Comic’s first words to Jon Stewart: ‘Dad’?
“The Daily Show” senior correspondent Hasan Minhaj’s performance at June’s 2016 Radio and Television Correspondent’s dinner was a smashing success, at least, according to the internet.
Minhaj opened with the standard wisecracks — Congressional approval ratings, cable news’ lust for the sensational and the circus of the presidential election. By the end, he was delivering a searing monologue admonishing Congress’ lack of legislative action in the wake of the Orlando shooting.
“(The media says) you guys are a ‘do-nothing’ Congress, but you guys do a lot,” Minhaj told them. “You guys go to fundraisers. You guys host fundraisers. You have your staff set up fundraisers for you to host. That doesn’t even include all the time you spend trying to repeal Obamacare or not passing gun control.”
When he’s not working on “The Daily Show,” Minhaj performs stand-up and more recently, has been touring with a one-man show about his experience growing up in Davis as a first-generation Indian-American. “Homecoming King,” which debuted last fall in New York, comes to Herbst Theatre in San Francisco Friday night, before moving on to 21 other cities.
When we talked to him it was shortly after “Homecoming King” opened and a little more than a year after he joined “The Daily Show,” where he’s made ripples with satirical bits like “Minhaj’s Muslim Makeover” and “Donald Trump as White ISIS,” as he explores the Muslim experience in America.
Q
How did the UC Davis political science major become a stand-up comedian-turned “Daily Show”
correspondent?
A
When you immerse yourself in a community, you tend to rise in that community. I just started the way most comics start, doing open mic shows around Sacramento and San Francisco, and eventually, I moved to L.A. After about four or five years in L.A., I got the call to join the ‘The Daily Show.’”
Q
Describe the audition.
A
Michael Che had just left to do “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live,” and my manager sends me an email with the subject line, “Hey, do you want to audition for ‘ The Daily Show’?” Which isn’t really a question mark type email. It’s more of an exclamation mark.
I submitted a tape. Two days later, I get a call from my manager. “Hey, they want you to come to New York; they want you to come audition for the show.” They (said I) have to write another piece.
I’m in my room, pacing back and forth watching TV, and Bill Maher is on his show, and it was that whole thing where Bill Maher and Ben Affleck got into it. I wrote this piece called “Batman vs. Bill Maher,” and that was the audition that I did at the show.”
Q
How did that go down? AI get (there), and executive producer Adam Lowitt is like, “Come to the studio, we’ll run your audition a few times.” I stepped onto that set — it was super blue, and just surreal — you’re just like, “Oh my God, this is ‘The Daily Show.’” But it was also smaller than I expected.
I run it with (Lowitt) a few times, and I’m speaking really fast. I’m a little nervous. And he’s like, “Hey man, calm down, you got this.” We do it again. I’m still talking fast. So I’m choking; I’m losing this opportunity. And then all of a sudden, I can hear humming behind me (hums the “Daily Show” theme song), and I know that voice. It’s Jewish Yoda.
It’s Jon (Stewart), and I just see this shadow walking toward me, because he’s backlit. I can hear his accomplishments in each step. And then he steps into the light, and he’s a lot shorter than I thought, and he has scruff on his face. I look at him, and I’m just like, “Dad”? He had a lot of dad vibes.
We do the audition, and afterward as I’m walking away, he’s like, “Hey man, where are you going?’ And I said, “I live in L.A.” And he said, “Well, I’ll see you Monday, right?” I was like, “What?”
“Well, you work here, so I’ll see you Monday, right?” I just couldn’t believe what he was saying.
And what I wanted to say was, “Jon, this is one of the first things I’ve done in my career that my dad actually knows. So, thank you.”
But what I said was, “Jon, my dad … knows you!”
He was like, “Yeah … I’m sure he does. See you Monday!”
He walked into his office, and I pinched myself that I wasn’t asleep.”
Q
You were one of Jon Stewart’s last hires before he retired. What was working with him like? AA dream come true. He really is a comedic Jedi. The way he treats people behind the scenes, in front of the camera, behind the camera. He’s just a class act; he’s who I aspire to be, as a comedian and as a leader. The way he treats everybody is a real testament to his character.
Q
How do you think “The Daily Show’s” vision has changed with his departure? Do you think Trevor Noah is taking the show in a different direction?
A
What he’s doing is making it resonate with him, and the things that he wants to talk about. I think that’s great. That’s exactly what Jon told him to do. What’s great is that we still have the same chassis and engine behind the show.
Q
You’ve done more than a few field pieces for the show. How do you manage to get such responses from people? They know they’re on air and they still say these things?
A.
We’ll go pre-interview people; we’ll call them and they agree.
The things that they say (are) what they believe. We’re just asking them the question. Sure, we ask it in a satirical way, but the people you see in the pieces — that’s their stance on the issue. That’s what they’re going to say.