The comedian posted a video giving his take on the article.
Comedian Hasan Minhaj was recently accused in a New York magazine article of fabricating or exaggerating the personal stories he tells in his stand-up routine. The article suggested that he was not truthful in his accounts of his life experiences, particularly related to his experiences as a Muslim American and Asian American. In response to this article, Daily Show alum Hasan Minhaj released a detailed 21-minute video countering the allegations.
The article in The New Yorker suggested that Hasan Minhaj may have been telling the truth when he shared his personal experiences with racism, Islamophobia and political challenges.
Watch the video here:
In response to The New Yorker’s claims, Hasan Minhaj provides additional details about three stories from his stand-up routine that came under scrutiny. These stories include his experience of being rejected for a prom date due to racism, encounters with undercover police officers policing the Muslim community in his hometown, and a personal incident involving an anthrax scare in his apartment .
At the beginning of the video, he said he understands when fans ask, “Is Hasan Minhaj just a fraudster using fake racism and Islamophobia to advance his career?” Because after reading this article, I would think so too.”
“I just want to say to anyone who felt betrayed or hurt by my appearance: I’m sorry. I’ve made artistic choices to express myself and highlight larger issues affecting me and my community, and I feel terrible that I’m letting people down.”
“And the reason I feel terrible is because I’m not a psycho,” he added. “But that New Yorker article definitely made me look like one.” He said the article was “unnecessarily misleading, not only in terms of my stance, but also in terms of me as a person. The truth is there was racism, FBI surveillance and threats to my family.”
“So I’m going to do the most Hasan Minhaj thing ever: I’m going to investigate my own scandal in depth, with graphics, because there’s so much evidence that I gave to the New Yorker that they ignored what I wanted.” show you,” he continued.
According to , in the Netflix special “Homecoming King,” Minhaj tells the story of how he asks a white girl (whom he gives the alias “Bethany Reed”) to prom, only to show up at her house with her Mom learns Bethany doesn’t want to go with him because her family doesn’t want their daughter to be seen in pictures with “a brown boy.”
“Bethany’s mom actually said that – it was just a few days before prom,” he said in the video. “I created the doorstep scene to immerse the audience in the feeling of that moment that I shared with the reporter.”
In the video, Hasan Minhaj plays an audio clip of part of his conversation with author Clare Malone in which they discuss each scene.
Additionally, the video shows emails and text messages exchanged between Minhaj and Bethany, showing that he provided this evidence to the magazine. In these messages, Bethany shows how she thanks Minhaj for his efforts to protect her and her family.