Comedian Trevor Noah has said he is sorry for making jokes about the sharp rise in tensions between India and Pakistan over disputed Kashmir.
He said a war between the two would be “the most entertaining”, adding “it would also be the longest war of all time – another dance number!”
The gag, in an episode of The Daily Show, caused most anger in India where thousands poured fury onto Twitter.
India and Pakistan have fought two wars and a limited conflict over Kashmir.
Both countries claim all of Kashmir, but each controls only part of it. The events of the past two weeks has seen an almost unprecedented escalation, which culminated in Pakistan shooting down an Indian fighter jet and capturing an Indian pilot – they later released him.
Shelling over the de facto border dividing Kashmir continued over the weekend, resulting in civilian casualties on both sides.
After Noah’s Daily Show appearance last week, criticism built up online which saw the South African comedian condemned as “racist” and “insensitive”.
When one Twitter user accused him of mocking “war through a Bollywood stereotype”, Noah responded with an explanation of his comedy process – but also said “I am sorry that this hurt you and others, that’s not what I was trying to do”.
He said that he used comedy to “process pain and discomfort”, pointing out that he had even made jokes about his mother being shot in the head.
He followed up by saying that he was amazed that his joke over the conflict “trended more than the actual conflict itself”.
That sentiment also clearly struck a chord. Some users said the outrage that trended over his jokes was “unnecessary”, and just another example of the social media echo chamber that amplifies all offence.
On The Daily Show’s own YouTube page, some expressed dismay but many chimed in to say they found the segment funny.