Chinese comedian canceled for PLA pun

Quip about military sparks debate on boundaries of talk show jokes

20230519 Caixin

Xiaoguo Culture Talk Show Actor Li Haoshi said he would take responsibility for the incident, stop all performances and reflect deeply in a Weibo post.

WANG XINTONG, Caixin

Chinese stand-up comedian Li Haoshi, who goes by the nickname House, has been suspended indefinitely after social media users accused him of insulting the Chinese military in a joke he made during a live comedy show in Beijing on Saturday.

The incident led to an official probe into his employer, Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media Co., and sparked an online debate about the boundaries of talk show jokes in China.

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