Hasan Minhaj responds to allegations of faking racism: ‘I ‘made artistic choices’ and ‘I am sorry’

Comedian Hasan Minhaj released a video to his Instagram Thursday in response to a New Yorker article that reported he made up stories about racism and Islamophobia for his standup routines. 

In the 20-minute video Minhaj asked and addressed the question “Is Hasan Minhaj just a con artist who uses fake racism and Islamophobia to advance his career?” which was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter. 

“With everything that’s happening in the world, I’m aware even talking about this now feels so trivial,” Minhaj said in the video. “But being accused of ‘faking racism’ is not trivial. It’s very serious, and it demands an explanation.”

“To everyone who read that article,” he added, “I want to answer the biggest question that’s probably on your mind: Is Hasan Minhaj secretly a psycho? Underneath all that pomade, 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.”

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Minhaj apologized to “anyone who felt betrayed or hurt” by his stand-up. 

“I am sorry,” Minhaj said. “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.”

Hasan Minhaj attends Sony Pictures’ “No Hard Feelings” premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on June 20, 2023 in New York City. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

But, the Daily Show correspondent called the New Yorker’s reporting “needlessly misleading” stating it included “omissions and factual errors.”

Minhaj specifically addressed three aspects of his stand-up act that were detailed in the New Yorker article, including the story he was rejected before prom because of his race and that he embellished both his run-ins with undercover law enforcement surveilling the Muslim community in his hometown and an anthrax scare he had when a letter was sent to his family’s apartment. 

The New Yorker told Fox News Digital that it stands by its reporting. 

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“Hasan Minhaj confirms in this video that he selectively presents information and embellishes to make a point: exactly what we reported,” a New Yorker spokesperson said. “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,” the spokesperson added. “We stand by our story.”

Comedian Hasan Minhaj was recently accused of making up stories about his personal life in standup routines by a New Yorker article. (John Nacion/Getty)

Minhaj admitted to embellishing the truth, but said all his standup stories “are based on events that happened,” according to a statement have gave to the Hollywood Reporter on September 15. 

“Yes, I was rejected from going to prom because of my race,” he said. “Yes, a letter with powder was sent to my apartment that almost harmed my daughter. Yes, I had an interaction with law enforcement during the war on terror.”

“I use the tools of standup comedy — hyperbole, changing names and locations, and compressing timelines to tell entertaining stories,” he added. 

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In the video, Minhaj apologized for blurring the line between fact and fiction during his routines and explained that his stand-up work is different from what he does on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and his show “Patriot Act” on Netflix because it is not fact-checked, allowing for more artistic license.

“I thought I had two different expectations built into my work: my work as a storytelling comedian and my work as a political comedian, where facts always come first,” he said. 

“But in my work as a storytelling comedian, I assumed the lines between truth and fiction were allowed to be a bit more blurry,” he added. 

Hasan Minhaj (C) joins SAG-AFTRA members on the picket line outside of Netflix and Warner Bros on July 21, 2023 in New York City (Getty Images)

“The guy in this article is a proper f***ing psycho, but I now hope you feel like the real me is not,” Minhaj said at the conclusion of his video. “I’m just a guy with IBS and low sperm motility. Again, there is much more important news happening in the world right now that needs your attention. So I appreciate you watching, I take the note, and I hope to see you at the next show.”

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