In his new Netflix special, Hasan Minhaj addressed the fact-checked prank scandal that led to him losing his job as the new host of “The Daily Show.”
Minhaj’s admission comes shortly after he delivered a punchline about a “white BMW 3 Series.” Minhaj checks himself for the facts and says, “I don’t own a white BMW 3 Series. I am leasing a 2023 Kia Carnival.” He further joked that he “needs to do this now” after the backlash.
“I have to be factually accurate. Because – I don’t know if you saw this last year – The New Yorker fact-checked my stand-up comedy,” Minhaj said in his special “Off With His Head,” which premiered on Netflix on Tuesday. “They were like, ‘Ah! Ho-ho-ho! Breaking news. Magicians are not wizards.’ And now I have a controversies tab on my Wikipedia.”
Minhaj continued, “It’s not even good [controversy]. I haven’t fucked a porn star. I haven’t cheated on a boy. I was caught embellishing for dramatic effect. The same crime your aunt is guilty of on Thanksgiving.”
In September 2023, The New Yorker published a profile reported that Minhaj had fabricated several stories in his stand-up specials, particularly stories involving hate crimes and acts of political violence. In ‘The King’s Jester’, Minhaj tells a story about how he was sent an envelope containing white powder that he accidentally spilled on his daughter. Fearing it was anthrax, he rushed her to the hospital, where doctors told him the powder was completely harmless.
Minhaj revealed to The New Yorker that his daughter never came into contact with the powder and was never hospitalized. However, an envelope containing white powder was sent to his house, which ultimately inspired the prank.
Variety reported in August 2023 that Minhaj had emerged as the frontrunner to take over “The Daily Show” as permanent host following the departure of Trevor Noah. But after the interview with The New Yorker was published a month later, it was reported that Comedy Central had opened the search beyond Minhaj.
In a statement to Variety Minhaj said at the time: “All my stand-up stories are based on events that happened to me… I use the tools of stand-up comedy: hyperbole, changing names and locations and compressing timelines to tell entertaining stories. That is inherent to the art form. You wouldn’t go to a haunted house and say, “Why are these people lying to me?” – The point is the ride. Stand-up is the same.”