Los Angeles, Jan 26 (IANS): Stand-up comedian Hasan Minhaj was close to being the new host for "The Daily Show" if only his scandal didn't reemerge.

After it's announced that Jon Stewart will make a surprising return to the talk show, a new report suggested that Minhaj lost out on the hosting gig due to a controversy, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Citing multiple sources, The Hollywood Reporter stated that Minhaj’s deal to take over as Trevor Noah's replacement was all but done by late summer.

Around the same time, The New Yorker published a damning article claiming that the show's former correspondent fabricated autobiographical details of his comedy.

In 2022, in a stand up Minhaj claimed that he once opened a letter filled with white powder that fell on his daughter. Fearing that it was anthrax, he and his wife Beena Patel took their daughter to the hospital before they learned hours later that it was not anthrax.

The New Yorker report, however, noted that the anecdote was among others which had been exaggerated.

In response to the accusations, it was said that "The Daily Show" considered Hasan a "liability," prompting the production team to start looking for a new permanent host again. The stand-up comic meanwhile, called the report "needlessly misleading."

He argued, "I use the tools of stand-up comedy - hyperbole, changing names and locations, and compressing timelines - to tell entertaining stories."

"That's inherent to the art form. You wouldn't go to a haunted house and say, 'Why are these people lying to me?' The point is the ride. Stand-up is the same."