Be as honest with yourself as you possibly can. And it's not going to work for everybody, and I know you're going to be afraid of that, but please don't worry about being accepted by everybody. The people who like you and want to be around you, that's what matters, and that's what's healthiest for yourself.
Hasan MinhajIf I were a medical doctor, I would probably be a dermatologist, because they have great work-life balance. Not because I'm passionate about people's skin. They have great hours. I have friends who are dermatologists, and they tell me it's great.
Hasan MinhajIt was a struggle for a long time. My parents were rightly cautious, in the sense that they were like, "We want you to do what you want to do. We just also want you to not have to sleep on an air mattress for the rest of your life." What was beneficial for me was that I did everything I could to let them be a part of my life and show them how seriously I took comedy. This is my way of helping people and contributing something to society, and I'm doing everything I can to be as funny as possible without embarrassing them. They're proud now.
Hasan MinhajWhen people were like, "Oh, wow, Donald Trump is so crazy. That's so nuts, what's happening?" in the 9 a.m. meeting, Jon Stewart was like, "No, I've seen this before, in Robert Mugabe. I've seen Trump as an African dictator. You guys don't know about nationalist rhetoric all over Europe?" "No, I thought we were the center of the world." He has the ability to actually talk about that in a real way: "Oh, I've been there. I've talked to people there. This is just the remix on stuff that's been brewing for three, four years." That's something very special.
Hasan Minhaj