Five years after releasing his successful Netflix comedy special Homecoming, comedian Hasan Minhaj is back with another fun offering.
In The King’s Jester released this week, he tackles everything from his family’s initial difficulties in conceiving a child and his sudden rise to fame in the last few years, to revealing that he had been sent anthrax in the mail, and the lesser-known inspiration behind his popular Netflix series The Patriot Act.
It was a comedy special that was highly anticipated, and if social media reactions are anything to go by, it did not disappoint.
Best comedy hour I’ve seen in years. So honest, and then hilarious. https://t.co/TI0n3jmUlU
— Reed Hastings (@reedhastings) October 12, 2022
His weekly series didn’t always land, but nearly every minute of Hasan Minhaj’s two specials are terrific. Hilarious, thought provoking, even sentimental. The best kind of story telling. Strong recommend. ✨ Netflix. pic.twitter.com/Q7cFBvRBQA
— jack t (@jacktla) October 9, 2022
. @hasanminhaj does it again!
I thought I’ll never see a better stand-up than #hasanminhaj‘s “Homecoming King”, but he comes and tops it with relative ease. Even after an hour, you wish it could go on some more.@netflix #Netflix #TheKingsJester pic.twitter.com/Uffs7WzaYx
— Faisal (@itsmeFSL) October 8, 2022
Hasan Minhaj gotta be the funniest dude out there
— 🚨 (@kkirrbyy) October 11, 2022
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HASAN MINHAJ: THE KING’S JESTER on Netflix is a triumph. Minhaj mixes the deeply personal with the profoundly hilarious in a storytelling masterclass. This @hasanminhaj comedy special is not to be missed.
— Angus MacLane (@AngusMacLane) October 9, 2022
reminder that if you’ve not yet watched Hasan Minhaj’s King Jester special on Netflix, you really really should
— Neha. (@nehajay_) October 11, 2022
For many viewers, especially those of South Asian origin, Minhaj’s candid discussion of important issues, like fertility struggles and being profiled as a young Muslim man in the US, especially hit home.
Very much appreciate @hasanminhaj talking about male fertility issues and the difficulty of conceiving so openly in #TheKingsJester. It’s not often that South Asian men admit if the “problem” is with them.
And yeah, I cried real tears watching that part.
— Martha Salhotra (@_MSalhotra) October 6, 2022
@hasanminhaj latest special hit it out the park again. To have someone your age chronicle the world you live in as a south asian Muslim in the era of war on terror is just so incredible. Also to parody Gollum like clout and influencer culture and Saudi authoritarianism. Too good
— Sarah Malik (@sarahbmalik) October 10, 2022
Watched the Hasan Minhaj Special and belief got stronger that vulnerability in any art form is extremely important. As your narrative becomes more and more personal, the emotion becomes more and more universal.
— Ravisha Bhardwaj (@RavishaBhardwaj) October 13, 2022
Understandably, the new special has also made fans reminisce about his now-cancelled web series, Patriot Act.
Originally released in October 2018, spanning 40 episodes and six seasons, the show was massively popular for its unconventional topics, infographics and research, and humorous delivery. It even won an Emmy for Outstanding Motion Design in 2019.
Calls for a new season of The Patriot Act have returned in the last week, though Minhaj has remained mum on the matter.
Hasan Minhaj’s new special “The King’s Jester” is an hour long pitch to bring the Patriot Act back and it’s great. Bring it back! Or give him The Daily Show. Just give the man a show so he can do his powerpoint comedy in peace.
— Omar Sakr (@OmarjSakr) October 9, 2022
i have learnt more about how the world works watching hasan minhaj than in my entire academic education till now . letting that sink in
— 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸 (@shaheeramustafa) October 7, 2022
hasan minhaj outdone himself w the king’s jester I fear, THIS MADE ME MISS PATRIOT ACT SOOO BAD @hasanminhaj COME BACK the kids miss you
— rida 🎸🔪♡ (@fatherrida) October 8, 2022
Of course, we’d be remiss to say that the comedy special wasn’t without any critics…
Hasan Minhaj is dinner party funny, I’m not sure he’s Netflix special funny.
— Richard Barrett (@yoshxl) October 9, 2022
new hasan minhaj is just so so BAD,, mans just screaming, falling, and doing weird accents
— Nivedita (she/her) (@n0tnivi) October 5, 2022
Hasan Minhaj making chai tea naan bread jokes in the year 2022. Please invest in some gen z ghostwriters man
— jo (@jobrodude) October 13, 2022
We just watched Hasan Minhaj’s new special. HATED it. I was a fan of Patriot Act, where some real righteous justice happened. But this special is pure narcissism, and worse, it is pretending to be about getting beyond narcissism, while constantly pandering for standing ovations.
— J. Marshall Freeman (@rabbitfish63) October 9, 2022
What were your thoughts on Hasan Minhaj: The King’s Jester? Let us know in the comments below!
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