You might already be able to predict that when a satirical skit and Ronny Chieng are combined, the result is hilarious and unexpected. Ronny Chieng, a Johor-born who grew up in Singapore, was made fun of for Singapore’s performance in winning one medal in the recent Paris 2024 Olympics.
A video by The Daily Show’s YouTube channel featuring Michael Kosta and Ronny Chieng showed the former making fun of the latter over and over. The American comedian made fun of the performances of the nations to whom Ronny was connected, particularly Malaysia. As comic relief, the piece laid the groundwork for a string of scathing jokes directed against the Malaysia-born entertainer, with the two correspondents trading pointed jabs.
In the video, Michael, while adopting a brazenly American demeanour, exuberantly declared the final medal total, with the United States of America taking the lead with more than 100 medals. He took the chance to make fun of Ronny when Singapore’s lone medal showed up on the screen. “Where did you re-grow up?” Michael was questioned, then mockingly criticised Singapore’s lacklustre performance. Swiftly responding, the 38-year-old used a colourful term that alluded to French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati’s Olympic moment that went viral, in which his manhood toppled the crossbar.
Not only did Singapore perform in the skit, but Malaysia was also included in the light-hearted banter. Retaining his role as an annoying sports pundit, Michael further embarrassed his co-host by pointing out Malaysia’s dismal performance in Paris. In an attempt to defend his native country, Ronny explained that smaller countries like Grenada, which had won two bronze medals despite having a considerably lower population, performed better than the United States when population size was taken into account. Michael continued to tease nonetheless, and this cunning response was ineffective.
When Michael posed the provocative question, “Which country that Ronny grew up in will embarrass themselves at the 2028 Olympics?”, the roast went on. Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia—where Ronny had studied law—were among the possibilities. This remark was a light-hearted dig at Ronny’s multiracial upbringing by pointing out that none of these countries had succeeded in dominating the Olympic arena, no matter where he had resided. The conversation demonstrated how Ronny’s travels abroad made him a prime candidate for Michael’s constant taunting.
Even with its light-hearted tone, the episode lightly touched on the bigger problem of smaller countries finding it difficult to compete in international sports. Although a source of pride for the country, Malaysia’s bronze medals have been the target of jokes in a world where gold is frequently honoured. Despite being light-hearted, Ronny’s defence of these countries revealed a deeper critique of the standards by which we judge Olympic achievement. It served as a reminder that, even in the larger scheme of world sports, smaller countries’ accomplishments still count, even though they might not win as many medals.
Check out the full video here or skip to 4:47 for the friendly banter:
Source: YouTube
Sakinah contributed to this article.
