The article, titled Hasan Minhaj\u2019s \u201cEmotional Truths\u201d<\/em>, claimed Minhaj had embellished several elements in his previous Netflix comedy specials, such as The King\u2019s Jester <\/em>(2022) and Homecoming King<\/em> (2017). This included a story in which he said his daughter had been exposed to what he inaccurately believed to be anthrax, and another in which he said he\u2019d asked a white girl to be his prom date, before her parents refused to take photos of their daughter with a \u201cbrown boy\u201d.<\/p>\n Comedian Hasan Minhaj has responded to allegations that he embellished stories told in his stand-up specials.<\/span><\/p>\n The profile ignited a debate about how and if comedians should be able to embellish the truth for extra laughs, and whether there should be any boundaries regarding the extent of a fabrication.<\/p>\n Minhaj, a 38-year-old US comedian and writer known for his time on The Daily Show <\/em>and Patriot Act<\/em>, provided a brief statement shortly after the article\u2019s publication, emphasising that all the stories in his stand-up were based on real events from his life. However, the comedian has expanded on this in a detailed 21-minute video released on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cWith everything that\u2019s happening in the world, I\u2019m aware even talking about this now feels so trivial,\u201d Minhaj says at the beginning of the video. \u201cBut being accused of faking racism is not trivial. It\u2019s very serious, and it demands an explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n Minhaj appeared to confirm allegations of embellishment in The<\/em> New Yorker<\/em> article, calling a particular routine of his \u201c70 per cent emotional truth \u2026 and then 30 per cent hyperbole, exaggeration, fiction.\u201d<\/p>\n However, he provides further context around three specific stories outlined in the profile in his recent video, including his run-in with an FBI informant who infiltrated his family\u2019s mosque \u2013 another story The New Yorker <\/em>alleged he fabricated. He insists each event did take place, lamenting how the article made him look like a \u201cpsycho\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe truth is, racism, FBI surveillance and the threats to my family happened. And I said this on the record,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n He admits to small embellishments, such as the fact that the mother of the girl he asked to prom had said she didn\u2019t want to take photos with him a few days before prom rather than on the actual day.<\/p>\n \u201cI created the doorstep scene to drop the audience into the feeling of that moment, which I told the reporter.\u201d<\/p>\n Hasan Minhaj has called the New Yorker expose of him \u201cneedlessly misleading\u201d.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Invision\/AP<\/cite><\/p>\n He also admits to mingling fact with fiction when speaking about being harassed by the FBI informant and bringing his daughter to hospital following exposure to a white powder he suspected to be anthrax. However, he says he always believed stand-up allows for more artistic license.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d he says. \u201cThat is why the fact-checking on Patriot Act<\/em> was extremely rigorous \u2026 But in my work as a storytelling comedian, I assumed the lines between truth and fiction were allowed to be a bit more blurry.\u201d<\/p>\n While apologising to those hurt by this, he says he had made artistic choices to emphasise larger issues affecting himself and his community. \u201cI feel horrible that I let people down.\u201d<\/p>\n The<\/em> New Yorker <\/em>responded to Minhaj\u2019s video on Friday via a statement to The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>, defending the veracity of its reporting.<\/p>\n \u201cHasan Minhaj confirms in this video that he selectively presents information and embellishes to make a point: exactly what we reported,\u201d the statement read. \u201cOur piece, which includes Minhaj\u2019s perspective at length, was carefully reported and fact-checked. It is based on interviews with more than twenty people, including former Patriot Act<\/em> and Daily Show<\/em> staffers. We stand by our story.\u201d<\/p>\n In the video, Minhaj says he asked to have more context included in the profile, including details from emails and text messages between himself and the girl he asked to prom, which he had supplied to The New Yorker. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWe confirmed the emails were sent to the reporter and their fact-checker before the article came out. They knew my rejection was due to race. I confirmed it on the record and provided corroborating evidence. And yet, they misled readers by excluding all of that and splicing two different quotes together to leave you thinking that I made up a racist incident,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Near the end of the video, Minhaj says he understands why people are interested in the topic of embellishment in comedy, but he had hoped it would be examined in a more comprehensive way \u2013 by comparing multiple comedy specials and establishing a baseline \u2013 rather than by cherry-picking a few of his stories.<\/p>\n Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. <\/i><\/b>Get The Watchlist<\/i><\/b> delivered every Thursday.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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