Getty
In a new profile published by The New Yorker, comedian, former “Patriot Act” host and “The Daily Show” alum Hasan Minhaj admitted to appearing in previous stand-up specials, such as “The King’s.” Jester” from 2022, which was streaming on Netflix, is said to have made up details.
“Every story in my style is based on a kernel of truth,” Minhaj said. “My Arnold Palmer comedy is 70% emotional truth – that’s what happened – and then 30% exaggeration, exaggeration, fiction.”
One story Minhaj told in “The King’s Jester” involved an envelope containing white powder that was sent to his home. Of course he thought the powder was anthrax. According to the comedian in the special, the powder was accidentally spilled on his daughter and she was hospitalized. The doctor told him it wasn’t anthrax. Later that evening, he said his wife told him, “You can say whatever you want on stage and we’ll have to live with the consequences.” I don’t give a fuck that Time magazine thinks you’re an “influencer.” “If you ever put my children in danger again, I will leave you immediately.” ”
However, Minhaj admitted to the New Yorker that his daughter was never exposed to the white powder or hospitalized. He claimed that a letter containing white powder had been sent to his house and joked to his wife: “Holy shit. What if this was anthrax?”
In another story in “The King’s Jester,” Minhaj talks about an FBI informant who infiltrated his family’s mosque in the Sacramento area. The informant, named Brother Eric, was a white man who said he had converted to Islam. Minhaj said Brother Eric tried to get the men of the community to talk about jihad and he argued with Brother Eric by saying he was applying for his pilot’s license. Police reportedly showed up and slammed Minhaj on the hood of his car. This story was also an invention.
Minhaj told the New Yorker that both stories were based on “emotional truth” despite being fictional, adding, “The punchline is worth the fictional premise.”
Brother Eric’s story “was based on a hard foul he suffered during a basketball game in his youth,” reports The New Yorker. “Minhaj and other teenage Muslims played games with middle-aged men who the boys suspected were civil servants. One made a show of pushing Minhaj to the ground.”
According to The New Yorker, Minhaj said that he allowed himself to create characters during his stand-up performances.
“No, I don’t think I’m manipulating [the audience]said Minhaj. “I think they’re coming for an emotional rollercoaster… The people who are like, ‘Yo, this is way too crazy to happen,’ I don’t care because yeah, fuck yeah — that’s the point.”
Minhaj said that his stories are all “based on the truth,” to which the New York reporter said, “But that didn’t happen to you.”
“I think what I’m ultimately trying to do is highlight all of these stories,” Minhaj replied. “Building on what I think is a valid argument.”
In a related statement to Variety, Minhaj said, “All of my stand-up stories are based on events that happened to me. Yes, I was banned from prom because of my race. Yes, a letter was sent to my apartment with powder that almost harmed my daughter. Yes, I had contact with law enforcement during the War on Terror. Yes, I had varicocele repair surgery so we could get pregnant. Yes, I roasted Jared Kushner’s face.”
“I use the tools of standup comedy – exaggeration, changing names and locations, and compressing timelines to tell entertaining stories. It’s in the art form,” he added. “You wouldn’t go into a haunted house and say, ‘Why are these people lying to me?’ – The point is the journey. Stand-up is the same.”
Visit The New Yorker website to read the full story.