Samay Raina’s stand-up shows in Gujarat canceled amid YouTube show backlash

Gujarat: Comedian Samay Raina’s scheduled stand-up performances in Gujarat have reportedly been canceled following massive backlash over controversial remarks made on his YouTube reality show, India’s Got Latent. The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) announced on Wednesday that tickets for his April shows were no longer available on BookMyShow, signaling the fallout from the ongoing controversy.

The uproar began after social media influencer Ranveer Allahbadia, also known as BeerBiceps, made remarks about parents and sex on Raina’s show. A clip of the conversation went viral on Monday, triggering widespread outrage and multiple police complaints in Mumbai and Guwahati.

Gujarat shows removed amid backlash

According to Gujarat VHP spokesperson Hitendrasinh Rajput, Raina was slated to perform in Surat on April 17, Vadodara on April 18, and Ahmedabad on April 19 and 20. However, public outrage has reportedly led to the cancellation of all four shows.

“It appears all these four shows have been canceled due to public outrage against him in Gujarat. Though tickets for these shows were available till Wednesday morning on BookMyShow, they seem to have been taken down now,” Rajput claimed.

VHP regional secretary Ashvin Patel also issued a statement, alleging that event organizers decided to call off the shows amid rising anger. “We are thankful to the people of Gujarat for showing such alertness. I urge organizers to avoid hosting such individuals in Gujarat in the future,” Patel said.

While Ranveer Allahbadia has already apologized for his "lapse in judgment," the controversy continues to escalate.

Samay Raina deletes ‘India’s Got Latent’ episodes

In response to the controversy, Samay Raina announced on Wednesday that he has removed all episodes of India’s Got Latent from his YouTube channel. Breaking his silence on the matter, Raina assured full cooperation with authorities investigating the issue.

“Everything that is happening has been too much for me to handle. I have removed all India’s Got Latent videos from my channel. My only objective was to make people laugh and have a good time. I will fully cooperate with all agencies to ensure their inquiries are concluded fairly. Thank you,” Raina, 27, posted on X.

YouTube removes controversial episode 

On Tuesday, YouTube took down the controversial episode of India’s Got Latent following a directive from the central government. The reality show, which premiered in June 2024, had aired 18 episodes before being removed from Raina’s channel.

With police complaints filed and widespread criticism mounting, the controversy surrounding India’s Got Latent shows no signs of dying down, raising concerns over content regulation and the growing impact of online outrage on public figures.