Abish Matthew accepts the sexism in his 2012 tweet on Mayawati; pens apology to all women

Comedian Abish Mathew, who recently faced the rage of the netizens after his sexist tweet on BSP Supremo Mayawati 9 years ago was dug up, has issued an unconditional apology for the "poorly worded tweet". Taking to Twitter he said, "I am aware that an apology cannot undo the damage caused by the misogynistic and discriminatory tone of my awful joke and for that, I am genuinely repentant".

He said he was "clearly ignorant, immature and tone-deaf" when he made that joke on Mayawati 9 years ago while assuring that he has evolved and strives to be better with every passing day. He also expressed gratitude for those highlighting his offensive post and giving an opportunity to reflect and issue an apology for the mistake.

In what seemed to be a heartfelt apology, Abish Mathew assured that he will use every platform at his disposal to create awareness about the rights of women and communities he offended with his tweet of yesteryears.

Abish Mathew's apology is in response to the outrage on social media over his denigrating remark on Mayawati 9 years ago. Such was the outrage that 'Arrest Abish Mathew' started trending soon after the tweet was exhumed and shared widely on social media. The tweet has been deleted for violation of Twitter's policies.

A section of netizens has demanded the arrest of the comedian for the demeaning remark as they called it a crime under SC/ST Act and demanding penal action against him. Several others questioned the demand for arrest as the tweet was made 9 years ago. In response, those demanding the arrest claimed that the magnitude of the crime doesn't diminish by how long in the past the crime was committed.

Who is Abish Mathew?

Abish Mathew is a stand-up comedian and a YouTuber known for his stint with AIB and as a creator and host of comedy talk show 'Son of Abish', featuring celebrity guests. He began his career as a radio jockey at Red FM, Delhi before switching to stand-up comedy.