Hasan Minhaj’s comedy specials and political show on Netflix have come under fire for being littered with false stories of racial discrimination and a terrifying incident involving his daughter.
The beloved comedian rose to fame with his first show titled Homecoming King in 2017, then hosted Netflix’s political “talk” show called Patriot Act and ended his career with the streaming service with The King’s Jester in 2022.
While on stage, Minhaj shared stories of being left at a white girl’s door when he went to pick her up for their homecoming dance, having Brother Eric “infiltrate” his local mosque, seeing white powder fall on his daughter while letter, was threatened at a Saudi embassy and saw Jared Kushner sitting in a chair reserved for a jailed Saudi activist.
All those stories are false.
In an interview published by The New Yorkerwhich has divided the entire South Asian community on social media, Minhaj says his stories are based on “emotional truths.”
“Every story in my style is built around a core of truth,” he told the outlet. ‘My comedy Arnold Palmer consists of seventy percent emotional truth and thirty percent hyperbole, exaggeration, fiction.’
Hasan Minhaj rose to fame with his first show titled Homecoming King in 2017, then hosted Netflix’s political ‘talk show’ called Patriot Act and ended his career with the streaming service with The King’s Jester in 2022.
In an interview published by The New Yorker, with the entire South Asian community divided on social media, Minhaj says his stories are based on “emotional truths.”
Minhaj justifies the fabrication of his stories by claiming that ‘the emotional truth is paramount. The actual truth is secondary’
Minhaj justifies the fabrication of his stories by claiming that ‘the emotional truth is paramount. The actual truth is secondary’.
The magazine contacted people involved in Minhaj’s stories and found that many were factually wrong or presented in the wrong timeline. Some of these people also eventually contacted Minhaj to take responsibility for his fake stories, which he completely ignored.
The unidentified woman in Minhaj’s sob story about being left at the door said the incident never even happened. She clarified that she personally rejected him, who was a close friend at the time, days before the dance.
The woman also said that she and her family had faced online threats and doxing for years because Minhaj had failed to adequately conceal her identity and revealed that she was engaged to an Indian-American man at the time.
A source also revealed to the magazine that Minhaj showed a photo of her and her husband at an Off-Broadway show, in which only their faces were blurred. When she contacted Minhaj about the damage caused, he shrugged off her concerns.
Below is a trailer for the show:
The unidentified woman in Minhaj’s sob story about being left at the door said the incident never even happened. She clarified that she personally rejected him, who was a close friend at the time, days before the dance
Cory Monteilh, also known as Brother Eric in Minhaj’s stories, came out and said his entire story was completely untrue. Monteilh said he was imprisoned in 2002 and only began working for the FBI on counterterrorism measures in 2006.
Details of his undercover actions were cataloged in a lawsuit that has made its way to the Supreme Court. Monteilh said he had only worked in Southern California, not the Sacramento area.
Minhaj said he owed nothing to Monteilh based on his behavior toward the Muslim community. He admitted that his story about Brother Eric was based on a bad foul he received during a game of basketball in his youth.
He and other Muslim teenagers played games with middle-aged men whom the boys suspected were officers. One made a show of pushing Minhaj to the ground and a story emerged.
Perhaps Minhaj’s most poignant onstage lie is when suspicious white powder falls on his daughter as he opens a letter. Fearing for their daughter’s life, the couple immediately took her to the hospital for a check-up. Minhaj described the event as a “sobering reminder that his comedic actions have real-world consequences.”
It was also during this story that he revealed that his wife, Beena Patel, was critical of his comedy. Patel angrily told him she was pregnant with their second child, saying: ‘You can say whatever you want on stage and we have to live with the consequences. I don’t care if Time Magazine thinks you’re an influencer. If you ever endanger my children again, I will leave you in a heartbeat.”
Wife Beena Patel has always been critical of his comedy. Patel once angrily told him she was pregnant with their second child, saying, “You can say whatever you want on stage, and we have to live with the consequences.” I don’t care if Time Magazine thinks you’re an “influencer.” If you ever endanger my children again, I will leave you in a heartbeat.
Minhaj admitted to the magazine that his daughter had never been exposed to a white powder and that she had not been hospitalized. He had opened a letter delivered to his apartment and it contained some kind of powder.
He said he made a joke to his wife and said, “Holy shit. What if this was anthrax?’
Many of Minhaj’s deceptions have shocked even his most devoted fans, but his most public and politically shocking lie is about Jared Kushner. Former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law was accused of sitting in a chair ceremonially reserved for a jailed Saudi activist during a 2019 Time 100 gala.
It was later revealed that no ceremonial chair was reserved for an activist, let alone one that Kushner sat in. He told the magazine that this was another fabrication that served to convey the “emotional truth” of the moment.
Many of Minhaj’s lies have shocked even his most devoted fans, but his most public and politically shocking lie is about Jared Kushner. Former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law was accused of sitting in a chair ceremonially reserved for a jailed Saudi activist during a Time 100 gala in 2019
When confronted by the magazine about his actions, he said: ‘I don’t think I’m manipulating (the public). I think they come for the emotional rollercoaster ride. To the people who are like, “Yo, that’s way too crazy to happen,” I don’t care because yeah, hell yeah, that’s the point. It’s based on the truth.’
When confronted by the magazine about his actions, he said: ‘I don’t think I’m manipulating (the public). I think they come for the emotional rollercoaster ride. To the people who are like, “Yo, that’s way too crazy to happen,” I don’t care because yeah, hell yeah, that’s the point. It is based on the truth.
‘I think ultimately I’m trying to bring attention to all those stories. Building on what I think is a sharp argument, as opposed to a “pointless riff” of jokes.’
While there is no denying that Muslims in America faced racial discrimination after September 11, and some argue that this continues to be the case, Minhaj’s fake political narratives have The boundary between entertainment and opinion journalism became blurred.
Comedians may not feel comfortable calling themselves anything else, but an increasing number of them, including Minhaj, have deliberately made themselves part of the political conversation, anchoring their entire comedic existence in politics and false narratives about spreading their lives around to stay relevant and enjoy fame.