YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, better known by his online alias BeerBiceps, issued an apology on Monday, February 10, following widespread backlash over certain sexual jokes he made on the podcast India’s Got Latent hosted by comedian Samay Raina. In a short video posted to his social media handles, Ranveer said, “My comment was not only inappropriate, it wasn’t even funny. Comedy is not my forte. I’m just here to say sorry.”
In a now viral clip, Ranveer can be seen asking a contestant on the podcast about watching parents engage in sexual intercourse.
Ranveer’s apology comes after netizens, particularly those on the Hindu right, were offended by the sexualised question he asked the contestant. India’s Got Latent is a parody podcast similar to the popular TV show India’s Got Talent. The podcast features influencer or celebrity guests as judges who critique contestants using comedy.
Many took to social media to call for a ban on India’s Got Latent. A complaint has also been filed with the Mumbai Commissioner and Maharashtra Women's Commission against Samay, Ranveer, and social media influencer Apoorva Makhija, who was also a guest on the episode, according to ANI.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told media persons, “I have heard about [the video clip], but I have not seen it yet. Things have been presented in a wrong way. Everyone has freedom of speech but our freedom ends when we encroach upon the freedom of others. We have rules in our society. If these rules are violated, it is absolutely wrong and action should be taken.”
In his apology video, Ranveer added, “Many of you asked if this is how I wish to use my platform. Obviously this is not how I wish to use it. I’m not going to give any context or justification or reasoning behind whatever happened. I’m just here for an apology. I had a lapse in judgement, which wasn’t cool on my part. The podcast is watched by people of all ages. I don’t want to be the kind of person that takes such a responsibility lightly. Family is the last thing that I would ever disrespect. I need to use this platform in a better way. That has been my learning from this whole experience.”
Ranveer also said that he has asked the creators of India’s Got Latent to remove the offending sections from the episode. “All I can say is that I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me as a human being,” he added.
Earlier in 2024, Ranveer was felicitated as ‘Disruptor of the Year’ at the National Creators Awards, a first-of-its-kind initiative by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Union government.
In 2023, Ranveer came under public scrutiny after he did a series of high profile interviews on his BeerBiceps platforms with former and current Union ministers of the BJP. The interviews had been arranged in collaboration with MyGov, a citizen engagement platform managed by the Union government. Ranveer interviewed Rajeev Chandrasekhar, S Jaishankar, Smriti Irani, and Piyush Goyal, among others.
Ranveer was criticised at the time for promoting only BJP leaders, with many alleging that the interviews had been aimed at boosting the party’s public image through social media influencers.
