Hasan Minhaj Reveals Jon Stewart’s Advice After Losing ‘Daily Show’ Hosting Gig

Former Patriot Act host Hasan Minhaj revealed to Esquire the advice Jon Stewart gave him following a 2023 New Yorker profile which Hasan blasted as “needlessly misleading.”

Stewart famously hosted The Daily Show from 1999 until 2015 before Trevor Noah took the reins. In 2024, Stewart returned to the show in a weekly capacity after a permanent host couldn’t be decided upon. However, Minhaj was largely seen as the favorite successor prior to The New Yorker ’s unflattering profile, which accused the comedian of embellishing elements of his stand-up act concerning racial mistreatment he suffered.

“We were in talks, and I had the gig, and we were pretty much good to go,” Minhaj told Esquire . But, he conceded, “It went away. That’s part of showbiz.”

Minhaj revealed that Stewart called him after the fracas to offer him some consolation. “Why the fuck are they doing this?” he recalled Stewart asking. “And who does this benefit?” Much like Minhaj, Stewart seemed to think the decision was more about politics than the comedian’s jokes. He urged Minhaj to turn the experience into stand-up material. “This is great for you,” Stewart told him.

“When Jon told me that, I felt really seen,” Minhaj told the outlet. He went on to incorporate material about the incident into his most recent special, Off With His Head .

At the time of the profile’s release, Minhaj hit back at some of the magazine’s “misleading” claims in a 21-minute video posted to social media. “There were omissions and factual errors in The New Yorker article that misrepresented my life story, so I wanted to give people the context and materials I provided The New Yorker with full transparency,” he explained.