The twin elements of my personality – Pollyanna optimism and bone-deep cynicism – are constantly at odds. Most days, I ask myself: are human beings generous and wonderful, or are they actually the worst thing on this godforsaken planet? It’s no wonder I’m an insomniac: there’s a war of attrition in my heart. But I’ve found a new person with whom I can identify: American comedian and actor Hasan Minhaj.
At 31, Minhaj is a relatively fresh face – he looks it, too, with emotive brown eyes and a disarming smile – but he’s making an impression. You may have seen him in his regular gig with The Daily Show (he was former host Jon Stewart’s last hire, in 2014), where he covers everything from gun laws to Syrian refugees. Minhaj is a charming, likable sort (the kind you don’t mind watching make a sandwich, for example, as American GQ recently asked him to do), and he works through the discomfort of his sillier assignments with brio.
It was this that made him a great choice for the 2017 White House correspondents’ dinner. “No one wanted to do this,” he joked to the guests. “So, of course, it lands in the hands of an immigrant.” It was a tough gig – the president didn’t attend – but Minhaj pulled it off.
That sharp, 25-minute set prepared me for his new standup special on Netflix, Homecoming King. Talking about his life as the kid of immigrants, love, racism, Islamophobia, his career and everything in between, Minhaj bounces from cynical to idealistic. It’s a winning formula that feels right for our times, because it is so clearly genuine. I’d missed that in standup. Minhaj might even make me feel less cynical, and right now that’s priceless.
