A 2021 video of podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia crying after testing positive for COVID-19 is being falsely shared on social media as him expressing remorse following outrage and police action over his controversial joke on comedian Samay Raina’s YouTube show India’s Got Latent.
Allahbadia, known for his YouTube channel BeerBiceps, along with Raina and 30 others associated with the YouTube show India’s Got Latent, were booked by the Maharashtra Cyber Police on February 12, 2024. The police have invoked Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, among other charges, citing the alleged use of ‘obscene and foul language’ on the show. The FIR names hosts, judges, participants, and other artists involved, with Assam police also registering an FIR about the incident.
During the show, Allahbadia asked a contestant, ‘Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once to stop it forever?’ The joke sparked controversy, with the podcaster facing criticism for using ‘vulgar’ language and calls for a ban on the show.
A 15-second video is being shared on X which shows Allahbadia crying and saying, "I am feeling bad because all work has closed down, I feel damn guilty, the team got exposed because of me."
The video is being posted with the caption in Hindi when translated reads, "I feel bad because of that. Because of me the whole work stopped... ****...Hello @BeerBicepsGuy aka Ranveer Allahabadi... one should not feel bad because work has stopped. But you should feel bad because you looked at the bed of the mother who gave birth to you"
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the viral video is from April 2021, and not a recent video of podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia crying after outrage over his controversial joke.
Taking a hint from the replies pointing out that the video is old, we ran a search on YouTube and found that the video was posted by Allahbadia on his YouTube channel in April 2021.
In the original video, Allahbadia is heard talking about testing positive for COIVD-19 and the impact it has had on his work along with his team. The part where he mentions about getting COIVD-19, has been edited out of the viral video to make the false claim.
The complete 8.16 minutes vlog can be seen below
After the controversy, Allahabadia posted an apology on X for his jokes.