China’s Comedy Powerhouse in Hot Water After Comic’s Military Joke
This story has been updated to reflect latest developments.
Xiaoguo Culture Media, one of China's most influential comedy production companies, was plunged into a fresh crisis after authorities handed down a hefty fine over a controversial joke made by one of its leading stand-up comedians.
The controversy began when an anonymous post surfaced online on Saturday taking issue with a joke told at a Beijing live show held by Xiaoguo that day. The comedian, later confirmed to be Li Haoshi, known by his stage name “House,” had joked that seeing his adopted stray dogs chasing squirrels reminded him of the phrase, “Forge exemplary conduct, fight to win” — a widely-known military slogan in China.
Li apologized in a Weibo statement on Monday. “I’ve used a very inappropriate metaphor in my performance and that caused bad feelings among the audience,” he wrote. Xiaoguo announced the same day that Li has been suspended “indefinitely,” and pledged to ban any content “that doesn’t fall in line with core socialist values.”
The controversy has dominated Chinese social media in recent days, with the most popular related hashtag on Weibo viewed more than 600 million times. Netizens have attacked Li for disrespecting Chinese soldiers, while Xiaoguo has been criticized for not adequately supervising the comedian’s content, although company staff have denied this.
Not long afterwards, domestic media Beijing Evening News reported that a local law enforcement body in Beijing had launched an investigation into Xiaoguo. “It’s a mistake to cross the line in mere pursuit of laughter,” the state-run People’s Daily commented on Monday night.
On Wednesday, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism announced a fine of over 13 million yuan ($1.9 million) on Xiaoguo for the incident. All performances of the company in Beijing have been “indefinitely suspended,” while further investigations into relevant company personnel, performance managers, and venue operators are ongoing.
Xiaoguo has been one of the biggest drivers of China’s stand-up comedy boom in recent years. It has produced both “Rock & Roast” and “Roast!” — the two hit stand-up comedy talk shows that have fueled the growing popularity of the Western art form — which have won over Chinese viewers with witty takes on social issues including gender inequality and familial pressures.
Online, some people are defending the comedian, arguing that the joke was not insulting the military. “I believe he’s just trying to make jokes and not ridiculing anybody,” a Weibo user wrote.
The original accuser whose post sparked the controversy told domestic media Jimu News that he has also been subject to online attacks, including doxxing of his personal information.
Shen Qichen, a stand-up comedy fan from Shanghai, believes that the joke was not meant to insult the military after hearing an unofficial recording of the joke circulating online, in which audience members can be heard clapping and laughing when the joke is told. Nonetheless, he calls for comedians to be more careful with their material.
“Well-known comedians like House should give their content serious consideration given the potential of massive social influence,” Shen, 28, told Sixth Tone, citing another of Li’s controversies from last year, when one of his sets caused the price of a stock to increase.
Stand-up comedians have found themselves under increasing scrutiny from both the public and the authorities as the genre becomes increasingly mainstream in China. In 2020, “Rock & Roast” contestant Yang Li was subject to intense public backlash, while also winning over many female fans, due to her outspoken criticisms of toxic behavior by some men.
In response, Xiaoguo and 12 other comedy production companies released a joint document in December last year to address “inappropriate content” and other problems in China’s burgeoning stand-up comedy scene. In March, Xiaoguo announced its pledge to foster patriotism and abide by social morals as part of an industry initiative.
Editor: Vincent Chow.
(Header image: A screenshot shows House performing. From Weibo)
Source: Sixth Tone
