Who is Uncle Roger? China bans YouTuber from social media, leaves netizens divided

Malaysian comedian Nigel Ng, popularly known by his fictional character name, Uncle Roger, recently found himself in hot water with Chinese authorities. Uncle Roger had his Bilibili and Weibo accounts suspended, with the websites citing, "violation of relevant laws and regulations” as the reason for his ban.

Nigel Ng boasted over 400,000 followers on Weibo.

Fans have speculated that Uncle Roger's ban was largely attributed to a teaser he posted of his upcoming special, The Haiyya Special. The Youtube video, titled Uncle Roger vs CHINA - THE HAIYAA SPECIAL was posted on May 18.

In the video, which has garnered over 700,000 views, Nigel Ng can be seen in the character of Uncle Roger, making jokes about being afraid of the CCP and giving outrageous comedic takes on the Taiwan situation, resulting in the suspension of his accounts.

Uncle Roger's character was written as a part of a sitcom script

London-based Malaysian comedian and former data scientist, Nigel Ng is the real persona behind Uncle Roger. The concept of his character was created by his comedy partner Evelyn Mok, who wrote the character as part of a sitcom script. Monk and Ng hosted the popular comedy podcast, Rice to meet you.

Nigel Ng took the character of the extremely expressive Cantonese uncle, a comedic representation of Chinese stereotypes, and made it his own, developing TikToks and Instagram posts around him.

Uncle Roger, became a viral sensation when he posted a video of the beloved character reacting to Hersha Patel preparing "Egg Fried Rice" on BBC, on July 8, 2020.

In the video, which has since amassed over 34 million views, the character, who is meant to be a comedic representation of a middle-aged Cantonese man obsessed with wearing orange polo shirts, criticized Patel hilariously on the way she cooked the rice. He was especially critical of "Auntie Hersha's" usage of a colander to drain the rice and of her measuring it with a cup and not a finger.

The video propelled Nigel Ng into Youtube celebrity status and he even made a couple of collaborations with "Auntie Hersha" herself.

The comedian's Youtube channel, where he regularly posts videos of the famous character reacting to and reviewing food videos boasts over 7.78 million subscribers.

Born in Kula Lampur to a car salesman and a homemaker, Nigel Ng graduated from Chong Hwa Independent High School, Kuala Lumpur, and moved to the US to major in Engineering and Minor in Philosophy from North Western University.

Nigel, who has an Instagram following of over 3 million, has also been performing standup comedy routines that date back to 2011. He even opened for comedian Ken Jeong's first Europen Tour. He received a nomination for the best newcomer at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He took the road with his Haiyaa World comedy tour in 2021 which spanned 15 months and 109 shows.

In 2021, he appeared as a guest on MasterChef Singapore and in 2022, on MasterChef Indonesia. That same year, he even made a guest diner appearance in Hell's Kitchen.

Nigel Ng accused of spreading Western propaganda and "Sinophobia"

In the 1 minute 37 second video, Uncle Roger is seen performing a standup routine where he asks an audience member, where he was from, to which the man replies, “Guangzhou, China”. Roger says, "Good Country, Good Country" and makes a comedic face. Uncle Roger adds:

"Phew! We have to say that now correct? All the phone listening, all the phone listening."

He proceeds to tap his phone in his pocket saying, "Long live President Xi", and jokes that his social credit score was going up. The comedian asked the crowd if anyone was from Taiwan. When some responded in the affirmative, the comic said:

"Not a real country. I hope one day you rejoin the motherland. One China!"

Uncle Roger then said that he is going to be canceled and encouraged the Chinese audience to write a good report about him to the CCP. To a roar of audience laughter, he added:

"Dear CCP, Uncle Roger good comrade, good comrade. Dont make him disappear, please."

Internet reactions to the clip were different across different platforms. Twitter users mostly seemed thrilled with Uncle Roger's ban, saying that it was fantastic news.

Nigel Ng received a slew of backlash on Twitter (Image via Twitter)

Users accused the comedian of spreading Western propaganda. Twitter comments accused the comedian of spreading misinformation and Sinophobia.

The comedian's Youtube comments section was an entirely different story. His fans were completely in support of him and called him brave for his ability to function without boundaries and fear.

Some praised him for the way he handled such a sensitive topic. Taiwanese and Chinese people even appreciated and laughed at his roast of both China and Taiwan. Some called it funny yet sad.

Youtube users found Nigel Ng's jokes hilarious. (Images via Youtube/@mrninelng & Gabe on Unsplash)

Uncle Roger's comedy special, The Haiyaa, comes out on June 4 on Moment.

About the author

Aaron covers a variety of topics as a popular culture writer at Sportskeeda. From reporting on entertainment news, Hollywood headlines to politics and social media reactions, Aaron’s versatility aligns with his early fascination of western pop culture and his background in journalism. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from St. Xavier's College, and started his professional journey with Sportskeeda.

Growing up, Aaron was obsessed with American animated shows, emo bands, and punk artists such as Avril Lavigne, Sum 41, early Fall Out Boy, and My Chemical Romance. He was moved by these artists' gritty demeanor and the surrounding culture, which was unlike anything he had seen back home.

Writing accurate and credible content is Aaron's top priority as a popular culture writer. To accomplish this, he relies on the original sources such as police reports, DOJ statements, case files, lawsuits, original court documents, original posts, etc.

When not writing, Aaron works on writing short stories on horror - his favorite genre. He also hangs out with his friends, plays video games, watches and plays football, and works out at the gym. He also loves listening to artists such as Megadeth, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Cannibal Corpse, Rob Zombie, Damian Jurado, Acid Ghost, J Cole, and Daughter on repeat.

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Edited by Upasya Bhowal