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American comedian and writer Hasan Minhaj recently admitted that he fabricated a story about his daughter which was included in his Netflix special movie The King's Jester in 2022. The 37-year-old stand-up comedian spoke to the New Yorker and shed light on the several stories he has fabricated.
The story about his daughter, who was 4 years old at the time, was quite popular in the movie. Hasan recalled an incident where a mysterious envelope was sent to his family home that contained white powder. He went on to say that his daughter was accidentally exposed to the powder, which the family believed was anthrax, and had to be rushed to the hospital.
However, he stated the doctor told him that it wasn't anthrax and they had nothing to worry about.
In the recent interview with the publication, which was published on Friday, September 15, Hasan Minhaj revealed that while the family did receive an envelope that contained white powder, his daughter never opened it and she was not hospitalized either.
Hasan Minhaj and his wife tied the knot in 2015
Hasan Minhaj met his wife Beena Patel while they were both studying at the University of California, Davis. They dated for a few years before tying the knot in January 2015. The couple welcomed their daughter in April 2018 and their son in February 2020. Both Hasan and Beena have kept details about their children private.
Beena Patel, 37, has a Master's degree in Public Health and currently serves as a management consultant at MedAmerica. She worked with homeless individuals in Los Angeles before moving to New York with her husband. Hasan Minhaj's wife previously worked at reputable healthcare centers such as Vituity (formerly known as CEP America), and the UCLA Center for Health and Research.
Her bio on CEP America read:
“Her dissertation on the implementation of the West Los Angeles HPACT has been recognized nationally and replicated as a best practice across the country. She continues to be an active researcher, and her work dedicated to the heroes of our nation who find themselves homeless in an effort to give them a voice.”
The comedian shared during the recent interview that he got an earful from his wife, who told him that his unhinged stand-up comedy brought several consequences to the family. Hasan added that Beena even warned him that if he ever put the lives of his kids in danger, she would instantly leave him.
"You get to say whatever you want onstage, and we have to live with the consequences. If you ever put my kids in danger again, I will leave you in a second," she told him.
Both Beena and Hasan are second-generation Indian Americans. During his film Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King, the comedian mentioned that while they are from different religious communities, Beena being a Hindu, and Hasan, a Muslim, she was not forced to convert to Islam after marriage.
He also shared another story in the special and claimed that he had dated a "white girl" in high school but they broke up because her family was racist. The comedian claimed that after this incident, he was insecure about dating white girls and even used her and her husband's photos on his shows.
Hasan Minhaj defends fabricating stories for stand-up comedy
In his interview with the New Yorker, the comedian admitted that he fabricated another story from The King’s Jester, which was called the 'Brother Eric' story. While narrating the story, Hasan Minhaj claimed that a white FBI informer infiltrated his family mosque in California's Sacramento. He added that he joked with the informer about getting a pilot’s license, but it resulted in the cops showing up. Hasan then said that he was slammed onto the hood of the police car.
However, the comedian clarified that the story was inspired by an incident that took place a long time ago. He said that he and his other teenage Muslim friends were once playing games with some middle-aged men. They thought that the men were the cops and one of them allegedly pushed Hasan to the ground.
The comedian explained that every story he has delivered during his stand-up comedy is built around some level of truth.
“My comedy Arnold Palmer is 70% emotional truth — this happened — and then 30% hyperbole, exaggeration, fiction,” he said.
While defending his tactics, the 37-year-old told the outlet:
“No, I don’t think I’m manipulating [the audience]. I think they are coming for the emotional roller-coaster ride…To the people that are, like, ‘Yo, that is way too crazy to happen,’ I don’t care because yes, f*ck yes — that’s the point.”
Hasan reasoned that he uses certain tools for his standup comedy, including, compressing timelines of real events to deliver entertaining stories, changing their names and locations, and using hyperbole.
He also drew a comparison between a haunted house in a theme park and stand-up comedy and said that one wouldn't go inside a haunted house and ask why they are being lied to. Hasan Minhaj argued that the focal point is enjoying the ride, conveying that stand-up comedy is also similar, as it is about enjoying the jokes delivered by the comedian, irrespective of how much of it is influenced by real events.
