During a September 2021 interview on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, comedian Hasan Minhaj referred to doctors of osteopathic medicine, or DOs, as “off-brand doctors” compared with their MD counterparts.
The medical community — MDs and DOs alike — hit back.
Faced with that negative reaction, Minhaj released a video walking back some of his comments. He has also addressed the controversy onstage during his stand-up sets.
However, the incident resulted in a few important consequences, intended or not. On one hand, Minhaj and his comments seemed to perpetuate the stigma