Comedian Hasan Minhaj making up stories of his experiences as an Asian American & Muslim

[VorZakone]

Thought this was an interesting story, initially published by The New Yorker. Hasan Minhaj has apparently fabricated stories of his experiences as an Asian American & Muslim in his comedy.

Obviously, for comedic sake no one really bats an eyelid if comedians exaggerate stuff or try to make a story seem funnier than it is. But outright fabrication, what's the point in that? And Hasan Minhaj defended his fabrications as "emotional truth" which reminds of Kellyanne Conway referring to "alternative facts".

Among the material he was accused of making up was an anecdote about an FBI informant who allegedly infiltrated the Sacramento-area mosque Minhaj’s family attended in 2002, as well as claims he and his daughter were exposed to white powder in an envelope, necessitating her being taken to the hospital.

He also reportedly compressed the amount of time between an attempted interview with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2018 at the country’s embassy and the death of reporter Jamal Khashoggi, according to an unnamed Patriot Act producer and an email obtained by The New Yorker; as well as a high school rejection in a joke from his 2017 special Homecoming King, which allegedly led to a white female childhood friend, the joke’s subject, being doxxed and harassed.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/n...haj-responds-made-up-jokes-claims-1235591585/

 

[Wumminator]

I don't think anyone expects stand-up material to be factual do they?

I expect it is all made up.

I don't expect Peter Kay ever had a family member who went mad at garlic bread.

 

[horsechoker]

Did Richard Pryor really shoot his car?

 

[JPRouve]

A comedian made up stories and presented them to the public? It's shocking.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

It reads like an article in The Onion…

As a New Yorker article finds seemingly untrue details in anecdotes told as part of his comedy routine…

 

[Mike Smalling]

Of course comedians generally make stuff up, but this is different. He uses the stories to score sympathy points in an act that’s part social commentary, part comedy.

And his lies about being rejected for not being white led to that poor girl being harassed.

Very different than making up stories purely for comedic purposes.

 

[Boycott]

Each of these stories are too specific and too convenient to all happen within his young life so I imagine most people who like him already suspected he was playing with the truth but the takeaway isn't the details of the story as it relates to him but the story itself. For example FBI informants did try to infiltrate Muslim communities after 9/11. That's not false but I imagine it made him more comfortable to make a comedic turn about a very serious and wrong thing that the authorities did which he then can make that serious point at the end.

Maybe I'm reading too much into his intentions and he's just a fantasist but everything I've seen of him struck me as too good to be true but it didn't distract from the point he made.

 

[Brophs]

First They Came by Leigh Francis

First they came for Barrymore
And I did not speak out
Because I do not like swimming
Then they came for Rolf Harris
And I did not speak out
Because I do not like sharing wooden horses
Then they came for Russell Brand
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a woman
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because that shark had it coming
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

 

[Grylte]

I don't think anyone expects stand-up material to be factual do they?

So you don't think Jimmy Carr would drag his balls through a thousand miles of broken glass....?

 

[kthanksbye]

So you don't think Jimmy Carr would drag his balls through a thousand miles of broken glass....?

Or he's really buying cigarettes for 16yr olds.

 

[VorZakone]

Of course comedians generally make stuff up, but this is different. He uses the stories to score sympathy points in an act that’s part social commentary, part comedy.

And his lies about being rejected for not being white led to that poor girl being harassed.

Very different than making up stories purely for comedic purposes.

Agree.

 

[Jev]

Of course comedians generally make stuff up, but this is different. He uses the stories to score sympathy points in an act that’s part social commentary, part comedy.

And his lies about being rejected for not being white led to that poor girl being harassed.

Very different than making up stories purely for comedic purposes.

This is the only sensible post in the thread so far.

 

[africanspur]

Of course comedians generally make stuff up, but this is different. He uses the stories to score sympathy points in an act that’s part social commentary, part comedy.

And his lies about being rejected for not being white led to that poor girl being harassed.

Very different than making up stories purely for comedic purposes.

Totally agree with this. What an idiot.

 

[nimic]

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter responding to The New Yorker story, Minhaj said, “All my standup stories are based on events that happened to me. Yes, I was rejected from going to prom because of my race. 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. Yes, I had varicocele repair surgery, so we could get pregnant. Yes, I roasted Jared Kushner to his face. I use the tools of standup comedy — hyperbole, changing names and locations, and compressing timelines to tell entertaining stories.”

 

[VorZakone]

@nimic in the same article:

The comedian ultimately reveals in the special that the substance wasn’t anthrax, and while speaking to the magazine, says that his daughter was neither exposed to a white powder nor hospitalized. The former Daily Show correspondent added that both incidents were “made up,” according to The New Yorker, but based in “emotional truth” and on differing experiences from the ones he relayed in his material.

 

[Trequarista10]

It's not as clear cut as "it's a comedian so of course they fabricate". It depends how it's done, what is stated as apparent truth as part of social commentary, and what is stated as if it were true for comic effect with the punchline/understanding being that it's not true (like Jimmy Carr jokes about necrophilia or such).

However given that the bloke has stated that the events were true but merely simplifird or superficial changes to events for story telling purposes it appears to be a bit of a non story. The fact the headline (or subheading) specifies his heritage and religion it appears to be designed to discredit a minority voice and stir up right wing outrage. Or less extremely, just some sensitive over-defensiveness about the level of discrimination faced by Muslims in America. My knowledge of The New Yorker is limited though, are they genuinely right leaning or left leaning?

 

[The Corinthian]

Up next and exclusive: Dave Chappelle isn't really Tyrone Biggums. He's just pretending.

 

[Vidyoyo]

It's not as clear cut as "it's a comedian so of course they fabricate". It depends how it's done, what is stated as apparent truth as part of social commentary, and what is stated as if it were true for comic effect with the punchline/understanding being that it's not true (like Jimmy Carr jokes about necrophilia or such).

However given that the bloke has stated that the events were true but merely simplifird or superficial changes to events for story telling purposes it appears to be a bit of a non story. The fact the headline (or subheading) specifies his heritage and religion it appears to be designed to discredit a minority voice and stir up right wing outrage. Or less extremely, just some sensitive over-defensiveness about the level of discrimination faced by Muslims in America. My knowledge of The New Yorker is limited though, are they genuinely right leaning or left leaning?

The New Yorker is well known to be left-leaning. Probably on par with The New Statesman in the UK (edit - maybe a bit less than that).

 

[Trequarista10]

The New Yorker is well known to be left-leaning. Probably on par with The New Statesman in the UK (edit - maybe a bit less than that).

Interesting. It does give credibility to the accusations then that the changes are perhaps more than superficial. But without watching his stand up and seeing how it's delivered and what significance is placed on these details, hard to say.

 

[VorZakone]

Interesting. It does give credibility to the accusations then that the changes are perhaps more than superficial. But without watching his stand up and seeing how it's delivered and what significance is placed on these details, hard to say.

Do you prefer Slate.com?

Minhaj took what real, everyday brown folks were going through and led those people to believe that he’d also been there—earning his fame and plaudits from that very trust, as well as the trust that engendered among those who wished to understand brown Americans.

What’s more, you could argue that Minhaj’s refusal to outline the differences between his persona and livelihood actually further harmed people of the very communities he claimed to be making “culturally relevant.” It’s a cruel twist of irony that brown writers, journalists, and fact-checkers—again, several of them women—may have been enticed by the idea of working on a show like Patriot Act because they thought they were uplifting the platform of someone who spoke for people like them, only to end up being allegedly dismissed and treated poorly by a hero of the community.

https://slate.com/culture/2023/09/h...median-emotional-truths-lies-patriot-act.html

 

[JulesWinnfield]

He wasn't using them as comedic stories, they were meant to be serious moments of social commentary. No one in the audience was laughing when he's telling these stories, they're meant to be moments of seriousness where he garners sympathy from the audience. Plus some of the stuff he repeated in interviews (like the anthrax story) so its clearly beyond "oh its just for his show".

The guy (very self aggrandisingly) positions himself as someone telling truth to power, which isn't something you can really do when you're lying about your experiences. If there's so much "emotional truth" in the stories, then he must surely have stories that actually happened to him that he can enlighten his audeince with rather than needing to make up stories.

 

[SinNombre]

Not surprised that this clown made up fake stories, his entire persona seemed made up to gain popularity.

 

[Vidyoyo]

Not surprised that this clown made up fake stories, his entire persona seemed made up to gain popularity.

Harsh on @horsechoker

 

[horsechoker]

Harsh on @horsechoker

 

[Charlie Foley]

What is an emotional truth?

 

[adexkola]

He wasn't using them as comedic stories, they were meant to be serious moments of social commentary. No one in the audience was laughing when he's telling these stories

During his standup show, or during his show where he was a political correspondent ala John Stewart?

Because if he's doing standup, any expectations of honesty is silly.

If the context is more serious and there are expectations of honesty (like in a daily correspondent) then yes the criticism applies

 

[utdalltheway]

But can’t he make social commentary without lying about it happening to him? Is the point he’s trying to make any less valid?

As for making it sound like his hometown (Davis, CA) has a bunch of racists by totally making up a story and then passing it off as true, just to suit his ideas?
Nah man, that’s not embellishment, that’s him talking out of his arse.

 

[tenpoless]

Sometimes people try to be funny when they aren't funny

 

[reelworld]

Each of these stories are too specific and too convenient to all happen within his young life so I imagine most people who like him already suspected he was playing with the truth but the takeaway isn't the details of the story as it relates to him but the story itself. For example FBI informants did try to infiltrate Muslim communities after 9/11. That's not false but I imagine it made him more comfortable to make a comedic turn about a very serious and wrong thing that the authorities did which he then can make that serious point at the end.

Maybe I'm reading too much into his intentions and he's just a fantasist but everything I've seen of him struck me as too good to be true but it didn't distract from the point he made.

agreed.
I guess many materials in his standup and specials did happened, just not necessarily happened to him.
I'm pretty sure he and his family faced discrimination after 9/11.
There's probably someone in his community that got rejected by a white girl for being brown, etc
Just because it didn't happen to him does not mean that it didn't happen at all. If he takes a story and put himself in for story telling and comedic value, I actually don't have a problem with that

 

[Pickle85]

agreed.
I guess many materials in his standup and specials did happened, just not necessarily happened to him.
I'm pretty sure he and his family faced discrimination after 9/11.
There's probably someone in his community that got rejected by a white girl for being brown, etc
Just because it didn't happen to him does not mean that it didn't happen at all. If he takes a story and put himself in for story telling and comedic value, I actually don't have a problem with that

I think stealing and then monetizing someone else's trauma is pretty out of order tbf. Exaggeration for comic effect is par for the course but outright manufactured traumatic events when his act has such a significant social commentary aspect is not great and will, rightly, see him catch criticism. Even he appears to accept it's wrong, going by the way he's trying to twist out of it.

 

[Tarrou]

In comedy, the only question that matters is: is it funny? Everything else can feck off.

even if someone is getting hassled online due to your made up bullshit?

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

even if someone is getting hassled online due to your made up bullshit?

Yes. Is, it, funny? That is the point of comedy.

 

[SilentWitness]

Yes. Is, it, funny? That is the point of comedy.

Someone getting hassled online due to false information is funny?

 

[Sweet Square]

There’s a ton of upper class over educated people who want the sympathy of oppression but without any of the real world negative impacts of oppression.

Wouldn’t be so bad if these people did anything worthwhile but nope it’s almost always shit.

 

[Abizzz]

Never heard of him and after checking him on youtube I doubt I will ever again.

 

[Tarrou]

Yes. Is, it, funny? That is the point of comedy.

so there are no limits for you as long as you find it funny?

that’s pretty weird

 

[hobbers]

What is an emotional truth?

The kind that cant be fact checked and you're probably an ism or two if you question.

 

[Penna]

Because I do not like sharing wooden horses

I have to say, this made me laugh although it's probably not something to laugh at.

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

I don't think anyone expects stand-up material to be factual do they?

I expect it is all made up.

I don't expect Peter Kay ever had a family member who went mad at garlic bread.

Among the material he was accused of making up was an anecdote about an FBI informant who allegedly infiltrated the Sacramento-area mosque Minhaj’s family attended in 2002, as well as claims he and his daughter were exposed to white powder in an envelope, necessitating her being taken to the hospital.

I think it was more claiming certain things happened to showcase anti-Asian sentiment by the USA government, naming names of agents, when it didn't happen.

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

In comedy, the only question that matters is: is it funny? Everything else can feck off.

Ahhh the Roy Chubby Brown defence.