Hasan Minhaj — a stand-up comedian and former Daily Show contributor — admitted that he has lied about several jokes/stories where he “experienced” racism during a recent interview.
“Every story in my style is built around a seed of truth,” the 37-year-old told the New Yorker in a profile published this past Friday. “My comedy Arnold Palmer is 70% emotional truth — this happened — and then 30% hyperbole, exaggeration, fiction.”
Minhaj — who has the distinction of being the last Daily Show correspondent who was hired by Jon Stewart — later expanded on what he meant in a statement to the New York Post.
“I use the tools of standup comedy—hyperbole, changing names and locations, and compressing timelines to tell entertaining stories,” he said. “That’s inherent to the art form,” he added. “You wouldn’t go to a Haunted House and say ‘Why are these people lying to me?’—The point is the ride. Standup is the same.”
In one example from his recent Netflix comedy special, The Kings Jester, Minhaj details an “experience” where an envelope with white powder was sent to his home. He then supposedly rushed his daughter to a doctor after she was exposed, who informed him