the day off and hang out with me,” Rahma said.
After spending the day with Rahma, Garguilo concluded that he is more than the host of “SubwayTakes.”
He’s the guy who pulls over, who asks the question, who keeps the meter running, not because he has to, but he’s not ready for the ride to end.
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