Indian-American comedian Hasan Minhaj, who hosts the popular Patriot Act show on Netflix, appeared on a late night talk show to relate his experience of being barred from the ‘Howdy, Modi’ event on Sunday.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump addressed over 50,000 people at the rally at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
"Never got a chance to say Howdy Modi," the comedian tweeted, along with a link to his conversation with NBC presenter Seth Meyers.
"I have to be there. We submitted our press credentials and immediately got an email saying 'we are out of space'. You are out of space in a football stadium? C'mon," said Minhaj on the talk show Late Night with Seth Meyers.
He said the organisers told him he had been denied entry to Houston's NRG Stadium "because of some of the comments you have made".
"Wow. I am sorry for making fun of cricket," the comedian told Meyers, adding the organisers of the event then replied, "No. the comments you have made about Prime Minister Narendra Modi are not appreciated and you have been blacklisted."
The duo also talked about the irony of the fact that Minhaj’s picture was displayed on the big screen honouring Indian-Americans who had contributed to the USA’s comedy culture during the event, while the comedian himself had not been allowed entry.
Before the event started, Minhaj had tweeted his own photo with hands raised outside NRG Stadium, "Here to celebrate two great nations coming together. India first. But America first too. #HowdyModi".