Hasan Minhaj admits to fake stand-up stories, like daughter’s anthrax scare; comedian says he only exaggerates
Hasan Minhaj has confessed to making up tales for his stand-up acts, including some personal experiences like his daughter's anthrax scare, which was fake. The American stand-up comedian admitted to The New Yorker that he had fabricated certain details in some of his stand-up specials, like Netflix's The King's Jester in 2022.
The comedian is a former host on Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj (now on Netflix) and a temporary guest and correspondent on The Daily Show. Here's what the stand-up said about his stories being created.
“Every story in my style is built around a seed of truth. My comedy (is like an) Arnold Palmer (drink that) is 70% emotional truth — this happened — and then 30% hyperbole, exaggeration, fiction,” Minhaj said.
Is Hasan Minhaj’s anthrax story about his daughter fake?
In The King’s Jester, Hasan Minhaj mentioned an envelope with white powder that was sent to his home, which he assumed was anthrax. The comedian said the white powder “accidentally spilled” onto his daughter and that she was taken to hospital. He said the doctor informed him that it was not anthrax.
He said his wife told him: “You get to say whatever you want onstage, and we have to live with the consequences. I don’t give a shit that Time magazine thinks you’re an ‘influencer.’ If you ever put my kids in danger again, I will leave you in a second.’ ”
Hasan Minhaj confessed that his daughter was never exposed to anthrax or hospitalized. But he said that a letter with white powder had indeed been sent to his house. That’s when he joked to his wife, saying, “What if this was anthrax?”
Hasan Minhaj’s FBI informant story
In The King’s Jester yet again, Hasan Minhaj talked about Brother Eric, an alleged informant from the Federal Bureau of
