Najip Ali dropped from Malaysian TV show after joke about PM Najib
Singaporean comedian Najip Ali, 50, has been dropped as a judge on popular Malaysian TV show Maharaja Lawak Mega (King Of Comedy) 2017.
He will be replaced by Malaysian TV host Aznil Haji Nawawi, also known as Pak Nil, 54.
Cable channel Astro, which airs the reality competition for comedians, announced the change via its Astro Gempak Facebook page yesterday.
Najip landed in hot water after Malaysian viewers were offended by comments he made about Prime Minister Najib Razak while on Mediacorp Channel 5's live comedy show OK Chope! - where a panel of comedians joke about current affairs - on March 29.
APOLOGISED
According to Malaysian newspaper The Star, Najip was asked to complete the sentence: "Najib slams… for threatening Malaysia's progress".
His response caused an uproar in Malaysia and it prompted calls for his dismissal from Maharaja Lawak Mega 2017.
Najip has since apologised and expressed remorse for his comments.
In response to The Straits Times' queries, he said in a statement released through Mediacorp: "In hindsight, our comments were in poor taste and offensive.
"Those of us who participated in the show regret the episode and are truly sorry to those we have let down."
Pak Nil replaced Najip starting last night, when Maharaja Lawak Mega 2017 aired live on Astro Warna (StarHub TV Ch 118) at 10pm. - THE STRAITS TIMES
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