'Malaysia, you can keep going': Comedian Jocelyn Chia taunts Malaysia over MH370 joke again

As if taunting an entire nation once isn't enough, Jocelyn Chia is back with more.

Earlier this month, the New York-based stand-up comedian enraged Malaysians when she made a joke referencing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which went missing in 2014, in a show.

But it appears like bad publicity is still publicity to Chia.

On Thursday (June 15), she retweeted a snippet of an interview where fellow comedian Chrissie Mayr asked if she wanted to apologise for her joke before asking her how many passengers were on the missing flight.

When Mayr remarked that the 227 people dying on the plane was "not that many", Chia started laughing.

Missed my interview with internationally famous viral comedian @JocelynChia?

Click the link below pic.twitter.com/mj2oO2TjBY

— Chrissie Mayr🇺🇸 (@ChrissieMayr) June 14, 2023

Despite the controversial nature of her joke, it does not seem like an apology from her is coming any time soon.

In fact, Chia appears to be enjoying the media attention after her distasteful joke went viral.

On Wednesday, she tweeted: "I'm on the front page of BBC.com now. Interviewed by @CNN, @nytimes, @BBCWorld and going to be on @FoxNews this Sat. So actually, Malaysia, you can keep going."

I'm on the front page of https://t.co/63AFNy0vTl now. Interviewed by @CNN, @nytimes @BBCWorld and going to be on @FoxNews this Sat. So actually Malaysia, you can keep going 😂 https://t.co/suPzWXU4yt

— Jocelyn Chia (@JocelynChia) June 14, 2023

In a separate tweet the following day, she thanked Malaysia and mentioned that "[her] Netflix special is writing itself". 

Chia mentioned that her joke was taken out of context online, before adding that poking fun at the audience is part of comedy club culture in New York, Malaysian publication The Star reported.

However, Malaysia does not see the humour in this.

The country has said it will ask Interpol for her current whereabouts and full identity to facilitate further investigations, Bernama reported.  

National police chief Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani also said Malaysia will investigate Chia's comments under its own laws related to provocation, incitement, and publication of offensive online content.

Reaction from Singaporean comedians

Chia, an American who grew up in Singapore, poked fun at the ongoing rivalry between Singapore and Malaysia, and included the joke on the missing MH370 in a TikTok video — now removed due to hate speech — of her standup show in early June.

After the clip went viral on social media, local comedians weighed in on her words.

Local comedian-actor Suhaimi Yusof labelled Jocelyn's "cheap humour" as a "tasteless joke".

Similarly, actor Sebastian Tan said that Jocelyn's joke was in "bad taste" and disrespectful to the victims and their bereaved families.

The 50-year-old added how he "would never use tragedy as a joke".

ALSO READ: Malaysia to seek Interpol help to investigate controversial comedian Jocelyn Chia

amierul@asiaone.com

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