Hasan Minhaj Says Exposé on His Embellished Stand-Up Act Was ‘Misleading’ and ‘Made Me Look Like’ a ‘Psycho’; New Yorker ‘Stands By Our Story’
variety.comZack Sharf Digital News Director Just over a month after The New Yorker published a story in which it was revealed that Hasan Minhaj embellished some of his stand-up routines, the comedian has responded in a 20-minute video in which he calls the The New Yorker’s exposé “needlessly misleading.” “With everything that’s happening in the world, I’m aware even talking about this now feels so trivial,” Minhaj says 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, I want to answer the biggest question that’s probably on your mind: Is Hasan Minhaj secretly a psycho?
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.” “I just want to say to anyone who felt betrayed or hurt by my stand-up, I am sorry,” he continues. “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.
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