Hasan Minhaj faces backlash after morbid joke on Kobe Bryant's helicopter crash
Comedian Hasan Minhaj has come under fire this week after making a joke about Kobe Bryant's death in his new special, "Off With His Head." After losing his job at "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central amid a scandal regarding the validity of some of the details in previous jokes he told, Minhaj's new special has generated a ton of buzz.
Released on Netflix, it has racked up a 7.2 user rating on IMDB. Throughout the hour-long show, Minhaj talked about a wide range of topics, from politics to his family and friends.
At one point in his act, the comedian joked about his group of friends, saying that they don't read, but love listening to podcasts. He then talked about them sending "alpha male memes," despite having white-collar jobs and working in tech.
He then delivered a Kobe Bryant punchline that did not sit well with members of the NBA community:
"I'm part of a generation of men that don't read but listen to podcasts," Minhaj said. "Terrifying. All my homies out here texting me alpha male memes. Hard times make hard men. Hard men make good times. Good times make soft men. A society will never value its men until the wolves are at the door.
"I'm like, 'Sanjay, you're a software engineer. Shut the f**k up. Why are you texting me like you're Julius Caesar? Mamba mentality.' Mamba mentality? Sanjay, you blew your knee out playing pickleball and you're quoting Kobe Bryant? If Kobe knew you were quoting him, he would put you in a helicopter and crash that sh** himself."
Hasan Minhaj isn't the first comedian to face criticism for comments about Kobe Bryant's death
While Hasan Minhaj is under fire for using Kobe Bryant's fatal helicopter crash as a punchline, this isn't the first time a comedian has made a joke at the Lakers legend's expense.
In 2020, Ari Shaffir posted a video on X where he referenced Bryant's rape case. He said in a now-deleted video:
“I know there’s a lot of hate and pain going on in the world and there’s always a bunch of terrible stories, but every once in a while there’s a good story," Shaffir said. "Good story comes out. A guy who got away with rape got his today. Kobe Bryant is gone."
"I’m here in Charlotte. The home of the team that originally drafted him. Maybe he wouldn’t have raped that chick in Denver if he would have stayed in Charlotte with the Hornets."
Shaffir received widespread criticism that resulted in his talent agency and a comedy club dropping him. In addition, he also faced backlash online from members of the NBA community.
Since then, Shaffir has released his own hit-special on Netflix titled, "Jew."