During a time when the late-night TV industry has witnessed an unprecedented sense of unity among its biggest names, Bill Maher concluded his second new episode since the end of the WGA strike by critiquing one of his own. Maher’s final segment, “New Rule,” focused on comedian and former Patriot Act host Hasan Minhaj and the fabricated stories that a recent New Yorker profile exposed, both on and off stage. Drawing a parallel between Donald Trump and the MAGA movement’s conspiracy theories and the left’s “emotional truth,” Maher struggled to provide more than one or two examples.
“This brings me to Hasan Minhaj, the comedian who answers the question, ‘What if Jussie Smollett did stand-up?'” Maher joked. He argued that since “the stories Mr. Minhaj tells in his act to elicit sympathy for himself as a Muslim and a person of color are completely made up,” it suggests that perhaps Muslim Americans face less discrimination than progressives claim.
After outlining the list of exaggerated stories Minhaj has shared on stage, Maher asserted, “If you want to speak truth to power, I’m going to take a risk and say you have to include the truth part.”
Then, Maher got personal. “Because he’s done this before with me,” Maher continued. “Accusing me of saying Muslims should be put in internment camps—something I have never remotely considered, let alone said.” Maher heightened his criticism by comparing Minhaj to Donald Trump. “How is that different from this guy?” he asked, referencing the clip where the former president falsely claimed to have witnessed thousands of people cheering in New Jersey on 9/11.
Minhaj’s aversion to Maher’s Islamophobic tendencies perhaps played a role in securing his position as a Daily Show correspondent under Jon Stewart. “I believe the younger generations have a genuine desire to construct their identity around being a victim,” Maher added. “They are so eager to not fight racism, but to have racism to fight—so much so that when it’s absent, they invent it. And although there is enough real racism in the world, fabricating more doesn’t help.”
According to Maher, Minhaj “seems to be resentful of progress—the progress that has deprived him of compelling stories about being oppressed by the system.” He added, “Dude, America is far from the worst. You’re a Muslim married to a Hindu. If you were living in India, she would have to kill you.”
In the weeks following Minhaj’s exposure in The New Yorker, he hasn’t garnered much sympathy from the comedy community and may have even missed out on the highly sought-after Daily Show hosting job. However, if there’s anything that could make people sympathize with Minhaj, it may be finding oneself on the opposite side of Bill Maher.
For more, listen to Hasan Minhaj on The Last Laugh podcast.