Who is Uncle Roger: The Internet Icon For Asian Culture

Nigel Ng, more commonly known as Uncle Roger, is a comedian born in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.

While studying in the US, he started to venture into stand-up comedy.

But his rise to fame as a world-renowned comic today happened during the COVID pandemic. 😷

In July 2020, a BBC Food video showing Hersha Patel draining rice using a colander caught Ng’s attention. 

Drawing from his Asian roots, he created the Uncle Roger persona to impersonate a stereotypical Malaysian ‘uncle’ to mock the chef’s technique on his YouTube channel.

(💡 Fun Fact: Malaysians and Singaporeans address older strangers in public as Uncle or Aunty.)

And the video went viral, and he became at internet icon for the Asian community. 

Since then, Uncle Roger never looked back. ⏩

Uncle Roger Meets The Chef He Roasted On His First Viral Video

Uncle Roger’s first video had overwhelming support from the Asian community.

Asians grew up eating rice, so watching Uncle Roger’s over-the-top criticism about rice preparation was very relatable for most Asians. 😄

As the roast struck a chord with many in his newfound audience, they eagerly anticipated his first meeting with Hersha.

People were curious to see how the Uncle Roger character would interact with others in real life.

And the video did not disappoint. 🤯

Uncle Roger cracked on with his comedic insults and blunt comments while Hersha took the jokes really well.

The surprisingly fun and authentic interactions showed how Uncle Roger was such a lovable character.

Friendly Banter Between Uncle Roger And Gordon Ramsay 

One of the most viral videos of Uncle Roger was when he reviewed Gordon Ramsay’s Indonesian Fried Rice.

Chef Gordon’s use of authentic Indonesian ingredients and techniques earned him the “uncle” title. 🏆

But, the title was quickly revoked afterwards when Uncle Roger reviewed the Hell’s Kitchen chef’s vegetarian ramen.

This sparked a playful rivalry with the celebrity chef as they would continue to take digs at one another.

Both are known to be harsh critiques, their jabs are light-hearted and should not be taken too seriously.

In fact, Ramsay would go on to earn back his “uncle” title eventually. 💪

Jamie Oliver Is Not As Welcoming As Gordon Ramsay With Uncle Roger

If Uncle Roger was not pulling any punches with Gordon Ramsay, you can expect the same with Jamie Oliver.

Jamie was also heavily roasted as he made severe culinary blunders in his execution of Asian dishes.

In the video, Uncle Roger was completely disappointed with the Chef and criticised almost every single part of the Jamie’s cooking.

The viral video has almost 28 million views as of writing.

His “one-sided feud” with Oliver became a recurring theme, with Uncle Roger further mocking Oliver’s recipes and even making a diss track in January 2024 about Oliver’s controversial lamb curry song. 🥊

Unlike Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver has never publicly acknowledged Uncle Roger even until today.

Despite that, Uncle Roger still frequently roasts the celebrity chef perhaps hoping to one day get his attention..

Who knows if Jamie Oliver will one day respond? 🤔

Ultimately, Uncle Roger’s jokes are purely comical and should not be taken too seriously.

Opening of Fuiyoh! It’s Uncle Roger Restaurant And Guinness World Record

After repeatedly roasting the terrible cooking of others, Ng finally took the plunge to open his very own restaurant.

Fuiyoh! It’s Uncle Roger opened in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur on 11 September 2024, specializing in (yes, you guessed it) egg fried rice. 🥚

Due to his large internet following, Uncle Roger was able to create a very successful marketing campaign.

He even took it a step further and set a Guinness world record in the process.

What record? The largest gathering of people dressed in Uncle Roger’s iconic orange polo tee. 🧡

Even IShowspeed was there to review the food. Safe to say Speed loved Uncle Roger’s special fried rice 😅

With so much hype and fanfare will the restaurant live up to the hype?

The Racism Controversy Over The Uncle Roger Character

Comedy shows are known to be not for the faint-hearted, using over-the-top references and crude language to mock society. 

Part of Uncle Roger’s character is its deep Asian persona, with Nigel drawing from his lived experience with many Asian people back in Malaysia.

To some, his portrayal of the character is to perpetuate negative Asian stereotypes as well as amongst some of the language he uses in his videos.

But to Nigel, he believes the character is a celebration and not a mockery. 🎆

He has said many times that his character raises awareness about Asian cuisines and culture, breaking culture barriers through laughter and comedy.

Uncle Roger’s Social Media Influence 

Nigel Ng’s YouTube has a total of 9.65 million subscribers and 210 videos. To date, he has amassed almost 1.5 billion views.

Nigel is not very active on his Instagram, but does occasionally post, where he is verified with a follower count of 4.5M and 519 posts!

His TikTok page also boasts an astonishing 11.1M followers and 182.5M likes. Wow!

Uncle Roger continues to be a global cultural icon as he shines a bright light on the unique Asian identity for the rest of the world to see.

Nigel is also creative and is not afraid of a new challenge as seen by his restaurant opening, and we cannot wait to see what he has in store for us next! 

Fuiyoh! Uncle Roger steady lah! 

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