Comedian Hasan Minhaj released a video on Thursday addressing the allegations of him “faking racism” in his stand-up performances.
In the 21-minute video, Minhaj addressed the allegations made in a September New Yorker article by providing detailed context and evidence, including emails, texts, and audio clips, to clarify and support his narrations.
“There were omissions and factual errors in The New Yorker article that misrepresented my life story, so I wanted to give people the context and materials I provided The New Yorker with full transparency,” Minhaj told The Hollywood Reporter.
He specifically discussed a prom rejection story, sharing correspondence with the white woman whose family he claimed had discriminated against him due to his ethnicity. Minhaj displayed a screenshot of an email, reportedly sent to the woman in 2015, in which he congratulated her on marrying another man of color. Her response, “I think my parents have come a long way too,” indicated a shift in her parents’ acceptance of interracial relationships, the comedian claimed.
Hasan Minhaj has just produced the recording of the interview and the documents he provided to the reporter, showing that The New Yorker totally smeared him. They absolutely should not stand by the story. pic.twitter.com/1oJwKDwPTj
— Marvelous Motion ✭ (@All_Cake88) October 26, 2023
“It was so needlessly misleading, not just about my stand-up, but also me as a person. The truth is, racism, FBI surveillance and threats to my family happened. And I said this on the record,” the comedian added.
Minhaj, however, admitted that he allows for the line between story and fiction to get “blurry” when it comes to his work as a “storytelling comedian.” (RELATED: Comedian Admits To Fabricating Racial Discrimination Stories For Stand-Up Routine)
“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 said.
The New Yorker, in response to Minhaj’s video, issued a statement maintaining the position of their original reporting.
“Hasan Minhaj confirms in this video that he selectively presents information and embellishes to make a point: exactly what we reported,” the outlet said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.