Malaysian-born comedian Uncle Roger banned from Weibo after jokes about China
YAHOO NEWS/ COCONUTS KL
Mon, 22 May 2023
British-Malaysian YouTuber and comedian Nigel Ng, widely recognized for his Uncle Roger character, has been banned on Weibo, the popular Chinese social media platform. According to a status message on Uncle Roger’s Weibo account, the ban was imposed due to his violation of “relevant regulations.”
The ban came in the wake of Ng uploading a video, featuring a segment from one of his Uncle Roger live comedy shows, in which he lightheartedly teased China. The video, purportedly a preview of his upcoming full routine scheduled for June 4th, became the subject of controversy.
During the routine, Ng engaged with an audience member who revealed himself to be from Guangzhou, China.
Ng responded by playfully remarking, “China, good country, good country,” eliciting laughter from the crowd. He also playfully noted the individual’s Huawei phone and discovered that the person used Express VPN, humorously cautioning them, “Don’t let your government hear that, please.”
Ng then jokingly exclaimed “Long live President Xi” twice while pointing toward his pocket, symbolizing his phone’s presence there. This remark was met with further laughter from the audience, and Ng quipped, “Uncle Roger’s social credit score going up.”
Ng then asked if anyone in the audience hailed from Taiwan. He responded to some affirmative cheers by suggesting that Taiwan is not a real country, jokingly expressing hope for its reunification with the motherland, symbolized by “One China.”
In the clip, Ng even predicted his own cancellation before urging the audience to write a positive report about him to the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
During his routine, Ng implored, “Dear CCP, Uncle Roger good comrade, good comrade. Don’t make him disappear, please.”
This incident is not the first time Ng has faced criticism from China. In January 2021, he came under fire on Weibo for collaborating with Chinese-American YouTuber Mike Chen, known for his critical views on the CCP.
It is worth noting that in the video featuring Ng and Chen, no political topics were discussed. Instead, both personalities lightheartedly mocked a food presenter’s attempts at making dumplings.
In response to the backlash, Ng and his team issued a statement in which they apologized, acknowledging that the video had created a “bad social impact.” Ng claimed that he was unaware of Chen’s political leanings and his previous remarks about China.
Furthermore, Ng removed all the videos featuring his collaboration with Chen from all platforms.
However, this decision drew criticism from some quarters, with critics accusing Ng of easily succumbing to pressure from China.
