Clampdown against Uncle Roger comedian

Nigel Ng’s popular Uncle Roger accounts have been suspended from social media in China in what appears to be the  Beijing regime’s latest crackdown on comedians.

The London-based, Malaysian-born comic joked that he was ‘about to get cancelled’ when he posted a stand-up clip mocking  China's authoritarian government online last week.

And now that appears to have come true as his accounts on Weibo and Bilibili - China’s equivalent to Twitter and YouTube – have been suspended.

A message on his Weibo account, where he has more than 400,000 followers, reads: ‘The user has been banned from posting as he has violated relevant laws and regulations.’

Ng, 32 reposted the video on Twitter today, this time with the caption: ‘For some reason this clip got a ton of views this past weekend. I wonder why.’

The footage - seen more than 8million times - showed him interacting with someone in the audience who said he was from Guangzhou, to which the comedian replied: ‘Good country, good country. We have to say that now.’

He then joked: ‘We have to say that now, correct? All the phones listening … this nephew got Huawei phone, they all listening,

‘Long live President Xi. Long live President Xi.’

He also joked that Taiwan was ‘not a real country. I hope one day you rejoin the motherland’ – echoing Beijing’s aspirations to retake the island.

For some reason this clip got a ton of views this past weekend. I wonder why

Remember, my full show THE HAIYAA SPECIAL drops in two weeks. Preorder now and let's watch it together on June 4: https://t.co/iMQ3lySEwzpic.twitter.com/zmYtTp0tBh

— Nigel Ng (Uncle Roger) (@MrNigelNg) May 21, 2023

The clampdown comes days after authorities imposed a £1.6million fine after Chinese comedian Li Haosh made a jokey reference to a motto of the People’s Liberation Army. He now faces a possible prison term over the on-stage comment.

Ng’s UK agent has not responded to Chortle’s request for comment, but this is not his first brush with China’s intolerance of criticism.

In 2021, he apologised on Weibo for collaborating with YouTuber  Mike Chen, a known critic of Beijing, for an online video. At the time,  Ng said he 'wasn't aware of [Chen’s] political thoughts and his past incorrect remarks about China’. The apology led to a backlash from campaigners who accused him of bowing to Beijing.

Ng’s new clip was to promote the release of his stand-up show   on June 4, the anniversary of China’s 1989 crackdown on democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square.

The comic rose to fame three years ago in the guise of Uncle Roger, a heavily accented middle-aged man who mocks celebrity chefs’ recipes for Asian food.

Published: 22 May 2023