Long-distance love stories get a Hasan Minhaj touch on WhatsApp

Back in 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, New Yorker Jeremy Cohen taped his number to a drone and flew it toward the roof of a girl he’d spotted dancing. An hour later, Tori, the girl, messaged him. Soon after, he asked her out on a date, and she said yes. Cohen, from his balcony, and Tori, from her roof, began flirting with each other through screens. Love in the time of quarantine, ladies and gentlemen.

Four years later, the pressures of social distancing may be a distant memory for many, but long-distance love remains a reality. Now, comedian Hasan Minhaj is bringing these stories to audiences in a new podcast. Notably, the platform for sharing these stories is WhatsApp.

The Meta-owned messaging app has launched Started on WhatsApp: Love Stories, where Minhaj “chats with couples from around the world to find out how long-distance relationships make it work.” You need to visit the WhatsApp Channel on the app to listen to these stories. Four episodes have been released so far, each over 20 minutes long.

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Seeing WhatsApp release such a programme is quite an eyebrow-raiser, as catfishing remains one of the most prevalent scams the app has had to combat. Catfishing typically starts on a different platform and then moves to WhatsApp. Over time, one party gains the other’s trust and eventually asks for money or private information. Once obtained, they disappear.

A snapshot in the podcast’s promotion reads, “Rule #1: don’t get catfished.” Even WhatsApp acknowledges it. Scams like these increase distrust in technology and big tech companies, so casting Minhaj on WhatsApp seems a strategic choice. 

Minhaj, known for his Netflix show The Patriot Act, has spoken out against issues like Amazon’s “questionable business practices” and “internet inequality in the US.” He is perceived as David challenging the Goliaths. 

Minhaj’s appeal among millennials, many of whom are now of marriageable age, also makes him an ideal host for a podcast on love stories. Furthermore, Started on WhatsApp is potentially the second most significant platform for such stories after The New York Times’ Modern Love column, which Amazon Prime Video has adapted into a series for various regions.

In India, WhatsApp has grappled with waves of misinformation and fake news, the most serious instance being the 2018 rumours of child abductions in Maharashtra, which spread via the app and led to the lynching of several people. That year, WhatsApp launched its first TV ad campaign for the country urging Indians to be wary of fake news with the slogan “Share Joy. Not Rumours.” A print ad followed, echoing this message.

This year, WhatsApp rolled out a campaign by BBDO India focussing on user privacy. In October, it launched several ads—led by stand-up comedians—to raise awareness about online scams during the festive season.