TGIF Feature: Hasan Minhaj gets his own TV show

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Hasan Minhaj at the White House Correspondents' Dinner last year.

INDIAN/AMERICAN COMEDIAN Hasan Minhaj will be hosting a weekly talk show for Netflix.

“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,” said Minhaj. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show will be an “opportunity for the comedian to explore the modern cultural and political landscapes with depth and sincerity.” The not-yet-named show is expected to debut later this year.

Minhaj, 32, will be breaking new ground as the first Indian/American with his own show on American television. He is a seasoned comedian whose accomplishments include performing at the 2017 White House Correspondent’s dinner and releasing his first stand-up special, Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King, on Netflix. 

The streaming service has already committed to 32 episodes of the talk show is an indication of Netflix's confidence in the success of the new show. The news comes shortly after word that Netflix nabbed another of The Daily Show’s correspondents, Michelle Wolf, for a late-night series.

Minhaj was born and raised in California. His parents, Najme and Seema (née Usmani), immigrated to Davis, Calif. from India.

Minhaj joined the The Daily Show back in November of 2014, and will transition off of the show sometime this summer. While Minhaj will be gone from The Daily Show, the comedian still has one more gig with Comedy Central that includes his four-man comedy ensemble Goatface. 

Netflix’s vice president of content Bela Bajaria—who is also reportedly the highest-ranking Indian-American executive in the entertainment industry—is just as excited as I am. “I’ve been a big fan of Hasan’s for many years,” she said. “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.”

CORRECTION: Spelling of Hasan Minhaj's name has been corrected.

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Comedian says what we all want to say to host of racist segment on The O'Reilly Factor

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The Daily Show's Ronny Chieng interviews a person in New York City's Chinatown.

THE HORRENDOUS offensive racist interview conducted by Jesse Watters on the Fox Network's The O'Reilly Factor brought an immediate backlash from the AAPI community, a half-hearted apology from Watters and the story isn't over.

On Thursday evening, fighting fire with fire,  The Daily Show’s senior media correspondent Ronny Chieng delivered a beautiful response that all of us want to say to Watters.  He hurled an avalanche of insults at the so-called comedian (who has not tweeted since half-apologizing on Wednesday). 

“If you’re going to be racist, at least get your stereotypes right, you ignorant sack of shit!” Chieng said. “Karate isn’t Chinese, it’s Japanese, and you’re doing it in a Tae Kwan Do studio which is Korean, you f--king jack-off!”

Chieng then proceeded to interview some Chinese passers-by in Mandarin and Cantonese and received some cogent and politically knowledgeable responses including the final interview that was probably a scripted set-up. 

When asked about Watters, the man responded:

“The chickenshit reporter who came down here?” the man asked Chieng, in reference to Watters’ segment. “The one who was sent here by the larger chickenshit who didn’t come to Chinatown because he was afraid to do it himself? The one with no testicles, the one who came down here and said, ‘Let me talk to some old people, let me put them on camera without asking them, and put them on national television and make fun of them in the worst possible way?’ That asshole?”

Watch it here:

The Asian American Journalists Association wrote to David Tabacoff, executive producer of The O'Reilly Factor on Wednesday to protest the skit and Tabacoff responded by inviting AAJA President Paul Cheung to appear on the show on Friday.

The journalists' organization declined the invitation but in turn, invited Tabacoff to have a dialogue with the AAPI community in a town hall slated for Sunday. "We believe meaningful engagement can occur only if there is significant dialogue not just with us, but with the broader community," read the AAJA statement.

The town hall will take place Sunday (Oct. 10) between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. EST at the Museum of Chinese in America in New York's Chinatown.

“We encourage Jesse Watters, his producers and other Fox News staff members to attend,” the organization stated.

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