Political streamer Hasan Piker, better known online as HasanAbi, has been in the news after reports that he was denied entry into the United Kingdom by the UK Home Office. At the same time, a report published by the New York Post brought fresh attention to his college years and family background. The report claimed Hasan struggled academically while attending the University of Miami and later transferred to Rutgers University with help from his mother. It also included several allegations from unnamed sources about his personal life. Hasan Piker has not publicly responded to the report.
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As people discuss the claims, many have become curious about the woman mentioned in the story. Hasan’s mother, Ülker Sedef Piker, has built an academic career of her own and comes from a family with strong ties to education, business, and media. Over the years, Hasan has also spoken publicly about the impact she had on his life and the motivation she gave him while he was growing up.
Who is Ülker Sedef Piker and what did the New York Post report about Hasan Piker’s college years?
Ülker Sedef Piker, whose maiden name is Uygur, is an art and architectural historian. She earned a bachelor’s degree in art history from Rutgers University and later completed a PhD at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where her research focused on architectural history and Orientalism.
Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Ülker is the daughter of Nuket Yavaşça and Doğan Uygur. Her brother is Cenk Uygur, the co-founder of The Young Turks. According to family stories shared in interviews, Doğan Uygur grew up in a poor farming family before earning a scholarship, becoming a mechanical engineer, and later moving to the United States. He eventually worked in real estate development and invested in The Young Turks. Ülker’s mother operated a home textile business.
Ülker is married to Mehmet Behçet Piker, a political scientist and economist. Together they have two sons, Hasan Piker and Murat Piker, who works as an aerospace engineer.
According to the New York Post, Hasan enrolled at the University of Miami in 2009 after returning to the United States. The outlet reported that he earned a 2.9 GPA and struggled academically because he was “partying too hard.” The report claimed that after those grades, Ülker helped arrange his transfer to Rutgers University, where he later graduated in 2013.
Hasan has previously spoken warmly about his mother. In a 2016 Facebook birthday post, he called her:
“the most badass, gorgeous, ambitious, caring, loving, intellectual, feminist woman on the planet.”
He also wrote:
“A couple years ago she went back to college to pursue higher education in art history focusing on cultural preservation - all while managing her commercial real estate properties.”
Hasan Piker added that seeing his mother continue her education inspired him and “gives me the motivation to strive for greatness everyday.”
