Hasan Minhaj on Thursday at the "Netflix Is a Joke" comedy festival jested about the controversy that saw him dropped from consideration as a possible Trevor Noah successor as host of Comedy Central's "Daily Show," reports Variety.
Near the end of the lineup, comedian Ronny Chieng joked, “I’m surprised that Hasan’s able to do this show. I guess canceling is not what it used to be.”
The scandal arose after the New Yorker September published an exposé that fact-checked several of Minhaj's stand-up routines. The piece accused him of being factually inaccurate about being rejected for prom due to racism, FBI informants harassing Muslim communities after 9/11 and receiving a letter with white powder that threatened his family. Minhaj, who Variety claims was the frontrunner to replace Noah, was subsequently left out of the running. Instead, "Daily Show" saw the return of Jon Stewart for Monday night episodes.
Minhaj jokingly replied, "You planted that story about me!” before taking the stage with Chieng. “Who the f**k fact-checks stand-up comedy? Only Ronny Chieng would set me up with some f**king mouth-breathing journalist,” he said. “It was you.
“We’ve all failed in our lives, but have you ever failed so bad, you bring back Jon Stewart?” Minhaj added. “I saved a dying institution. You’re welcome.”
