Comedian Uncle Roger banned on Chinese social media after joking about China’s government
Malaysian British comedian Nigel Ng, better known by his online persona Uncle Roger, has been suspended on Chinese social media after making jokes about China’s government in his stand-up show “The Haiyaa Special.”
Last week, the comedian posted a clip from his upcoming comedy special where he joked about China’s surveillance of its citizens and Beijing’s claims of sovereignty over Taiwan.
In the video, Ng asks an audience member where he is from, to which the man replies that he is originally from Guangzhou, China.
“Good country, good country, we have to say that now, correct?” Ng says. “All the phone listening. This nephew got Huawei phone. They all listening. All our phones tap into it. Long live President Xi.”
Ng then makes another joke, telling audience members from Taiwan that the self-governed island is “not a real country.”
“I hope one day you rejoin the motherland,” Ng jokes. “One China.”
The comedian then goes on to laugh and say, “Uncle Roger gonna get canceled after tonight.” He also encourages the audience to write a “good report” for him that states, “Dear CCP (Chinese Communist Party), Uncle Roger, good comrade. Don’t make him disappear please.”
Ng’s Weibo and Bilibili accounts, which are China’s equivalents to Twitter and YouTube, were suspended over the weekend.
“The user has been banned from posting as he has violated relevant laws and regulations,” a message on his Weibo account reads, according to BBC.
China has been cracking down on dissent since the National Security Law was introduced in 2020 to prohibit “sedition, secession and subversion” against Beijing. Under China’s strict censorship system, two episodes from “The Simpsons” have previously been banned due to its reference to the Tiananmen Square massacre and forced labor camps in the country.
This is not the first time Ng has faced China’s strict censorship laws.
In January 2021, the comedian collaborated with Mike Chen, a famous YouTuber who is a known critic of the CCP. Ng later deleted the video and issued an apology on Weibo, stating that he “wasn’t aware of his political thoughts and his past incorrect remarks about China.” His decision drew backlash from activists who accused him of “bowing” to Beijing.
Ng’s stand-up special will be digitally released on June 4, which is the anniversary of the 1989 pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square that led to the massacre of several thousands.
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