| Jocelyn Chia | |
| Birth Place: | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Stand-up comedian |
| Years Active: | 2013–present |
Jocelyn Chia (born)[1] is an American stand-up comedian. She was formerly a lawyer before becoming a comedian in 2013.[1] [2]
Chia was born in Boston, Massachusetts.[3] She spent her formative years in Singapore, the birthplace of her parents. She studied in St Nicholas Girls' School and National Junior College in Singapore. She then returned to the United States to earn her college degree.
After graduating from college, Chia worked for 3 years as a corporate lawyer between 2006 and 2009.
In 2013, Chia then entered the stand-up comedy circuit, beginning her career as a comedian.
She was the head of corporate events at The Magnet Theater in 2014.[4]
In 2016, she won the Ladies of Laughter competition, and was also a finalist at the 2017 New York's Funniest.
In 2017, she received the Rising Star Award – Comedy at the Asian American Television & Film Festival,[5] and made her Comedy Central debut in 2018.
On June 7, 2023, a video clip of Chia making remarks about the retrospective effects of Malaysia's expulsion of Singapore and the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in an audience interaction during a stand-up routine, performed at Comedy Cellar in New York City, became viral on social networks.[6] The clip drew heavy criticisms from citizens, celebrities, diplomats, and politicians in Malaysia, who deemed it "crude" or "insulting". TikTok removed it for "breach[ing] community guidelines and depicting discriminatory content". One hundred protesters from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) protested outside the United States Embassy in Kuala Lumpur in response to Chia's performance and called to ban her from Malaysia.[7] Malaysian comedian Jason Leong supported Chia's routine, earning rebuke from some, while Harith Iskander urged caution to fellow comedians that their content could easily be taken out of context.[8] Singaporean entertainer Kumar criticized Chia as well.[9] The Singaporean ambassador to Malaysia apologised on her behalf. Vivian Balakrishnan, Singaporean Foreign Minister, condemned Chia's jokes.[10]
Chia responded that the clips had lacked the necessary context, with the segment being condensed into a short clip for social media, and that it was performed at the comedy club for more than a year and half without issues.[11] [12] A few days later, the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) stated that they would be making an application with Interpol to seek for Chia's full identity and whereabouts, without providing further details.[13] [14] During her interview with the BBC, Chia added that Malaysia's reactions to her jokes as being ridiculous and that it's only making her more famous. Despite the RMP's claim of an application with Interpol, on June 14, 2023, Interpol stated with CNA that there was no request for assistance from Malaysia. Its spokesperson also added that the request for assistance must be "compliant with Interpol's Constitution which forbids any activities which are religious, racial, military or political in nature" and that "any request associated with offences related to freedom of expression would also be assessed in line with international human rights standards."[15]
Chia was a Singaporean, and currently is an American.[16] [17] She held joint American-Singaporean citizenship until adulthood.