Hasan Minhaj tells Stephen Colbert Asian community is 'part of America', has to 'own its failures'
Stand up comedian Hasan Minhaj from Netflix's fan-favorite 'Patriot Act' spoke of how the country's Asian community "owes a lot to the African American community" and what it means to be an American citizen during the June 16 episode of 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert'. Minhaj spoke of his recent segments on his own show as he dished on what he thinks of President Donald Trump's upcoming rally in Tulsa, and how he'd prefer face masks to mimic bumper stickers.
Colbert thanked Minhaj for addressing racism on a segment of his show that included the latter's monologue in response to the recent killing of Geroge Floyd. The comedian spoke of how WhatsApp, an app used heavily in the Asian community for communication, included a "tense" and "ugly" conversation following the protests, riots, and looting that have been currently ravaging the United States advocating the Black Lives Matter movement. Minhaj further explained how the Immigration Act of 1965 also had Asians as beneficiaries, allowing parents such as his father to come to the United States of America. That act was heavily influenced by Martin Luther King's advocacy for justice. "We owe a lot to the African American community," said Minhaj. He explained that while the Asian community was not directly involved in the case of Floyd, "We are part of America, we also have to own its failures, it's what it means to be an American citizen." You can watch Minhaj speak on the topic here.
As the comedian joked about how his friends and relatives responded to his 'Patriot Act' segment with "translate it" and "don't use the f-word so much," he has previously raised awareness on the difficulty of prosecuting police officers even after they are charged. "Why is it so hard to prosecute bad police officers and have them spend time in prison?" asked Minhaj to which Colbert agreed to reiterate the fact that the lack of "equal justice" is "where the anger comes from" and people that hurt the police still stand trial, are prosecuted and serve time in prison.
While the beginning of the interview was intense with a heavy focus on current events, as Colbert continued to ask guests their opinion on the protests and Floyd's passing, the latter half brought some much-needed warmth. Colbert congratulated Minhaj on the birth of his second child and the comedian revealed how being in the hospital was a "weird" experience during Covid-19 pandemic. "Seeing doctors with huge dishwashing gloves was weird," said Minhaj. His child is safe and healthy though, so that's what matters. Colbert also asked Minhaj what he thought of Trump's upcoming Tulsa rally, to which Minhaj said, "I find it terrifying that he [Trump] wants to 'raw dog that rona' this week." The rally apparently will have masks and sanitizers but they are optional. "As a country, we have been looking for leadership, but we don't need a president, we need a commissioner," said Minaj as he joked of how masks could be bumper sticker on faces. His suggestions included, "5g causes Covid" and "hydroxychloroquine is the s**t", obviously mocking the president and many conspiracy theories surrounding the novel coronavirus.
'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' airs weekdays on CBS.