Celebrated New Zealand comedian Rose Matafeo's appearance in a roast battle on Comedy Central UK this week has been marred by a racist controversy.
Some of the jokes by her opponent, British comic Naz Osmanoglu, were aimed at Matafeo's heritage and some viewers took to social media to express outrage.
"Rose of course is half Samoan and half Scottish - which means she's violent and uncivilised, as well as violent and uncivilised," Osmanoglu said.
"It must be very difficult getting dressed in the morning [as she wonders] should I wear my grass skirt or my tartan one? Should I wear my necklace made of dicks or my necklace made of fried dicks?"
A comedy roast battle sees comedians insult each other in the most offensive and funny ways possible.
Osmanoglu also said Matafeo looks like "Colonel Gaddafi had a sex change, then changed back" and also "like every character from Guess Who".
In return, Matafeo called out Osmanoglu's thinning hairline and suggested he'd never donated to charity because he spends all his money on "cocaine and Lacoste polo necks".
When he made the jokes about her race, Matafeo shot back that he was flirting with her, before joking about his race, too.
"It's so refreshing to see a straight white man not succeed in comedy right now. It's so sweet!"
While Matafeo didn't seem offended in the battle or a Comedy Central interview following it, some viewers labelled Osmanoglu's words "racist" and "weird".
Others, however, have pointed out that a comedy roast is intended to be offensive and Osmanoglu's jokes are typical of one.
Matafeo recently won the prestigious Best Comedy Show at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, after winning the Billy T Award in New Zealand in 2013.
Newshub.
