Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that Hasan Minhaj totally got smeared by Clare Malone, The New Yorker article, as he pulled off emails and voice calls receipt to prove he didn’t make up racism story.
In the video — which you can see in full below — Minhaj provides more context on three stories from his stand-up act that drew scrutiny in The New Yorker: being rejected for prom because of racism, his run-ins with undercover law enforcement surveilling the Muslim community in his hometown, and an anthrax scare he had at his home.
He says he understands if fans are asking: “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.” He continues: “To anyone who felt betrayed or hurt by my standup, I am sorry. I made artistic choices to express myself and drive home larger issues affecting me and my community, and I feel horrible that I let people down.
“And the reason I feel horrible is because I’m not a psycho,” he adds. “But this New Yorker article definitely made me look like one.” He says the article was “needlessly misleading, not just about my standup, but also about me as a person. The truth is, racism, FBI surveillance and the threats to my family happened.”
He continues: “So I’m gonna do the most Hasan Minhaj thing ever: I’m gonna do a deep dive on my own scandal, with graphics, because there is so much evidence I gave the New Yorker that they ignored that I want to show you.”
A month after the comedian Hasan Minhaj was accused of misleading audiences with his personal stories, the Daily Show alum has responded with an in-depth video. His argument: there’s a difference between his political TV comedy and the personal stories he tells in his standup.
A New Yorker article suggested that Minhaj, who is Muslim, had gone too far in exaggerating his own experiences with racism, Islamophobia and political backlash, including claims about an FBI informant at his childhood mosque and the hospitalization of his daughter in an anthrax scare. The story may have undermined his chance to be the next Daily Show host.
In a 20-minute video provided to the Hollywood Reporter, Minhaj, seated at a desk with graphics appearing behind him, says: “In political comedy, facts come first. In comedic storytelling, emotions come first.”
He says he took “a beat” before responding to the story in detail, both because of the state of the world at the moment and because he’s been “processing” the criticism that has come his way in the wake of the article: “I just want to say to anyone who felt betrayed or hurt by my stand-up, I am sorry. I made artistic choices to express myself and drive home larger issues affecting me and my community, and I feel horrible that I let people down.
“The reason I feel horrible is because I’m not a psycho. But this New Yorker article definitely made me look like one. It was so needlessly misleading, not just about my stand-up, but also about me as a person. The truth is, racism, FBI surveillance and the threats to my family happened. And I said this on the record.”
In response to the video, The New Yorker issued the following statement to THR: “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 twenty 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.”
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