Nigel Ng
黃瑾瑜
Ng in November 2020
Born
Nigel Ng Kin-ju

1990 or 1991 (age 32–33)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Other namesUncle Roger, Nephew Nigel
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • YouTuber
YouTube information
Channel
Subscribers8.68 million[1]
Total views1.052 billion[1]
100,000 subscribers2020
1,000,000 subscribers2020
Last updated: January 6, 2024
Websiteunclerogermerch.com
Nigel Ng
Traditional Chinese黃瑾瑜
Simplified Chinese黄瑾瑜

Nigel Ng Kin-ju (/ʌŋ/ UNG; born 1990/1991) is a Chinese-Malaysian comedian and YouTuber. He is best known for co-creating (alongside Evelyn Mok) and portraying Uncle Roger, a character representing a middle-aged Asian man with an exaggerated Cantonese accent who is usually seen harshly critiquing people's attempts at cooking Asian food.

Early life

Nigel Ng Kin-ju was born in Kuala Lumpur in 1990 or 1991,[2] the son of Chinese-Malaysian parents who also have Hokkien ancestry.[3][4] His mother is a homemaker, while his father is a car salesman.[5] He has a sister named Yoki and a brother named Gary.[5] After graduating from Chong Hwa Independent High School in 2009, he moved to the U.S. to study at Northwestern University. He majored in engineering and minored in philosophy, graduating in 2014.[4]

Career

Early work

Ng previously worked as a data scientist[6] and maintained a GitHub account.[7][8][9] Inspired to pursue a comedy career in part by the work of Hong Kong comedy actor Stephen Chow,[5] he made his TV debut in 2018 on Comedy Central's Stand Up Central.[10][11] He hosted the comedy podcasts Rice to Meet You with UK-based Swedish comedian Evelyn Mok.[12][13][14] and HAIYAA with Nigel Ng with his producer Matt.[15] On 2 January 2021, he uploaded his first video on the Chinese video sharing website Bilibili.[16] In 2021, he appeared on the 19th season premiere episode of the British comedy show Mock the Week.[17]

Uncle Roger

Ng is best known for his comedic alter ego Uncle Roger, representing a middle-aged Asian man who speaks with a pronounced and exaggerated Cantonese accent and prides himself on various East and Southeast Asian stereotypes.[12][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 an Uncle Roger video critiquing Hersha Patel's BBC Food video on cooking egg-fried rice.[22] After the video went viral, Ng and Patel appeared on BBC Food together[23] and collaborated on a YouTube video.[24] In August, he worked in Elizabeth Haigh's restaurant, Mei Mei. The following month, he posted a critique video with regards to Gordon Ramsay's fried rice and praised Ramsay for his correct technique.[25] He has released numerous videos critiquing Jamie Oliver's versions of popular Asian dishes like egg-fried rice[26] and Thai green curry.[19]

Ng became a special guest on second season of MasterChef Singapore in 2021,[27] and a guest judge on the third season of Junior MasterChef Indonesia in 2022.[28] That same year, he was a guest diner on the 21st season of Hell's Kitchen.[29]

On 22 May 2023, it was reported that Ng's Chinese social media accounts (Bilibili and Weibo)[30] had been closed down in response to perceived criticism of China's government in his stand-up comedy special.[31]

Ng, as Uncle Roger, has collaborated with Esther Choi and Joshua Weissman.[32]

Reception

Positive

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).[33][34] He was nominated for the "Best Newcomer Award" for his stand-up comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019.[35][36][37]

Negative

The accent Ng uses for the Uncle Roger character has received criticism for perpetuating negative stereotypes about Asians.[17][19][38][39] Chef J. Kenji López-Alt (who is of Japanese descent) said, "I don't like that [Ng's] 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][40] In response, Ng has said that it highlights the difference in the perception of Asian stereotypes between Asians living in Asia and Asian-Americans.[19] His 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 turning East and Southeast Asians into "rice-cooking supremacists" with his "faux encouragement".[41]

On 12 January 2021, Ng apologised on the Chinese social media platform Weibo and deleted a video featuring fellow YouTuber Mike Chen,[42] who had been critical of the Chinese Communist Party and had also been associated with the ultra-conservative movement Falun Gong.[43] He 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!"[44] His response attracted criticism on Twitter.[45] In his first subsequent video as Uncle Roger, he said he would "keep making funny videos [...] no politics, no drama".[12][46]

On 30 July 2023, Ng stated in an Uncle Roger video, "Not all Southeast Asia has good food. You don't want food from Laos and Cambodia." He also called 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 him to try Laotian food she had cooked, Ng accepted the challenge and explained his comments by saying, "All the Laos food I had so far... not my favourite. Asian people criticising other Asian people is just a way of life."[47] Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism issued a statement condemning Ng's remarks as damaging to the image of its cuisine and demanding an apology.[48] 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".[49]

Ng has stated that he does not want any of his viewers to spread hate towards anyone.[50]

Personal life

Ng lived in the Hammersmith district of London.[12][51] In 2020, he discussed being the victim of an anti-Asian assault in London.[51][52][53][54] He currently lives in Los Angeles.

References

  1. 1 2 "About mrnigelng". YouTube.
  2. ↑ Sathiabalan, S. Indra (29 October 2019). "Ng's a cracking success". The Sun Daily.
  3. ↑ Lo, Ricky (14 October 2019). "Two Pinoys among 12 Asians in Stand-Up, Asia! Season 4". The Philippine Star.
  4. 1 2 Ngeow, Ivy (7 June 2018). "Interview with Nigel Ng: Malaysian Comedy Sensation – WRITE NGEOW". writengeow.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 崔斯也. "脱口秀演员黄瑾瑜：人人都爱Uncle Roger". 新周刊. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  6. ↑ "The real Uncle Roger: 6 things to know about comedian Nigel Ng". South China Morning Post. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  7. ↑ "Watch: Comedian 'Uncle Roger' approves of chef Gordon Ramsay's recipe for egg fried rice". Scroll.in. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  8. ↑ "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.
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ "BBC Michael McIntyre's The Wheel: Who is celebrity contestant Nigel Ng - Wales Online". South Wales Echo WalesOnline. 22 October 2022. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2023. In 2018 Nigel made his TV debut on Comedy Central's show Stand Up Central.
  11. ↑ "Interview with Nigel Ng: Malaysian Comedy Sensation". LinkedIn. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  12. 1 2 3 4 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.
  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. 1 2 "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. 1 2 3 4 5 Limbong, Andrew (18 April 2022). "Keep screwing up egg fried rice. It makes Uncle Roger happy". NPR. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  20. ↑ Thomas, Carla (15 January 2021). "The real Uncle Roger: 6 things to know about comedian Nigel Ng". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  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.
  25. ↑
  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. ↑ 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.
  28. ↑ Endra, Yohanes (16 August 2022). "Profil Uncle Roger, Komika yang Sindir Oliver James di Junior MasterChef Indonesia". MataMata. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  29. ↑ Richardson, Jay (13 February 2022). "Nigel Ng developing Uncle Roger sitcom with Gordon Ramsay". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  30. ↑ Purves, Robbie (23 May 2023). "TikTok star breaks silence after getting social media accounts suspended". HullLive. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  31. ↑ Davidson, Helen; Lin, Chi Hui (22 May 2023). "Comedian Uncle Roger has social media accounts suspended in China". The Guardian.
  32. ↑ 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.
  33. ↑ "Nigel Ng". Backyard Comedy Club. 2 August 2015.
  34. ↑ "Nigel Ng". Off the Kerb. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  35. ↑ "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.
  36. ↑ "Edinburgh Comedy awards 2019: surrealists, standups and sausage act vie for prize". The Guardian. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  37. ↑ Logan, Brian (5 February 2020). "Nigel Ng review – primetime culture-clash comedy". the Guardian. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  38. ↑ Chong, Elaine (21 May 2021). "Nothing Is Off Limits for Nigel Ng—or Uncle Roger". Esquire. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  39. ↑ "Nigel Ng review – comedy's viral sensation undercooks his live show". the Guardian. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  40. ↑ "Chicken and Egg Fried Rice | Kenji's Cooking Show". YouTube.
  41. ↑ 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.
  42. ↑ 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.
  43. ↑ "Uncle Roger comedian deletes video with China critic". BBC News. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  44. ↑ Ng, Nigel (12 January 2021). "Apology Statement". Sina Weibo. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  45. ↑ 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.
  46. ↑ 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.
  47. ↑ 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.
  48. ↑ Minea, Son (9 August 2023). "Ministry seeks 'Uncle Roger' apology over offensive remarks on Khmer food". Khmer Times. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  49. ↑ Malai, Yatt (18 August 2023). "Malaysia Condemns Comedian's Criticism of Cambodian Food". Kiripost. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  50. ↑ Yeung, Jessie (30 July 2020). "The Uncle Roger controversy: Why people are outraged by a video about cooking rice". CNN.
  51. 1 2 "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.
  53. ↑
  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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