Hasan Minhaj gets candid

Former First Lady Michelle Obama and comedian Hasan Minhaj recently discussed everything from Minhaj's “comedic awakening” to his upbringing to his own parenting today.

Apr 28, 2026

Issue #107

Hi all —

Ten years ago, when Indian American comedian Hasan Minhaj was still emerging, I went to one of his 2016 shows and remember feeling “seen” for the first time ever in comedy. A Brown millennial guy a few years older than me was weaving honest second-generation desi experiences with humor in a way that felt authentic and smart.

After that show, I wrote why I believed he would become the “next big Brown king of comedy.” My prediction was right in that he soon after became a household name, launched a Netflix show, was all over social media and remains one of the most influential voices in South Asian American culture.

But his Netflix show “Patriot Act” also swirled with allegations of a toxic workplace, pushed controversial boundaries that made headlines, and was ultimately canceled in 2020. In 2023, the New Yorker questioned the veracity of some anecdotes in his stand-up comedy, then leading to him losing out on becoming the next host of “The Daily Show” (where he was once a correspondent).

Minhaj, now 40, is still taking names but via a different path. His YouTube show “Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know,” features guests ranging from actor Kal Penn to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins to Malala. His YouTube channel has more than 2.1 million followers. Minhaj is also working on a Netflix comedy movie about the world of collegiate Bollywood dance, starring Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia.

Recently, the interview tables turned. Former First Lady Michelle Obama, alongside brother Craig Robinson, interviewed Minhaj on their “IMO” podcast.

The full interview is 1 hour and 11 minutes, so here are some interesting tidbits that struck me:

Trying to make it in show business is a “strange, elusive thing.”

Minhaj credits his high school computers teacher for recognizing his unique skillset and influencing the trajectory of his life toward comedy. As a student, he was talkative and loud in class, sometimes getting him detention. The teacher encouraged him to channel that chattiness into public speaking, where he soon found his comedic voice. “She saw something in me. All my other teachers thought I was too talkative … not a great student.”
One of the most unique places Minhaj performed in the early days was at the now-defunct BrainWash in San Francisco. It was literally a laundromat where he’d perform alongside other comedians, ventriloquists and drag queens — and people doing their laundry would be the audience.
Minhaj said his “comedic awakening” came when seeing a Chris Rock special on a laptop in college. Rock, he recalled, spoke about politics, society, culture and race in an honest way, and shared things people candidly feel about these issues. That’s why Minhaj believes comedy has given him a productive place to channel all the thoughts running through his head.

He sees parallels between comedy and his other love: basketball

“My first love was basketball. That was on my vision board,” said Minhaj, who was on his freshman JV team. Like basketball, he found comedy teaches you a lot about yourself and how to position yourself in relation to someone else. Minhaj also believes it helped him learn how to win graciously and lose graciously, understanding that failure is a part of show business.

As a “third culture” kid, he’s now thinking about the next generation.

Growing up in Davis, California, there were periods where he was mostly raised by his dad, while his mom was finishing medical school and residency. Meanwhile, his sister was being raised by grandparents in Delhi. Minhaj reflected that today, he wants more stability for his own children and to get more quality time with his own parents, too. “My parents spent so much time trying to build themselves in this country, that they didn’t get to spend a ton of quality time. And I’m trying to make up for that now, now that I’m older.”
Minhaj questioned whether there is a disconnect between the America that valued merit when his parents’ generation came to the United States vs. the merit valued today for only particular types of Americans, which he dubbed “white valedictorian energy,” as civil rights and liberties are threatened for others.

There’s so much power in comedic storytelling.

Mrs. Obama summed it up well: “Politicians barely get an audience. But a comedian can weave together a story and … can turn it into — now you’re teaching and now you’re educating and people remember and they’ll come back to it.”
Minhaj said that the gift of oration has allowed him to uniquely share through his lens growing up Indian American and Muslim. “Being different is probably the most powerful thing you could be. You don’t want to be an act that’s similar to another act.”

Here’s the full interview between Obama, Robinson and Minhaj: