Hasan Minhaj slams 'needlessly misleading' New Yorker article

Hasan Minhaj has addressed allegations that he fabricates stories in his stand-up routines.

In an Instagram video on Thursday, the comedian responded to an article published by The New Yorker last month which alleged that Hasan had embellished and fabricated stories for his stand-up routines.

"With everything that's happening in the world, I'm aware even talking about this now feels so trivial," Hasan said in the video. "But being accused of 'faking racism' is not trivial. It's very serious, and it demands an explanation."

The article reflected on a story from Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King, in which Hasan claimed to have dated a white girl in high school before being rejected by her and her parents because of his ethnicity.

It also highlighted claims from Hasan's live shows: that his daughter was hospitalised for anthrax; and that a white man he called Brother Eric joined his mosque so he could inform on followers to the FBI. In the video, he confessed that those stories did not occur exactly as he claimed.

"To everyone who read that article," Hasan continued. "I want to answer the biggest question that's probably on your mind: Is Hasan Minhaj secretly a psycho? Underneath all that pomp, is Hasan Minhaj just a con artist who uses fake racism and Islamophobia to advance his career? Because after reading that article, I would also think that."

He added, "I just want to say to anyone who felt betrayed or hurt by my stand-up, I am sorry. I made artistic choices to express myself and drive home larger issues affecting me and my community, and I feel horrible that I let people down...

"The reason I feel horrible is because I'm not a psycho. But this New Yorker article definitely made me look like one. It was so needlessly misleading, not just about my stand-up, but also about me as a person."