Valet company owner called out for making racist comment
A man, Wayne, who posted videos under the Instagram account @valetbywayne, has apologised after a clip showed him comparing a smell to Indians.
He acknowledged that the comparison was inappropriate despite being made during a game.
In a video posted on Instagram on 12 Oct, he shared what he described as the original, unedited footage and said an earlier clip had been edited in a way that changed its context and made him appear racist.
Source: @valetbywayne on Instagram
He said he was not denying his mistake or asking people to excuse his words, and apologised to anyone who felt offended.
The response followed videos by Singaporean content creator I Am Popo, who called out the remarks on 8 Oct and questioned whether the authorities would take action under Singapore’s new racial harmony legislation.
Wayne says racist remark was made during rating game
In the original footage shared by @valetbywayne, an interviewer asks Wayne to rate hypothetical customers based on different traits.
One scenario describes a customer who scores 10 out of 10 but who smells extremely bad.
Wayne rates the customer a “-1” before making a remark that the smell was even worse than a racial slur referring to Indians.
Source: @valetbywayne on Instagram
The interviewer then moves on to another scenario involving a customer who “gets a lot of girls”, mentioning girls from China and Vietnam.
In his subsequent explanation, Wayne said they had been playing a rating game comparing different things.
Source: @valetbywayne on Instagram
He acknowledged that they had made a comment comparing a smell to Indians, but said it was not intended to insult or discriminate against anyone.
“Looking back, I understand that using such comparison was inappropriate, regardless of the context, and I sincerely apologise to anyone who felt offended,” he said.
He added that he took responsibility for his words but felt it was unfair that a portion of the video had been edited without showing the full context.
Source: @valetbywayne on Instagram
He said he was sharing the original footage so viewers could watch it and form their own opinions.
“My intention was never to spread hate or disrespect to any races or community,” he said, adding that he would be more mindful of his words in future.
He described the post as his final video addressing the matter.
I Am Popo says he spoke up after growing up with racist remarks
Content creator Popo, 30, had earlier posted videos questioning whether action would be taken over the remarks.
In his 8 Oct video, he appealed to Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and referred to the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act, which took effect on 15 Sept 2026.
Source: @mouthknifesharp on TikTok
Popo told MS News that he had grown up being criticised for his curly hair and skin colour, with people using racial slurs against him.
He said he became desensitised to the remarks when he was younger and came to accept being made fun of as a normal part of life.
As he grew older, however, he came to see racism as a form of dehumanisation.
Source: @mouthknifesharp on TikTok
In his videos, Popo said he wanted to see whether the law would protect the Indian minority.
Popo says police are assessing his report
Popo told MS News that he had filed a police report and received a call informing him that the case was being assessed.
He said he hoped the authorities would take some action, adding that he wanted racial slurs to stop being passed around or dismissed as casual racism.
Source: @mouthknifesharp on TikTok
Popo described how repeated remarks about his appearance and race had affected his self-image.
He said he had been made to feel that his curly hair was unattractive, that fair skin was more beautiful, and that being treated differently on public transport was something he had to accept as an Indian.
“[It] made me believe that when people move away from me and cover their nose when I’m on public transport, it’s ‘normal behaviour’ and it’s my fate because I’m Indian,” he told MS News.
He added that he became afraid to speak his own language after people made fun of it.
New racial harmony law took effect in September
The Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act 2025 came into operation on 15 Sept 2026.
It strengthens Singapore’s legal framework for addressing conduct that threatens racial harmony, including offences involving the incitement of hatred or hostility against racial groups and insults or abuse directed at people on the basis of race.
Source: Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore on Facebook
The Act also empowers the Minister for Home Affairs to issue restraining orders against people involved in communicating, producing or distributing content that prejudices racial harmony.
MS News has reached out to Wayne and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) for comment.
Also read: TikToker calls out livestream viewers for casual racism during his exploration of Little India
TikToker calls out livestream viewers for casual racism during his exploration of Little India
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Featured image adapted from @mouthknifesharp on TikTok and @valetbywayne on Instagram.
