A video of a joke in regards to the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in 2014 caused outrage in Malaysia and Singapore – however the American comedian who said it makes no apologies.
Jocelyn Chia, the Boston-born American-Singapore comedian, appeared on this piece on the Comedy Cellar in Manhattan in April.
This week, social media users were furious after the club posted a snippet of a joke through which Chia downplayed historic tensions between Malaysia and Singapore.
The viral joke delves into the 2 nations’ historical separation, noting that Singapore has turn into a “first world country” while Malaysia stays a “developing” country.
![Performance by Jocelyn Chia.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000011468064.jpg?w=1024)
She then compared the split to a romantic breakup and imagined Malaysia attempting to reclaim Singapore, saying she didn’t visit because “my planes cannot fly”, she said within the video clip, adding: “What? Malaysia Airlines missing isn’t funny?
She then quipped, “Some jokes do not get right.”
![](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012592476.jpg?w=564)
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, China, in March 2014 when it disappeared with 239 passengers on board. The plane disappeared with no trace and remained one among the best mysteries within the history of aviation.
The live clip drew laughs, but when the clip was posted almost two months later, it drew a big backlash from Chia and the Comedy Cellar.
The Greenwich Village Club website was hacked and 4,000 one-star reviews were posted on Google. One other venue, the West Side Comedy Club, said it was threatened with bad reviews after offended parties halfway all over the world discovered Chia had performed there.
“You possibly can run away [onstage] with saying things which are somewhat outrageous” – owner of Comedy Cellar Noam Dworman told the Recent York Times. “You possibly can’t put the identical moment on a small screen that you just watch over your morning coffee.”
![The disappearance of MH370 remains one of the greatest aviation mysteries in history.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012346431.jpg?w=1024)
The joke was faraway from TikTok and flagged as “hateful behavior”, in violation of community guidelines.
Meanwhile, the United Malays National Organization, one among Malaysia’s largest political parties, marched to the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Friday to protest.
And Singapore has distanced itself from Chia, who held dual nationality until maturity.
“The Singaporean government doesn’t tolerate words or actions that cause harm to others and Chia,” Vanu Gopal Menon, Singapore’s High Commissioner for Malaysia, said in an announcement. “[Chia] on no account reflects our views. I sincerely apologize to all Malaysians for her hurtful remarks.”
But Chia, who said she’s done the piece again and again, is not backing down.
![The Malaysia Airlines prank sparked a backlash in both Singapore and Malaysia.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012592997.jpg?w=1024)
She said the 2 countries had a friendly rivalry, and the condensed clip omitted some context from her set, adding that there was no unwell will behind the beat.
“I stand by my joke, but with some caveats – I stand by it in its entirety when viewed in a comedy club. On reflection, I see that having this clip being viewed outside of the context of a comedy club was dangerous” Chia told CNN.
And because the controversy continues to rage, Chia said she stays unfazed.
“I didn’t want the haters to think they’d won and made me pull out. The viewers of the Comedy Cellar watch the most effective comedians and find it irresistible, so how can I be ashamed of it? she said.
In reality, this edgy bit even raised her profile within the American comedy world.
“I’m not canceled in any way in America, in any sense of the word,” Chia said. “Now people wish to visit me.”