admits to fabricating details in past stand-up specials such as 2022’s “The King’s Jester,” which streamed on Netflix.
One story Minhaj told in “The King’s Jester” related to an envelope with white powder that was set to his home. Naturally, he thought the powder was anthrax. According to the comedian in the special, the powder accidentally spilled onto his daughter and she was rushed to the hospital. The doctor told him it was not anthrax. Later that night, he said his wife told him: “You get to say whatever you want onstage, and we have to live with the consequences.
In another story told in “The King’s Jester,” Minhaj talks about an FBI informant who infiltrated his family’s mosque in the Sacramento area. The informant, named Brother Eric, was a white man who said he was a convert to Islam. Minjah said Brother Eric tried to get the men of the congregation to talk about jihad, and he messed with Brother Eric by saying he was applying to get his pilot’s license. The police allegedly showed up and slammed Minhaj onto the hood of his car.
“No, I don’t think I’m manipulating [the audience],” Minhaj said. “I think they are coming for the emotional roller-coaster ride…To the people that are, like, ‘Yo, that is way too crazy to happen,’ I don’t care because yes, fuck yes—that’s the point.”