Who is Jocelyn Chia, the controversial Singaporean comedian wanted by Malaysia? She’s caused international outrage with her missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 joke, but still refuses to back down
- Chia’s joke about the missing Malaysia Airlines plane from 2014 was so controversial that the country’s officials even confirmed they had reached out to Interpol to assist in locating her
- She was born in the US but raised in Singapore, and switched gears from corporate law to stand-up comedy, opening for famous US comedian Bill Burr in 2012
She may be well-known on the comedy scene but in the past week, US-born, Singaporean-raised Jocelyn Chia has become the subject of global politics, protests and even death threats.
Why? A video of one of her stand-up routines where she joked about the 2014 Malaysian Airlines flight that went missing has drawn sharp criticism.
Let’s get to know the woman who has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Inside the Jocelyn Chia backlash
Chia grabbed global headlines recently after a video of one of her performances from April caused outrage. The Singaporean-raised stand-up comedian was at the Comedy Cellar in Manhattan performing the same routine she’s been doing for a year. The topic? Historical animosity between Singapore (where she was raised) and its neighbour, Malaysia.
A clip from the skit was posted on social media. In it, Chia joked about the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370 in 2014. There were 239 people on board and the details around the plane’s disappearance remain a mystery.
Her comment that Malaysian aircraft “cannot fly” fell flat and resulted in international political condemnation, with Malaysia confirming it had reached out to Interpol to assist in locating the comedian to facilitate “investigations”. In Kuala Lumpur, protests were held outside the US Embassy and Singaporean officials say they have “revoked” her citizenship.
Chia, however, is standing firm. She said the joke was taken out of context and that she has performed the same routine in Singapore with no complaints. BBC reports she has called the reaction “ridiculous”, saying “poking fun at an audience is part of comedy culture” in the US.