Malaysian actor and host Hero Tai has publicly apologized for referring to Singapore as “boring” and “man-made” whereas showing on a Taiwanese selection present.
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Malaysian actor and host Hero Tai . Photograph from Tai’s Instagram |
“I sincerely apologize to any Singaporeans whom I’ve upset,” he mentioned in a Dec. 25 interview with Singaporean newspaper The New Paper.
The controversy stemmed from Tai’s look on an episode of the present “Scholar,” aired on Dec. 13, as reported by The Straits Occasions. This episode featured visitors from Singapore and Malaysia and was designed for a humorous debate about their respective international locations.
Tai, representing Malaysia, remarked that Singapore was “too boring” and recommended a brief go to of two to 3 days for vacationers. He additionally labeled well-liked Singaporean sights like Gardens by the Bay as “man-made” and claimed that “all of Singapore’s delicacies are stolen from Malaysia.”
His feedback sparked on-line debates, with opinions divided between those that noticed it as typical leisure present banter and others who criticized Tai for being an “consideration seeker in search of his 10 minutes of fame,” in keeping with Malaysian information web site 8days.
Addressing the problem, Tai defined that the episode’s theme was “Singapore versus Malaysia,” and the format inspired playful jibes between the international locations for leisure. He clarified that the episode was edited in a means that exaggerated his dissatisfaction with Singapore, which was not his true sentiment.
Tai additionally talked about that he acquired many messages from Singaporean netizens following the printed of the present, amongst which some have been to precise dissatisfaction and a few have been to assault him. The Malaysian host thus emphasised his need for a extra peaceable and loving on-line and offline surroundings, and promised that he will likely be extra cautious sooner or later.
Moreover, Tai, alongside together with his spouse, a Ukrainian YouTube content material creator, appeared on the Singaporean live-streaming platform Star Reside to handle the controversy.
At present based mostly in Taiwan, Tai, 37, is lively as an actor and host.