Hasan Minhaj

Hasan Minhaj

Minhaj in 2016
Born Davis, California, U.S.
Education University of California, Davis (B.A.)
Spouse Beena Patel (m. 2015)
Notable works and roles The Daily Show correspondent
Homecoming King

Hasan Minhaj (/həˈsɑːn mɪˈnɑːdʒ/) is an American comedian and actor. He is currently a Senior Correspondent on The Daily Show, which he joined in 2014. He was chosen to perform at the 2017 White House Correspondents' Dinner.[1] His first stand-up comedy special, Homecoming King, debuted on Netflix on May 23, 2017.[2]

Early life and family

Minhaj comes from a Muslim family originally from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. His parents, Najme and Seema (née Usmani), immigrated to Davis, California, where Minhaj was born and raised.[3][4][5] After his birth, he and his father, a chemist, remained in the United States. His mother returned to India for eight years to complete medical school,[6] visiting the U.S. after three years to give birth to his sister in 1989. Hasan did not know he had a sister until he was eight when his mother and sister returned permanently from India.[7] He is fluent in Urdu.[8] His sister, Ayesha Minhaj, is an attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area.[9]

Career

Minhaj attended the University of California, Davis, where he majored in political science.[10] There, he became interested in comedy after seeing Chris Rock's Never Scared, the first stand-up special he watched. He began traveling to San Francisco to perform.[5] In 2008, he won Wild 94.9's "Best Comic Standing" competition, which resulted in his working as an opening act for Katt Williams, Pablo Francisco, and Gabriel Iglesias. He also worked part-time for Ning, an experience he used to write comedy.[10] Minhaj lists Kevin Shea, W. Kamau Bell, and Arj Barker as inspirations.[5]

In 2009, Minhaj moved to Los Angeles to perform on NBC's Stand-up for Diversity, on which he was a finalist.[10][5] In 2011, he was a series regular on the TV sitcom State of Georgia and starred in various roles on the MTV hidden camera show Disaster Date. Through posting on YouTube, he was cast on Failosophy.[5] In 2013, Minhaj appeared in guest roles on Arrested Development and Getting On.[11] He hosted Stand Up Planet in 2013 and a web series, The Truth with Hasan Minhaj, in 2014.[12] In 2014, he voiced Rabi Ray Rana in the video game Far Cry 4.

On November 19, 2014, Minhaj joined The Daily Show as a correspondent, the last one hired by then-host Jon Stewart. Minhaj was asked to come in for an audition with new material after he sent in a tape of him performing an idea for a Daily Show segment, but he initially panicked as he had no other material prepared. The Friday before Minhaj's audition, Ben Affleck, and Bill Maher got into a heated exchange about Islam on Maher's show, and Minhaj used this for a new sketch he called "Batman vs. Bill Maher."[12][13]

On June 18, 2016, Minhaj performed a set as the host of the annual Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner.[14] The set gained attention for his condemnation of the United States Congress' inaction in passing gun control legislation.[15]

On April 29, 2017, Minhaj was the featured speaker at the 2017 White House Correspondents' Dinner, where he took on the traditional role of roasting Washington, D.C. society, national politics, current events, the current president, the Washington press corps, and the American media.[1] He criticized Donald Trump, who was boycotting the dinner,[21] calling him the "liar in chief," and reminded the press to do their job:

"We are here to talk about the truth. It is 2017, and we are living in the golden age of lying. Now's the time to be a liar, and Donald Trump is liar in chief. And remember, you guys are public enemy no. 1. You are his biggest enemy. Journalists, ISIS, normal-length ties. And somehow, you're the bad guys. That's why you gotta keep your foot on the gas."[22]

Minhaj's one-man show, Homecoming King, debuted Off-Broadway in October 2015.[6][23] The show featured a central theme of the immigrant experience in the United States today, illustrated with stories from Minhaj's life as a first-generation Indian-American Muslim. He later turned the show into his first stand-up special, Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King, which premiered on Netflix on May 23, 2017. The special was filmed at the Mondavi Center at Minhaj's alma mater, UC Davis, in January 2017.[2]

Personal life

In January 2015, Minhaj married Beena Patel, whom he met in college. Patel is from a Hindu family, which he discussed in his comedy special, Homecoming King.[24][25] He and his wife, a management consultant, live in New York City.[26]

References

  1. 1 2 Heil, Emily (April 11, 2017). "'Daily Show' regular Hasan Minhaj will headline the White House correspondents' dinner". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Meslow, Scott (May 11, 2017). "Watch the Trailer for Hasan Minhaj's Terrific New Netflix Special, 'Homecoming King'". GQ. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  3. ↑ Egel, Ben. "Hasan Minhaj launches from Davis to the heart of a national debate". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Hasan Minhaj, Born 09/23/1985 in California". californiabirthindex.org. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Nakayama, Paul (September 9, 2013). "Comedian Hasan Minhaj Talks 'The Truth' and "Failosophy" (and Is Definitely Not Related to Nicki Minaj)". Audrey Magazine. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Blair, Elizabeth (October 14, 2015). "Hasan Minhaj Of 'Daily Show' On Prom, Indian Dads And White Folks at Desi Weddings". NPR. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Ayesha Minhaj, Born 06/17/1989 in California". californiabirthindex.org. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  8. ↑ Arora, Priya (November 6, 2015). "Comedian Hasan Minhaj on 'Homecoming King' and the Power of Storytelling". India.com. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  9. ↑ Lyons, Joseph D. (April 13, 2017). "Who Is Ayesha Minhaj? Hasan's Sister Is An Accomplished Lawyer". Bustle. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 Perlman, Daniel (August 24, 2009). "Hasan Minhaj: Giving comedy the college try". LAUGHSPIN. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  11. ↑ "The Daily Show adds two new correspondents". The A.V. Club. October 10, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  12. 1 2 "'Daily Show' adds Hasan Minhaj and Trevor Noah". Entertainment Weekly. October 10, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  13. ↑ Lewis, Hilary (October 16, 2015). "'Daily Show' Correspondent Hasan Minhaj Reveals Bill Maher-Ben Affleck Islam Dispute Got Him His Job". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  14. ↑ C-SPAN (June 16, 2016), Hasan Minhaj at 2016 RTCA Dinner (C-SPAN), retrieved June 21, 2016
  15. ↑ [16][17][18][19][20]
  16. ↑ Rao, Sameer (June 17, 2016). "WATCH: Hasan Minhaj Passionately Denounces Congressional Inaction on Gun Laws". Colorlines. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  17. ↑ Rahel Gebreyes Editor, HuffPost Video (June 17, 2016). "'Daily Show' Correspondent Hasan Minhaj Eviscerates Congress For Inaction on Guns". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Comedian Who Blasted Congress on Gun Control Tells PEOPLE Why He Has No Regrets: 'This Is What We Have Paid You To Do'". People. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  19. ↑ Slattery, Peter (June 17, 2016). "Hasan Minhaj Tears Congress Apart Over Guns And Bigotry". The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Comedian Hasan Minhaj to Congress on Guns: 'Is This What You Want Your Legacy to Be?'". NBC News. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  21. ↑ Gold, Hadas (April 11, 2017). "Will Trump be roasted at White House Correspondents' Dinner?". Politico Magazine. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  22. ↑ Busis, Hillary (April 29, 2017). "White House Correspondents' Dinner: See Hasan Minhaj's Scorching Speech [and full transcript". Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  23. ↑ Gandhi, Lakshmi (October 21, 2015). "'Daily Show' correspondent Hasan Minhaj brings his childhood to the stage". Metro. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  24. ↑ "The Daily Show's Hasan Minhaj Drinks His Coffee 'Construction-Worker-Style'". Grub Street. October 16, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Instagram post by Hasan Minhaj". Instagram. January 6, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  26. ↑ Kaufman, Joanne (December 16, 2016). "A 'Daily Show' Correspondent Adjusts to Life in New York". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
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