Comedian Hasan Minhaj slams ‘needlessly misleading’ New Yorker article in which he admitted to making up stories about racist incidents for Netflix special – and promises ‘I’m not a psychopath’
- The New Yorker published an article in September claiming that Minhaj had exaggerated or fabricated certain stories in his comedy routine
- The comic has now hit back with a 20-minute video offering ‘context’
- In response, New Yorkers said they stand by their article
Hasan Minhaj has hit back at the New Yorker’s “needlessly misleading” claims that he made up stories about racism for his Netflix show, promising he was “not a psychopath.”
The beloved Emmy-winning comic has had a string of hit Netflix shows and specials focused on his experiences as an Asian American and Muslim American.
But in September, a New Yorker article alleged that Minhaj had “made up” or exaggerated stories of racism, including being rejected from a prom on racial grounds, having run-ins with undercover FBI agents and being afraid had become anthrax.
When the story broke, Minhaj’s response was limited, issuing only a brief statement that read in part, “All my stand-up stories are based on events that happened to me.”
But now the comedian has released a 20-minute rebuttal addressing what he calls “omissions and factual errors” in The New Yorker article.
He told the Hollywood Reporter, “I wanted to give people the context and material that I provided to The New Yorker with full transparency.”
Minhaj looks into the camera and says, “I want to say to anyone who felt betrayed or hurt by my stand-up, I’m sorry. “I have made artistic choices to express myself and address larger issues that affect me and my community, and I feel terrible that I have let people down.”
He goes on to say, “The reason I feel terrible is because I’m not a psychopath. But this article in the New Yorker definitely made me look like that.
“It was so unnecessarily misleading, not just about my stand-up, but about me as a person. The truth is that racism, FBI surveillance, and the threats to my family occurred. And I have said this officially.’
One of the supposedly exaggerated stories the New Yorker article revolved around was of Minhaj’s Homecoming King special.
In it, he tells a story about taking a white girl to prom, only to arrive at her house where she turns him away, and her mother tells him she doesn’t want her daughter to be in pictures with a “brown boy.” .
The New Yorker alleged that the girl told him days before the prom that she didn’t want to go with him, and that she had received online abuse since the episode came out.
The comedian responded to the New Yorker story with a 20-minute video to provide “context.”
The New Yorker article appeared in September and alleged that Minhaj had exaggerated or fabricated certain stories in his comedy routines
Now Minhaj has hit back, claiming: ‘Bethany’s mother actually said that… They knew my rejection was due to race. I have officially confirmed it and provided supporting evidence.”
As for the other two stories at the heart of the New Yorker piece — that his mosque was infiltrated by an FBI agent and that anthrax powder fell on his infant daughter — Minhaj does not deny that they have been embellished.
He said: ‘In my work as a narrative comedian, I assumed that the boundaries between truth and fiction could be a little blurrier.’
Following the video, The New Yorker on
“Our piece, which comprehensively includes Minhaj’s perspective, was carefully reported and fact-checked.
“It’s based on interviews with more than 20 people, including former Patriot Act and Daily Show staffers; members of Minhaj’s security team; and people who have been the subjects of his stand-up work, including former FBI informant “Brother Eric” and the woman at the center of his prom rejection story. We stand behind our story.’