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Nigel Ng ( ; c=黃瑾瑜; born 15 March 1991) is a Malaysian comedian and YouTuber. He is best known for co-creating (alongside Evelyn Mok) and portraying Uncle Roger, a character representing a middle-aged Asian uncle with an exaggerated Cantonese accent who is often seen critiquing people's attempts at cooking Asian food.
In July 2020, Ng attracted attention for an Uncle Roger video critiquing Hersha Patel's BBC Food video on cooking Fried rice. After the video went viral, Ng and Patel appeared on BBC Food together and collaborated on a YouTube video. In August, he spent a day working in Elizabeth Haigh's restaurant, Mei Mei. The following month, he posted a critique video with regards to Gordon Ramsay's fried rice and praised Ramsay for having the correct technique.
He has released numerous videos critiquing Jamie Oliver's versions of popular Asian dishes such as egg fried rice, Thai green curry, ramen, and pho.
Ng was a special guest on second season of MasterChef Singapore in 2021, and a guest judge on the third season of Junior MasterChef Indonesia in 2022. That same year, he was a guest diner on the 21st season of Hell's Kitchen. He has also collaborated with numerous entertainers and food personalities including Esther Choi, Joshua Weissman, Chef Rush, Andy Hearnden, Nick DiGiovanni, Steven He, Simu Liu, Jimmy O. Yang, Benny Blanco, Martin Yan, and Gordon Ramsay.
The accent Ng uses for the Uncle Roger character has received criticism for perpetuating negative stereotypes about Asians. Chef J. Kenji López-Alt (who is of Japanese descent) said, "I don't like that Ng's schtick seems to give a free pass to people to imitate stereotypical Asian speech patterns and pronunciation, especially as it's almost always non-Asians doing the imitating. It's ugly, it's yellowface, it's not funny, and it promotes anti-Asian racism at a time when Asians are already being heavily discriminated against." In response, Ng has said that it highlights the difference in the perception of Asian stereotypes between Asians living in Asia and Asian Americans. His critique video of Patel's egg-fried rice has been described as making the viewers "fall for every cultural 'trap' his character sets", overlooking the differences of rice cooking methods in Indian cuisine, and turning East and Southeast Asians into "rice-cooking supremacists" with his "faux encouragement".
On 12 January 2021, Ng apologized on the Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo and deleted a video featuring fellow YouTuber Mike Chen, who had been critical of the Chinese Communist Party and had also been associated with the ultra-conservative movement Falun Gong. He stated, "This video has made a bad social impact... I wasn't aware of his political thoughts and his past incorrect remarks about China. I hope you can give Uncle Roger, who has just entered China, a chance to improve!" His response attracted criticism on Twitter. In his first subsequent video as Uncle Roger, he said he would "keep making funny videos ... no politics, no drama".
On 30 July 2023, Ng stated in an Uncle Roger video, "Not all Southeast Asia has good food. You don't want food from Laos and Cambodia." He also jokingly described Laotian cuisine as an inferior version of Thai cuisine, causing criticism and backlash from both Laotian and Cambodian communities. In a response video to Laotian chef Ae Southammavong challenging him to try Laotian food she had cooked, Ng accepted the challenge and explained his comments by saying, "All the Laos food I had so far... not my favourite. Asian people criticizing other Asian people is just a way of life." Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism issued a statement condemning Ng's remarks as damaging to the image of its cuisine and demanding an apology. The Embassy of Malaysia in Phnom Penh distanced Malaysia from Ng's remarks, saying that "they do not in any way reflect our view".
Ng has stated that he does not want any of his viewers to spread hate towards anyone.
On 22 May 2023, it was reported that Ng's Bilibili and Sina Weibo accounts had been closed down in response to perceived criticism of China's government in his stand-up comedy special for the phrase "this Nephew using Huawei phone, they all listening."
Ng lived in Hammersmith in London. In 2020, he discussed being the victim of an anti-Asian assault while living there.
Ng is divorced. The identity of his ex-wife is not publicly confirmed, though he remarked in his podcast that he was married to a white woman.
In 2023, Ng moved to Los Angeles, California. At the end of 2024, he announced he was engaged to Sabrina and proposed to her in Japan during the sakura festival, restating he was living in Los Angeles.. They married on the 20th of July 2025.
Personal life
Mandarin Chinese is Ng's first language. His sister is a professional musician.[1]
External links
Categories: Official Website, English-language Youtube Channels, 1991 Births, Living People, Entertainers From Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian People Of Hokkien Descent, Malaysian Expatriates In The United Kingdom, Malaysian Expatriates In The United States, Malaysian Youtubers, Malaysian Stand-up Comedians, Northwestern University Alumni, 21st-century Comedians
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