The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah has apologised for a comment he made about the India-Pakistan conflict, while also appearing to stand by making the joke.
The comedian hosts the satirical news programme and during one of last week’s episodes he joked that a war between the countries would be “the most entertaining one of all time”.
He followed it with an impression of a soldier singing and dancing like a Bollywood star.
The backlash online was immediate and Noah earned himself some high-profile critics, with Piers Morgan calling the gag “despicably crass & racist”.
Another Twitter user wrote: “It’s sad when someone who’s had a violent past mocks war through a Bollywood stereotype. @TrevorNoah’s mother was shot in the head by her husband(Trevor’s stepfather). Imagine someone making fun of it with a Xhosa stereotype - the tribe his mum belongs to.”
Noah then quote-tweeted this post, responding: “Actually if you watch my stand up you’ll see that I did make jokes after my mother was shot in the head.
“As a comedian I use comedy to process pain and discomfort in my world but I am sorry that this hurt you and others, that’s not what I was trying to do.”
He then added: “It’s amazing to me that my joke about the conflict in India and Pakistan trended more than the story of the actual conflict itself.
“Sometimes it seems like people are more offended by the jokes comedians make about an issue than the issue itself.”
Tensions between nuclear-armed nations India and Pakistan are at their worst in years, with the dispute centring on the region of Kashmir.
An India Air Force strike on a suspected military camp in Pakistan flared up tensions last month and the next day, the countries exchanged fire along the contested border.
Despite this, both have said they do not want the conflict to escalate beyond this.