Almost

China Has Banned Comedian Uncle Roger On Social Media After He Joked About Xi Jinping And Surveillance

"All the phones listening. Long live President Xi."

Comedian Uncle Roger has been banned on Chinese social media after he made a series of jokes about the Chinese government in his stand-up show.

The British-Malaysian stand-up comedian, whose real name is Nigel Ng, posted a trailer of his new show on Twitter last Tuesday May 16, with the caption “Uncle Roger about to get canceled”.

In the clip, Ng asks an audience member where they are from.

When the man says he is from Guangzhou in China, Ng made a face before saying “China. Good country. Good country.”

“We have to say that now, correct? All the phones listening. All our phones tap into it. Long live President Xi.,” Ng said.

He then asks if there are people from Taiwan in the crowd, which prompted some cheers from Taiwanese members of the audience.

“Not a real country. I hope one day you rejoin the motherland. One China,” Ng then said as he continued the surveillance gag.

The clip went viral on Western social media.

Soon after, Ng’s accounts on Chinese social media Bilibili and Weibo, where he had more than 400,000 followers were suspended due to a “violation of relevant laws and regulations”.

This is not the first time the 32-year-old has faced China’s strict censorship laws.

In January 2021, Ng collaborated with Mike Chen, a Chinese critic and YouTuber who often criticizes the Chinese government’s policies and human rights record.

Ng later apologized and deleted the video.

His full upcoming stand-up show will premiere on June 4 – the anniversary of China’s Tiananmen Square crackdown, a highly sensitive date for Chinese authorities.

Less than a week ago, Chinese comedian Li Haoshi, known by his stage name House, was arrested and fined US$2.1 million after he made jokes about China’s People’s Liberation Army.

You Might Also Be Interested In

Subscribe To The Almost Newsletter For More

TRENDING