Minhaj shared that his other comedian friends and mentors, including Ramy Youssef, Mike Birbiglia, John Mulaney, and even former Daily Show host Jon Stewart, reached out to him in the aftermath. He recalled spending hours on the phone with them. “I remember Jon called, and he said, ‘Why the f--- are they doing this? And who does this benefit?'"

Jon Stewart was among a handful of comedians who Hasan Minhaj spoke to after all this went down, with others including Mike Birbiglia, Ray Youssef and John Mulaney. Here’s what he had to say about his phone call with Stewart:

Hasan Minhaj is looking back at the gig that almost was. In an interview with Esquire published Wednesday, the comedian reflected on once being the front-runner to succeed Trevor Noah as the host of The Daily Show.