‘I first started working when I was broke’: HasanAbi responds to Community Note over his financial past

Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker has responded after an X Community Note challenged his claim that he was once financially broke. The political commentator said critics were ignoring an important part of his financial history. According to HasanAbi, he grew up in an affluent household but his family’s financial situation changed before he entered college. He said there was also a period after college and before he started working when he had little money. HasanAbi pushed back against the criticism and said his current wealth does not conflict with his socialist beliefs.HasanAbi explains why he says he was once brokeThe discussion followed HasanAbi’s recent comments about his financial background. A Community Note on X challenged the way his claim about being broke was being presented.During his stream, HasanAbi argued that people criticizing him were leaving out the period between college and his first job.He said:“I like that throughout my history, throughout my history, okay? There is-throughout my history, there is a moment between college and when I first started working when I was broke. And I’ve explained it all over and over again. And what’s really interesting about this, what’s really interesting about this, is that they just omit that one part of the story to just be like, ‘Yeah, he’s lying, actually.’”HasanAbi also addressed his current financial position. He said he is proud that he can financially support his parents and does not see that as something that conflicts with his political views.“I take care of my family. I’m very proud that I am fortunate enough to be able to take care of my family. Neither my mom nor my dad work anymore. I take care of them financially, and I am fortunate to be able to do so. It doesn’t really matter. These guys are ****ing insane.”He later clarified that he does not deny growing up with financial privilege.“And yes, I did grow up affluent. I could easily lie about it. Why would I? There’s no reason to. By the time I got to college, my dad lost all of his money.”HasanAbi’s comments are consistent with his broader argument that his childhood circumstances and his later financial success should not be reduced to a single description of his background. A recent transcript of his appearance on The Breakfast Club also shows him discussing criticism over being a wealthy socialist and arguing that personal wealth does not automatically contradict his political beliefs.HasanAbi says socialism is not a “poverty cult”HasanAbi also connected the discussion to the criticism he often receives over his socialist views and his wealth.He argued that socialism is not based on everyone having the same amount of money or living in poverty. Instead, he said his goal is for people from different financial backgrounds to support the same economic system.“We want everyone to be socialists. Socialism is not a poverty cult. It’s not a vow to poverty, okay? Which is ironically what I was talking about in that video as well on The Breakfast Club. We want everyone to be a socialist, okay? We want rich people to be socialists. We want poor people to be socialists. There is no—there is no contradiction here.”HasanAbi has made similar comments before. In a recent The Breakfast Club appearance, he argued that socialism does not mean giving up comfort or refusing to enjoy things. He said the idea is about creating a society where everyone can live comfortably rather than making everyone equally poor.The latest discussion has once again brought attention to HasanAbi’s financial background and his position as a wealthy streamer who openly identifies as a socialist. His response focused on what he described as missing context around his years between college and employment, while also acknowledging that he grew up affluent.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.