Hasan Minhaj faces backlash for humorously addressing 'Daily Show' departure amid fact-checking scandal

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: At the 'Netflix Is a Joke' comedy festival on May 2nd, Hasan Minhaj curated a showcase that featured a diverse array of comedians.

During the event, Ronny Chieng closed the lineup with a humorous remark: “I’m surprised Hasan's able to do this show. I guess 'canceling' isn’t what it used to be.”

The quip refers to a controversy ignited by a September New Yorker story that sought to fact-check Minhaj's stand-up comedy.

Minhaj and Ronny Chieng reflect on 'Daily Show' experience

Previously, Variety had reported exclusively that Minhaj was the leading candidate to succeed Trevor Noah as host of 'The Daily Show,' but the scandal resulted in him losing the opportunity.

In a different arrangement, Jon Stewart came back to host Monday night episodes, while other correspondents took charge for the remainder of the week.

At the festival, Minhaj humorously heckled Chieng from the audience, jokingly accusing him, "You planted that story about me!"

He then joined Chieng onstage, jesting about their time as 'Daily Show' correspondents and the lost hosting opportunity, saying, "Who the f**k fact-checks stand-up comedy? Only Ronny Chieng would set me up with some f**king mouth-breathing journalist."

They reminisced about their initial meeting as correspondents on 'The Daily Show' in 2015, during which Minhaj jokingly brought up the hosting position. When Chieng mentioned the show's name, Minhaj playfully responded, "Job you f**ked me out of."

“We’ve all failed in our lives, but have you ever failed so bad, that you brought back Jon Stewart?” he continued. “I saved a dying institution. You’re welcome.”

To add context, The New Yorker article fact-checked numerous anecdotes from Minhaj’s comedy specials, prompting him to confess that he had embellished certain details from his life.

However, he maintained that while there might have been embellishments, the essence of his stories remained grounded in "emotional truths."

Indeed, Stewart's return revitalized 'The Daily Show,' bringing it to viewership heights not seen since his departure in 2015.

Minhaj is presently on his 'Off With His Head' stand-up tour, slated to record a special this summer, while Chieng is touring with 'Love to Hate It.'

Netizens react strongly to Hasan Minhaj's controversial remarks

Social media erupted in outrage over Minhaj's controversial comments, sparking a viral storm of criticism.

One X user noted, "Well Jon is reasonably talented and you aren’t."

Another commented, "Yep, it’s still all about him and his 'failure.' He still doesn’t care about the people he defamed."

One more user noted, "Jon Stewart is unbeatable, but if they want a new host, Jordan Klepper is by far the best one."

One person commented, "He has a point. The Daily Show cannot work without Jon Stuwart..." [sic]

Another user observed, "He was condescending at best doing his show talking like someone with authority and expertise on his topics and that was far from the truth. Glad he is gone."

One tweet read, "He was the best host but he blew it."

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