On his birthday, Samay Raina apologises for disability jokes on India’s Got Latent; fans say, ‘SC held him at gunpoint’

Stand-up comedian Samay Raina has apologised over the jokes cracked on his YouTube show, India’s Got Latent. He particularly referred to the dark humour targeted at people with disabilities.

“Today is my birthday. And, instead of celebrating just myself, I want to use this day, the most special day of the year for me, to apologise to the people with disabilities,” Samay Raina wrote in Instagram Stories.

“We, Samay Raina, Vipul Goyal, Sonali Thakkar, Nishant Tanwar, Balraj Ghai, deeply regret the pain caused due to our show,” the stand-up comedian wrote.

“Going forward, we will be more mindful and do our best to spread awareness about the challenges faced by the community. Your strength inspires us to grow. With respect and gratitude,” Samay concluded.

Samay Raina shared his photo with Karn Shah, a person with physical disability. Shah earlier appeared on an India’s Got Latent episode, where the controversial jokes were cracked.

“The man who turned pity into punchlines. Some teach comedy. He taught equality. Thank you, Samay Raina, for making inclusivity real,” Karn Shah wrote.

The comedian turned controversial, especially after India’s Got Latent. He also shared Kushal Bhanushali’s post for Samay Raina. Bhanushali, another person with disability, appeared on India’s Got Latent.

“I have learnt so much from you and my respect for you only grows each day for how you have contributed to the scene. I am just grateful to have someone like you in my life. You are special so never change. Happy birthday, Samay bhaiya,” Kushal wrote.

Samay also shared Uorfi Javed’s birthday wish for him.

“You're crazy, you're amazing! No one like you, no one does it like you. So glad to have even met you. The way you treat everyone around you is one thing everyone can learn!” the influencer wrote.

Samay Raina fans' reaction

Samay Raina’s apology became a topic of discussion on Reddit. Many users took a humorous dig at it. Many fans thought Samay Raina was forced to apologise while others justified the jokes.

“Samay ne toh nahi likha hai ye (Samay has not written it himself for sure),” claimed one of them.

“They only made fun of the disabled after consent. Constantly asked "are you okay with this?" And the disabled people also wanted to be roasted (basically get the same treatment as the other contestants),” wrote one user.

Another commented, “SC held him at gunpoint while writing this.”

“Supreme Court-sponsored Birthday greetings,” quipped one user.

“It's sad watching a comedian apologise for jokes. The show had people with actual disabilities perform and say that it was fine if they joked about it...this post makes it feel like they committed some cardinal sin against the community, which is completely untrue,” posted another.

On Google India, the interest in “Samay Raina” went higher on his birthday (October 26):