Alia Bhatt and Sharvari were the first celebrity guests on the premiere of the brand-new season of Samay Raina’s India’s Got Latent. The Season 2 premiere saw a few standup performances, one of which saw a comedian mimic US President Donald Trump. From the US-Iran conflict to singing a Bollywood song, the entire performance had hilarious moments.
However, one particular dig at Epstein Island has now caught the attention on social media. Many felt that cracking jokes on a sensitive issue, such as Jeffrey Epstein’s island, which was used as a ‘sex abuse haven’ for decades, was not required. Alia did not laugh at the joke during the episode, a moment that has earned appreciation from social media.
What was the joke?
Contestant Avinash Agarwal, who copied Trump’s mannerisms and accent to the T, was declared the winner of the episode. At one point, he said, “You want oil? Come to the island, my friend. There is lot of oil.” While the audience cheered and Samay Raina was seen clapping at this moment, Alia looked sideways and did not laugh.
How internet reacted
Reacting to the moment, a user noted, “loved how Alia didn’t laugh on a joke made on Epstein Island.” Another said, “It only takes a small gesture to reveal a person’s awareness and moral compass. Alia Bhatt, the lone voice on the panel refusing to laugh at a joke about Epstein Island, showed more integrity in that moment than the rest combined.”
A comment read, “Can we appreciate Alia Bhatt for not laughing at a serious topic like the Epstein island joke, despite the peer pressure around her?” “The way Alia was the only person at the panel completely silent and disappointed because that trump guy kept on making war crime, sex trafficking child abuse, homophobic and pedophilic jokes which wasn’t funny nor interesting,” noted a second user.
Meanwhile Samay Raina earned backlash for entertaining such a joke on the show. One comment read, “The Epstein files were never a punchline. Treating them as a joke means trivializing the suffering of countless children who were exploited, abused and denied justice.” “So, Epstein Island is a joke for that clown Samay Raina despite knowing whatever cruelty has happened to children & women on that island? They all laughed & enjoyed the joke. ILL PEOPLE,” read a comment.
India’s Got Latent Season 2 was released simultaneously on YouTube and Netflix, with both platforms streaming episodes in the exact same format and duration.
About Epstein Island
Jeffrey Epstein was an American financier and convicted child sex offender. His island was investigated for numerous child abuse crimes with evidence linking several high-profile individuals from the world of politics, art, and business to him.
President Donald Trump has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. However, the case has continued to follow him politically, especially after he pledged during his 2024 campaign to release Epstein-related records but did not immediately do so after taking office.
Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in 2019. Authorities ruled the death a suicide. The case has since generated multiple conspiracy theories, some of which Trump amplified during his 2024 presidential campaign.