Host of “Patriot Act” speaks at UF 

ACCENT Speakers Bureau, the nation’s largest student-run speakers’ bureau, hosted comedian and political commentator Hasan Minhaj on Thursday night in the Curtis M. Phillips Center with a sold-out crowd of about 1,700 people.

During the talk moderated by UF journalism professor Mike Foley, Minhaj discussed his Netflix show “Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj,” for which he is the creator and host.

Minhaj discussed censorship laws in other countries and how its impacted his show, which he described as “a comedy-news show at an EDM concert.” One of his episodes, which discussed Saudi Arabia and the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, has been blocked from streaming in Saudi Arabia.

Minhaj, who is Indian-American, also discussed his family and how he got into comedy.

“When did I first realize I could make people laugh? When I told my dad I could get into Stanford,” Minhaj joked.

ACCENT chairman Greg Wolf said Minhaj was one of ACCENT’s most requested speakers.

“We thought he was the perfect speaker to bring to close out our year,” Wolf said.

The free tickets sold out in about two hours, according to Wolf.

ACCENT paid Minhaj $78,000, according to his contract with UF.

UF third-year biology major and Indian-American Simi Himatsingani attended the show because her and her family love Hasan Minhaj and the way he relates his comedy to their culture.

“He’s a big inspiration to kids growing up with immigrant parents and I’m so glad ACCENT chose him to speak at UF,” Himatsingani said.

Comedian Hasan Minhaj

Photo by Logan Peck Photography

Christi-Anne Weatherly April 15, 2019