Earlier this year, Jocelyn Chia gained notoriety for her controversial comedy piece regarding the disappearance of MH370.
It would seem that Chia’s unwilling to let the saga end just yet, with her recent announcement of becoming a guest columnist for Newsweek.
Revealing her excitement to write a piece for the American publication, she admitted feeling “kinda grateful” to Malaysia — because stating it once wasn’t enough, apparently.
On 1 July, Chia took to Twitter to share the news with her followers.
She said that she had always wanted to become a journalist, “ideally a columnist”.
While pursuing this ambition of hers, Chia claimed that she had also written for The Straits Times in the past, publishing an op-ed piece in it.
“More than 20 years later since I first held that ambition, I got invited to be a guest columnist for – I can’t even believe I’m saying this – Newsweek,” she added.
The comedian expressed her excitement at the gig, stating that she would often read magazines from the publication during her time in junior college.
“And now I have an essay in it!” Chia enthused.
Honestly, this is actually making me feel kinda grateful to Malaysia.
Published on 28 June, Chia’s piece for Newsweek as a guest columnist delves into the controversy behind her stand-up bit.
During the show, she seemingly poked fun at the disappearance of MH370, which invited the ire of countless Malaysians and Singaporeans, including politicians.
Source: @jocelynchiacomedy on TikTok
The situation apparently got so bad that Comedy Cellar, which posted her initial video, took it down and requested she do the same as the clip on her page carried their logo.
“I was in this all alone, against an angry nation of 33 million people,” Chia wrote.
She went on to note that the harassment intensified while Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan apologised for her words.
“A full-on war was being waged against my mental health and my livelihood,” Chia added. “People advised me to just apologise, saying, Dave Chappelle can afford to not apologise, you can’t.”
Despite losing several gigs and her career initially taking a hit, though, Chia shared that she decided to stand firm.
Labelling the harassment and “cancel culture” as bullying, Chia described her doubling down on her comments as a stance against such behaviour.
She went on to note that she even received more invitations for shows, stating:
Fox News invited me to be a panelist…radio and podcast hosts sympathetic to my predicament asked me to be on their show.
As for the entire debacle possibly having blown up her career, Chia said the jury was still out on that.
“What I do know, is that I took a stand for something bigger than me, and others rose to stand with me,” she said. “And finally, what I do know, is that I am no longer in this fight alone.”
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Featured image adapted from Newsweek and @jocelynchiacomedy on TikTok.
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