Uncle Roger's social media accounts banned in China following jokes about its government
Haiyaaa. Uncle Roger just got canceled for cracking jokes that reportedly didn't sit well with the Chinese government.
The viral internet comedian, whose real name is Nigel Ng, has been banned on China's social media platforms Weibo and Bilibili after lightheartedly cracking jokes about the country's government and its leader Xi Jinping during a standup show earlier this month.
In the video published on Ng's Twitter account on May 16, the British-Malaysian comedian was in his Uncle Roger character when he asked an audience member where he comes from. The man answered, "Guangzhou, China."
Ng replied by saying "good country" three times while tittering in between. "We have to say that now. Correct? All the phone listening, all the phone listening. This nephew got Huwaei's phone, they all listening."
"All our phones, tap into it. Long live President Xi, long live President Xi," he added, keeping the crowd laughing.
The London-based stand-up later touched on the conflict between China and Taiwan that has been reflecting the former's authoritarian system. In the ongoing rift between the two countries, China is claiming authority over Taiwan under the "One China" principle of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
"Any niece and nephew from Taiwan?" Ng continued. "Not a real country, not a real country."
"I hope one day you rejoin motherland. One China," he added.
The clip ended with the comedian teasing about the government's reputation for making its foes "disappear."
"Uncle Roger gonna get cancelled after tonight. Go write a good report for Uncle Roger, alright? Dear CCP, Uncle Roger good comrade, good comrade. Don't make him disappear please."
Uncle Roger's Twitter account shared the clip as a promotion for his upcoming stand-up show on July 4. He captioned the post, "Uncle Roger about to get cancelled."
Uncle Roger about to get cancelled.
— Nigel Ng (Uncle Roger) (@MrNigelNg) May 15, 2023
🎟️ Buy the FULL SHOW now to watch from home: https://t.co/ebzr06mDV9
Dropping June 4 on @momentworld pic.twitter.com/zmYtTp0tBh
A week later, Weibo users discovered that Ng's account on the Twitter-like site has been banned. His account now contains a notice that reads, "Due to the violations of relevant laws and regulations, this account is currently in a state of being muted." Meanwhile, his homepage on Bilibili states that the account is under suspension.
This incident is not the first time that Ng was embroiled in controversies involving the government. In January 2021, the comedian apologized on Weibo for collaborating with China critic Mike Chen.
In their vlog titled "Uncle Rogers DISGUSTED by UGLY DUMPLINGS," Ng and Chen mocked a New York chef's attempt at making dumplings, without discussing anything political.
Ng later issued an apology on Weibo, stating that he is not aware of Chen's take on the Chinese government and acknowledged that the video had a "bad social impact." The YouTuber also deleted the video on all of his platforms.