I have been a huge fan of Hasan Minhaj since I was a little eighth-grader and have watched everything he has been in. Hasan is an Indian American comedian that started off on The Daily Show with John Stewart and then Trevor Noah. His first comedy special was Homecoming King (2017) on Netflix and he dived into his story of being a child of Muslim immigrants growing up in Davis, California. Homecoming King was not only innovative because of his story and identity which are not often represented in media, but also because of the way he delivered it. He used many graphics and lighting to enhance the experience of his first heartbreak, a Muslim high schooler around 9/11, a brother and son of immigrants, and a comedian trying to make it. His way of storytelling and interactive performance transferred over to his series Patriot Act on Netflix. Each episode was a deep dive into an economic, social, or political issue with satire and sincerity, making the information digestible.
Minhaj’s new special, The King’s Jester, expands from Homecoming King about four to five years later. I saw the show in October of 2021 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles and immediately bought tickets when he added a show in Costa Mesa for April of 2022. After two viewings, I think I have a great grasp of his new show. It was interesting to see the fine-tuning since my first viewing. When he released his first special, Minhaj was a newlywed and still a correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Now, he has been happily married for years, is a father of two, and had a six-season run with Patriot Act. The King’s Jester is him reflecting on his new life as a father, husband, and the consequences of his comedy and public actions. Patriot Act was wildly successful and his attack on dictators, powerful individuals, corporations, and regimes such as Amazon, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, the National Rifle Association, and the Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, contributed to that. Minhaj shared stories of the consequences of his actions and is transparent about his reasons and motives.
Hasan also shares his experience of being a father. His daughter is four years old and his son is two, and he is very careful with what he shows the internet and audience. Minhaj mainly shares stories involving his daughter and they are very funny and lighthearted then suddenly take a darker, serious turn. He often did that in his first special. In The King’s Jester, Hasan was much more theatrical compared to his first Netflix special and it carried the show. In Homecoming King, the graphics and lighting aided his storytelling and while The King’s Jester includes those same elements, I feel like he truly came into his own and was able to keep his hold on the audience with just himself. He was rolling on the floor, interacting with the audience, screaming, crying, and being true to himself. Minhaj expressed how he wanted to close the gap between his private self and the persona he shares with the world, mainly on social media. I believe he definitely accomplished that. He was vulnerable in sharing his experiences post 9/11 as a Brown boy living in the United States, his struggle with infertility, his character flaws, and the importance of his family.
The King’s Jester sold out a weekend at Radio City Music Hall and he continues to add tour dates, so I am not shocked that I loved and greatly appreciated Minhaj’s new special. It is awesome to see people of color succeeding and paving the way for others. Hasan Minhaj’s experience as a first-generation Indian American Muslim provides him with a great perspective of the world and allows many people to empathize with his struggles and life and those of others. I highly recommend watching The King’s Jester when it is released on Netflix later this year.
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