‘You F–ked Me Out’: Hasan Minhaj Jokes About ‘Failed’ Daily Show Audition at Comedy Festival

Comedian Hasan Minhaj poked fun at his career’s missed opportunity during a standup set at the ‘Netflix Is a Joke’ festival in Los Angeles May 2. The former Daily Show correspondent jokingly told the crowd that not getting hired as the show’s new host after Trevor Noah’s departure actually “saved a dying institution.”

“We’ve all failed in our lives, but have you ever failed so bad, you bring back Jon Stewart? I saved a dying institution. You’re welcome,” Minhaj quipped to big laughs.

The joke came during a friendly back-and-forth with current Daily Show correspondent Ronny Chieng, who was also performing. Chieng cracked that he was “surprised Hasan’s able to do this show” given he had been “canceled.”

“I guess canceling is not what it used to be,” Chieng quipped, Variety reported.

Minhaj fired back in jest, pretending to heckle Chieng and blame him for planting a damaging story before joining him on stage.

The back-and-forth between the two comedians, according to Variety, went along these lines:

“You planted that story about me!” Minhaj called out, joking, before joining Chieng onstage.

Minhaj continued: “Who the f–k fact-checks stand-up comedy? Only Ronny Chieng would set me up with some f–king mouth-breathing journalist. It was you!”

Chieng mentioned “The Daily Show,” to which Minhaj replied, “A job you f–ked me out of.”

Minhaj ended by saying, “We’ve all failed in our lives, but have you ever failed so bad, you bring back Jon Stewart?” 

The mock fight between the ‘King’s Jester’ and the Daily Show correspondent was one of the highlights of funny festival.

The pair’s banter played on real-life tensions after a 2023 New Yorker article scrutinized supposed embellishments in some of Minhaj’s standup material about facing racism and profiling as a Muslim American.

While Minhaj admitted to exaggerating certain details for comedic effect, he strongly denied fabricating racist experiences from his life. He later released a video statement defending his “emotional truths” while apologizing for any “needlessly misleading” anecdotes.

Despite the controversy, Minhaj didn’t appear too bitter about missing out on succeeding Noah, at least based on his festival jokes. Instead, he celebrated the beloved Stewart’s return as a positive for the franchise’s revival.

Chieng and Minhaj’s friendly roasting also highlighted their comedic chemistry forged during their overlapping tenures as Daily Show correspondents from 2015-2018 under Trevor Noah.

Though he missed out on the big chair, Minhaj’s willingness to poke fun at the situation shows he’s moved on with his flourishing standup career. He’s currently touring ahead of taping a new Netflix comedy special later this year.