What else comedian Ronny Chieng said about S'pore besides calling it 'a country of small island Karens'

Malaysian comedian Ronny Chieng caused a stir online with a not-so-positive social media post about Singapore last week.

In his Instagram Stories on March 21, he wrote: "This is apropos of nothing but it’s a mistake to listen to any Singaporean about current affairs other than Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

“They are just a country of small island Karens with main character syndrome who literally think they have all the answers despite having zero perspective on the world.

"Great chilli crab though."

A screenshot of the post was shared on Reddit, where it drew mixed reactions.

Ronny Chieng say SG is a country of small island karens with main character syndrome (with zero perspective on the world)
byu/reddot4eva insingapore

Some commenters agreed with him. One said: "We do sorta live in a bubble on this island and it is true that a lot of us have little to no perspective of the world. That said, I think the same can be said for most people."

Others dismissed the post as another Malaysian hating on Singapore with one Reddittor commenting: "It's a Malaysian thing to hate Singaporeans. To be Malaysian is to hate Singaporeans."

Though born in Johor Bahru, Chieng went to Singapore schools, having attended Fuchun Primary School, Pioneer Secondary School and Pioneer Junior College. His mother lives in Singapore.

He rose to fame after becoming a correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah in the US and acting in blockbuster Hollywood movies such as Crazy Rich Asians and Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings.

Chieng has not always been negative about Singapore.

During a 2021 podcast, when a US interviewer talked about visiting Asia and asked whether he should start with Malaysia, Chieng said no.

"Start with Singapore," he said. "Singapore is like the gateway drug. It's easier. You'll ease your way into it. Everyone there speaks English. It's safe. I think when you're done with Singapore, then you go to the wild side, which is Malaysia."

On an episode of The Daily Show the same year, he defended Singapore after host Noah joked about the Singapore Government not paying for Covid treatment for the unvaxxed.

"In Singapore, the healthcare system just works," said Chieng. "Essentially, it takes like free market principles and socialist principles and combines them together. All they care about is efficiency in Singapore."

However, he concluded with a caveat: "In Singapore, you'll live forever, but you'll have way less fun."