Hasan Minhaj responds to Article on his ‘Made Up’ Racism Stories

Hasan Minhaj has opened up about his fabricated incidents of racism and the publication that detailed them.

His Netflix comedy specials and political show came under fire for being littered with false stories of racial discrimination.

Hasan later said that his stories are based on “emotional truths”.

He told The New Yorker: “Every story in my style is built around a seed of truth.

“My comedy Arnold Palmer is 70 per cent emotional truth and then 30 per cent hyperbole, exaggeration, fiction.”

Hasan Minhaj justified the fabrication of his stories by claiming that “the emotional truth is first. The factual truth is secondary.”

He has now spoken about the stories and the accusations that he made them up in a bid to advance his career.

Hasan said: “With everything happening in the world, I am aware that even talking about this now feels so trivial.

“But being accused of faking racism is not trivial. It is very serious and demands an explanation.

“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.”

He went on to say that he had a responsibility towards his audience and regretted that a number of them felt let down by his work.

Hasan stated that the article was full of negativity towards him and he was portrayed as a con artist who used racism and Islamophobia for the success of his career.

This was said for his stories in which Hasan spoke about his prom experience at school, a run-in with the FBI and a fictionalised anthrax scare.

Hasan continued: “In political comedy facts come first. In comedic storytelling emotions come first.

“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 am not a psycho. But this New Yorker article made me look like one.

“The article is needlessly misleading, not just about my standup, but also about me as a person.

“The truth is, racism, FBI surveillance and threats to my family happened.”

Hasan’s video was met with supportive comments from his fans and he was told not to let the rumours bring him down.

One individual said: “Thank you for this Hasan, don’t let them bury you without a fight.”

Another commented: “As a minority in the US, I know what it is like to have to defend yourself daily to prove your doubters wrong.

“Some people will try to take you down because they can, maybe you don’t look like them or are not of the same culture.

“They will try to make it like you do not belong. Don’t let this get in your head and keep up the good work.”

A third added: “Journalists are just protecting their flaws, and the truth is we need to fact-check them. You’re good dude!”

Since the release of his video, The New Yorker released a statement, saying that they stood by their article.

The statement read: “Hasan Minhaj confirms in this video that he selectively presents information and embellishes it to make a point. Which is 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 staff and Minhaj’s security team.

“We stand by our story.”