For 30 minutes each week, Hasan Minhaj paces the stage declaiming emphatically to TV cameras and the live audience surrounding him. With a unique blend of comedy, research, and technology, Minhaj tackles hot-button current events, from political scandals to America’s opioid crisis.
The 33-year-old comedian began his career as a writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. In 2018, Minhaj launched Patriot Act as a Netflix show where he serves as both creator and host. Earlier this year, he was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People.
As political commentary and comedy talk shows have proliferated in recent years, Minhaj’s blend stands out, in part because of the research data he displays on massive screens behind him as he talks. While other comedians have seen their Netflix shows canceled, Minhaj is already into his fourth season.
Hasan Minhaj Fuses Comedy and Data
Minhaj keeps high-profile company, engaging fellow comedians like Jon Stewart and political figures like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
I tried. #NowStreaming pic.twitter.com/T26xsMPqXW
— Hasan Minhaj (@hasanminhaj) September 1, 2019
The host hooks viewers not just with pithy quips and punchlines, but with a kind of wonky data-driven commentary. In fact, Minhaj spends large segments of his program carefully outlining hot topics with research and info-graphics displayed on wall-sized screens behind him on the set.
“To my right, to my left, on top of me, even literally I’m standing on an LED … The stage itself is almost like Jarvis,” says Minhaj.
This visual-intellectual fusion may explain why Minhaj’s show, unlike similar comedy-commentaries from figures like Chelsea Handler and Joel McHale, has been able to carve out success on a platform like Netflix.
The Rise of a Next-Generation Muslim-American Comedian
Minhaj admits that his parents did not always support his interest in pursuing comedy. In fact, he recalls sneaking out of the house to perform comedy sets as a student. Nonetheless, Minhaj credits his sense of humor to his father: “I actually got a lot of my stage presence, believe it or not, from him. He’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met in my life. He’s very charismatic, he’s an incredibly good public speaker.”
He also explains that he faced difficulties as a Muslim-American finding relationships: from his Homecoming date’s parents barring him from taking their daughter to his own parents’ concerns when he announced plans to marry a Hindu woman.
In the end, Minhaj learned to juggle the various aspects of his identity. “I’m lucky that I genuinely do love my parents,” he says. “And I lucked out there. You know, we have a relatively positive relationship.”
Hasan Minhaj’s American Dream
In the Netflix special Homecoming King, Minhaj recalls early moments he faced discrimination. These range from receiving a cruel comment in the sandbox as a kid, to violent threats after 9/11. While he continues to cover tough topics like these in Patriot Act, his criticism does not preclude patriotism.
“I feel like I’m part of this generation of people who look slightly different or who have slightly different names, but we’re adding these amazing ideas to America,” he observes. “That to me is the narrative I’m fighting for. The things I’m fighting for are actually American ideals.”
Weekly episodes of Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj are available on Netflix, along with all three previous seasons.
