Netflix has offered actor and comedian Hasan Minhaj a 32-episode deal, making him the first Indian-American to host a weekly comedy show.
The new show will give Minhaj, a senior correspondent on The Daily Show, an opportunity to explore modern cultural and political landscapes with depth and sincerity, The Hollywood Reporter said.
Minhaj is an accomplished comedian, and his achievements include performing at the 2017 White House Correspondent’s dinner in addition to releasing his first stand-up special, Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King, on Netflix in May 2017.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Netflix family as the country braces for another election season — and like you, I cannot wait to find out who Putin picks this time,” Minhaj joked in a statement announcing his association with Netflix, reported THR.
“I’ve been a big fan of Hasan’s for many years,” said Netflix’s VP content Bela Bajaria. “He’s a phenomenal writer with a distinct point of view [and] he is a brilliant performer, who is hilarious both onstage and off. And more importantly, he isn’t afraid to share his thoughtful voice and unique perspective.”
Minhaj comes from a Muslim family originally from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. His parents settled down in Califronia, where he was raised.
Growing up, Minhaj wasn’t much into comedy, but found pleasure in debates and public speaking. “Believe it or not, they are very similar,” he told NPR.
“My favorite comedians are just presenting an argument and they’re doing it in a funny way. And whenever I would do speech and debate, … if you can make the judges laugh or if you could ridicule your opponent’s position and make the judges laugh, I always would do better on the scorecard.
“That’s when I really wanted to get into political comedy and talk about a lot of these topics that sometimes would be too taboo to talk about in other settings.”
