Indian Podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia Is Facing Backlash, but What Did He Say?

One of India's biggest influencers is in major trouble following a recent podcast appearance. Ranveer Allahbadia, who has more than 10 million subscribers on YouTube, is facing backlash and even a criminal probe following a joke he made on the India's Got Latent podcast, which is hosted by comedian Samay Raina.

As the fallout from this controversy continues to unfold, many want to know more about what Ranveer actually said and why it was such a big deal. Here's what we know.

The entire controversy started after Ranveer asked one of the show's contestants: “Would you rather watch your parents have sex for the rest of your life or join in once to make it stop?”

The show, which is a riff on the popular show India's Got Talent, features a different lineup of celebrity judges in every episode, with Samay as the only constant from week to week.

Ranveer is hugely well-known in India and started out as a lifestyle and fitness influencer. He has morphed into a major celebrity in the country and has interviewed everyone from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Priyanka Chopra. In 2024, he was named the "Disruptor of the Year" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meaning that his content has been at least tacitly endorsed by the Indian government.

The second the video was posted, Ranveer faced backlash from government officials and journalists, many of whom suggested that his comment was beyond the pale.

“Meet the perverted creators who are shaping our country’s creative economy. I am sure each one has a following of millions. This content is not designated as adult content – it can be seen with ease even by a child if the algorithm takes him or her there,” journalist Neelesh Mira wrote on Twitter.

A police probe was opened into his remarks (speech laws are different in India than in the U.S.), and Sanay took down his entire channel because of the scrutiny that it was facing.

Following all of this backlash, and the threat of being criminally charged, Ranveer issued a statement in which he attempted to apologize for what he had said in the video.

"I shouldn't have said what I said on India's Got Talent. I'm sorry,” he said in a video. “My comment wasn't just inappropriate, it wasn’t even funny. Comedy is not my forte, I am just here to say sorry. Many of you have asked if this is how I want 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 am just here for an apology. I personally had a lapse in judgment. It 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 that responsibility lightly and family is the last thing I would ever disrespect," he added. Unfortunately, it might have been too little too late.