Nigel Ng

Nigel Ng Kin-ju (/ʌŋ/ UNG; born 15 March 1991)[2] is a Malaysian stand-up comedian and Internet celebrity based in England.[3]

Nigel Ng
黃瑾瑜
Ng as Uncle Roger in 2020
Born (1991-03-15) 15 March 1991
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Alma materNorthwestern University
Chong Hwa Independent High School
Occupations
Known forUncle Roger
RelativesYoki Ng (sister)
Gary Ng (brother)
YouTube information
Channel
Subscribers8.32 million[1]
Total views942.5 million[1]
100,000 subscribers2020
1,000,000 subscribers2020
Last updated: September 10, 2023
Websiteunclerogermerch.com
Nigel Ng
Traditional Chinese黃瑾瑜
Simplified Chinese黄瑾瑜

Ng is better known by his online persona Uncle Roger, a stereotypical middle-aged Asian man reviewing Asian food recipes who speaks with an exaggerated and pronounced Cantonese–like accent.

Early life

Ng was born in Kuala Lumpur to Malaysian Chinese parents of Hokkien ancestry.[4][5] Ng's father is a car salesman and his mother is a full-time homemaker.[6]

After graduating from Chong Hwa Independent High School, Kuala Lumpur in 2009, Ng moved to the United States to study at Northwestern University, majoring in engineering and minoring in philosophy, graduating in 2014.[5]

Career

Ng was a data scientist[7] with a GitHub account.[8][9][10]

Ng made his TV debut in 2018 on Comedy Central's Stand Up Central.[11][12] He hosted the comedy podcasts Rice to Meet You with UK-based Swedish comedian Evelyn Mok.[3][13][14] and HAIYAA with Nigel Ng with his producer Matt.[15]

On 2 January 2021, Ng uploaded his first Chinese video in Bilibili, a video sharing website in China.[16] In 2021, he appeared on the first episode of Mock the Week Series 19, a British comedy show on BBC Two.[17]

Uncle Roger

Ng has become best known for his comedic alter ego Uncle Roger, who speaks with a pronounced Cantonese-like accent and prides himself on various East and Southeast Asian stereotypes.[3][18] His comedy partner Evelyn Mok came up with the middle-aged Asian uncle character for a sitcom with Ng in mind, and Ng further developed the character on TikTok and Instagram sketches before moving the character onto YouTube.[19][20][21]

In July 2020, Ng attracted attention for his YouTube video critique of Hersha Patel's BBC Food video on cooking egg-fried rice in the Uncle Roger persona.[22] After the video went viral, Ng and Patel appeared on BBC together.[23] Later, Ng also collaborated with Patel on a YouTube video.[24] In August 2020, Ng worked in Liz Haigh's restaurant, Mei Mei. In September 2020, he posted a critique video with regards to Gordon Ramsay's fried rice cooking, in which he praised Ramsay for his correct technique.[25] Ng has released numerous videos critiquing Jamie Oliver's versions of popular Asian dishes like egg-fried rice[26] and Thai green curry.[19] He has stated that he does not want any of his viewers to spread hate towards anyone.[27]

He became a special guest on MasterChef Singapore Season 2 in 2021[28] and a guest judge on Junior MasterChef Indonesia Season 3 in 2022.[29] In the same year, he also became a guest diner on Hell's Kitchen Season 21.[30]

On 22 May 2023, it was reported that Ng's social media accounts, on Bilibili and Weibo,[31] in China had been closed down in response to perceived criticism of the Chinese regime in part of his stand up comedy special.[32]

Uncle Roger has collaborated with Esther Choi and Joshua Weissman.[33]

Influences

Ng is a fan of Hong Kong comedy actor Stephen Chow, and cites Chow's films as having inspired him to become a comedian.[6]

Awards and recognitions

Ng won the Amused Moose Laugh-Off 2016 and was runner-up in the Laughing Horse New Act of the Year 2015. He was also a finalist in the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year (2016) and Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year (2015).[34][35] Ng was nominated for the "Best Newcomer Award" for his stand-up comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019.[36][37][38]

Criticism

The accent Ng uses for the Uncle Roger character has received criticism for perpetuating negative stereotypes about Asians, and his act has been compared to a minstrel show.[17][19][39][40] Chef J. Kenji López-Alt, who is of Japanese descent, criticised him in the description of his egg fried rice tutorial, saying "I don't like that his schtick seems to give a free pass to people to imitate stereotypical Asian speech patterns and pronunciation (especially as it's almost always non-Asians doing the imitating). It's ugly, it's yellowface, it's not funny, and it promotes anti-Asian racism at a time when Asians are already being heavily discriminated against."[19][41] In response to these criticisms, Ng has said that it highlights the difference in the perception of Asian stereotypes between Asians living in Asia and Asian Americans.[19] Ng's critique video of Patel's egg-fried rice has been described as making the viewers "fall for every cultural "trap" his character sets", overlooking the differences of rice cooking methods in Indian cuisine and with Uncle Roger's "faux encouragement" turning Southeast Asians and East Asians into "rice-cooking supremacists".[42]

On 12 January 2021, Ng apologised on the China social media platform Sina Weibo and deleted a video featuring fellow YouTube star Mike Chen[43] who had been critical of the Chinese Communist Party, and who had been associated with Falun Gong.[44] Ng stated, "This video has made a bad social impact...I wasn't aware of his political thoughts and his past incorrect remarks about China...I hope you can give Uncle Roger, who has just entered China, a chance to improve!"[45] Ng's move attracted criticism on Twitter.[46] In his first subsequent video as Uncle Roger, he said he would "keep making funny videos – no politics, no drama".[3][47]

On 30 July 2023, Ng stated in a video as Uncle Roger that "Not all Southeast Asia has good food. You don't want food from Laos and Cambodia." before calling Laotian food an inferior version of Thai food, causing criticism and backlash from both Laotian and Cambodian communities. In a response video to Laotian chef Ae Southammavong challenging Ng to try Laotian food she cooked, Ng accepted the challenge and explained his comments by saying that "All the Laos food I had so far — not my favourite." and stating, "Asian people criticising other Asian people is just a way of life".[48] Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia issued a statement condemning Ng's remarks as damaging to the image of the country's cuisine and demanding an apology.[49] The Embassy of Malaysia in Phnom Penh distanced Malaysia from Ng's remarks, saying that "[t]hey do not in any way reflect our view".[50]

Personal life

In 2020, Ng resided in Hammersmith, West London, London, United Kingdom.[51] On the same year, he revealed that he was a victim of an anti-Asian racist assault in London.[51][52][53] He said in one of his live sets, "I got punched, man, in London. This is real." He added that it was a cyclist who had punched him.[54]

References
  1. "About mrnigelng". YouTube.
  2. Sathiabalan, S. Indra (29 October 2019). "Ng's a cracking success". The Sun Daily.
  3. Carla Thomas (15 January 2021). "The real Uncle Roger: who is Malaysian comedian Nigel Ng, behind the YouTube sensation forever remembered for mocking the BBC's approach to fried rice?". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  4. Lo, Ricky (14 October 2019). "Two Pinoys among 12 Asians in Stand-Up, Asia! Season 4". The Philippine Star.
  5. Ngeow, Ivy (7 June 2018). "Interview with Nigel Ng: Malaysian Comedy Sensation – WRITE NGEOW". writengeow.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  6. 崔斯也. "脱口秀演员黄瑾瑜：人人都爱Uncle Roger". 新周刊. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  7. "The real Uncle Roger: 6 things to know about comedian Nigel Ng". South China Morning Post. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  8. "Watch: Comedian 'Uncle Roger' approves of chef Gordon Ramsay's recipe for egg fried rice". Scroll.in. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  9. "Rice To Meet You, Nigel Ng – Creator Of Uncle Roger". AugustMan Malaysia. 7 March 2021. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  11. "Interview with Nigel Ng: Malaysian Comedy Sensation". LinkedIn. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  12. "Chinese comedy on the rise in Britain". China Daily. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  13. "Rice To Meet You Podcast". Rice To Meet You Podcast. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021.
  14. "Rice to Meet You Podcast - YouTube". YouTube.
  15. "HAIYAA Podcast with Nigel Ng". YouTube.
  16. Ng, Nigel. "华裔疯狂吐槽BBC蛋炒饭，你们的罗杰叔叔来了！". Bilibili (in Chinese). Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  17. "Why Uncle Roger's throwaway racism can do real damage". Hong Kong Free Press. 24 January 2021.
  18. "영국 BBC에서 만든 계란 볶음밥에 전 세계 아시아인이 분노한 이유?". SBS NEWS (in Korean). 5 August 2020.
  19. Limbong, Andrew (18 April 2022). "Keep screwing up egg fried rice. It makes Uncle Roger happy". NPR. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
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  21. Yap, Audrey Cleo (19 August 2020). "How Comedian Nigel Ng Became the Internet's Favorite Asian Uncle". Variety. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  22. Chalil, Melanie (24 July 2020). "UK-based Malaysian comedian roasts BBC Food host for cooking rice wrongly in fried rice tutorial (VIDEO)". Malay Mail.
  23. "BBC不懂煮饭？网红吐嘈影片爆红 片中主角一同接受访问". BBC News 中文 (in Simplified Chinese). 29 July 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  24. Westfall, Sammy (10 August 2020). "BBC Host Cooks for Comedian Who Roasted Her Egg Fried Rice Recipe". Vice Media. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  26. Holland, Paige (16 September 2020). "Jamie Oliver's fried rice roasted by comedian 'on behalf of Asians everywhere'". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  27. Yeung, Jessie (30 July 2020). "The Uncle Roger controversy: Why people are outraged by a video about cooking rice". CNN.
  28. Kwok, Kar Peng (5 March 2021). "'Uncle Roger grandma cook faster than you': Malaysian comedian Nigel Ng makes surprise MasterChef Singapore appearance to 'roast' contestants". AsiaOne. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  29. Endra, Yohanes (16 August 2022). "Profil Uncle Roger, Komika yang Sindir Oliver James di Junior MasterChef Indonesia". MataMata. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  30. Richardson, Jay (13 February 2022). "Nigel Ng developing Uncle Roger sitcom with Gordon Ramsay". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  31. Purves, Robbie (23 May 2023). "TikTok star breaks silence after getting social media accounts suspended". HullLive. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  32. Davidson, Helen; Lin, Chi Hui (22 May 2023). "Comedian Uncle Roger has social media accounts suspended in China". The Guardian.
  33. Wee, Jared (17 June 2022). "Not retiring yet: Comedian Nigel Ng on 'Uncle Roger', Singaporean food and being back in Malaysia". Malay Mail. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  34. "Nigel Ng". Backyard Comedy Club. 2 August 2015.
  35. "Nigel Ng". Off the Kerb. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  36. "Here are your nominees for best show and best newcomer at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival". The Comic's Comic. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  37. "Edinburgh Comedy awards 2019: surrealists, standups and sausage act vie for prize". The Guardian. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  38. Logan, Brian (5 February 2020). "Nigel Ng review – primetime culture-clash comedy". the Guardian. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  39. Chong, Elaine (21 May 2021). "Nothing Is Off Limits for Nigel Ng—or Uncle Roger". Esquire. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  40. "Nigel Ng review – comedy's viral sensation undercooks his live show". the Guardian. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  41. "Chicken and Egg Fried Rice | Kenji's Cooking Show". YouTube.
  42. Ozaeta, Nana (22 July 2020). "Nothing wrong with how that lady cooked rice—but all sorts of wrong with how the Internet reacted". news.ABS-CBN.com. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  43. 王强. "马来西亚华裔网红对误同"法轮功"邪教背景人员合作向网友致歉". 中国反邪教网 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  44. "Uncle Roger comedian deletes video with China critic". BBC News. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  45. Ng, Nigel (12 January 2021). "Apology Statement". Sina Weibo. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  46. Grundy, Tom (12 January 2021). "'Uncle Roger' apologises and deletes video featuring fellow YouTube star who criticised China". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  47. Chau, Candice (18 January 2021). "I'm 'not bowing down to anyone': Uncle Roger comic urges 'no politics' after deleting YouTube vid starring Beijing critic". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  48. Chia, Jolynn (11 August 2023). "'You need to stop saying racist things like this': Nigel Ng aka Uncle Roger gets flak for criticising Laotian and Cambodian food". AsiaOne. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  49. Minea, Son (9 August 2023). "Ministry seeks 'Uncle Roger' apology over offensive remarks on Khmer food". Khmer Times. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  50. Malay, Yatt (18 August 2023). "Malaysia Condemns Comedian's Criticism of Cambodian Food". Kiripost. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  51. "The Londoner: I was victim of 'racist attack' in London, says Uncle Roger comedian". Evening Standard. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  52. Kho, Gordon (1 November 2020). "Malaysian comedian Uncle Roger says he was a victim of racial attack in London". The Star. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  54. Limbong, Andrew (18 April 2022). "Keep screwing up egg fried rice. It makes Uncle Roger happy". NPR.org. Morning Edition. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
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