A New Yorker article published last month suggested that comedian Hasan Minhaj had fabricated experiences of racism.
On Thursday, Minhaj responded with a 20-minute video explanation on social media.
In the article, Minhaj admitted he had embellished stories in the past to achieve a deeper “emotional truth.”
As The New Yorker puts it, “Minhaj has elided or concocted other details in his stories, often to place himself more squarely at the center of the action.”
“With everything that’s happening in the world, I’m aware even talking about this now feels so trivial,” he said. “But being accused of ‘faking racism’ is not trivial. It’s very serious, and it demands an explanation.”
“I want to answer the biggest question that’s probably on your mind: Is Hasan Minhaj secretly a psycho?” he continued. “Underneath all that pomp, is Hasan Minhaj just a con artist who uses fake racism and Islamophobia to advance his career? Because after reading that article, I would also think that.”
Minhaj addressed a few of the stories he had embellished.
In one story, he claimed a white girl’s racist parents rejected him as their daughter’s prom date. In another, he said he witnessed harassment from law enforcement at the mosque he attended. Both stories he admitted to embellishing for “emotional effect.”
In the video, Minhaj asserts that there is a difference between how he handled political comedy versus stand-up specials.
“In political comedy, facts come first,” he says in the video. “In comedic storytelling, emotions come first.”
Minhaj said his embellishments often touch upon sensitive topics such as police misconduct, racism and Islamophobia — subjects more serious than the exaggerations found in the routines of many stand-up comedians.
However, Minhaj firmly maintains that he did not fabricate his personal experiences of racism.
The New Yorker responded to the video with the statement, “Hasan Minhaj confirms in this video that he selectively presents information and embellishes to make a point: exactly what we reported. Our piece, which includes Minhaj’s perspective at length, was carefully reported and fact-checked. It is 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 subject of his standup work, including the former F.B.I. informant ‘Brother Eric’ and the woman at the center of his prom-rejection story. We stand by our story.”
Press accounts have said that Minhaj was set to become the permanent host of The Daily Show before The New Yorker piece was published.
