India's Got Latent Shutdown: Rise And Fall Of Samay Raina's Show - Crass Comedy, Millions Of Streams, Crores In Revenue

India's Got Latent: Comedian Samay Raina India's Got Latent has been mired in controversy since an episode featuring Ranveer Allahbadia, Apoorva Mukhija, Jaspreet Singh and Ashish Chanchlani sparked massive outrage over some sexual remarks and use of foul language, perceived by many as repulsive and crass. In the aftermath of the backlash, complaints were filed against those who were part of the controversial episode of Latent, leading Samay to take down all episodes of the show from YouTube and India's Got Latent app.

Before its shutdown, India's Got Latent became one of the most trending shows on YouTube India, amassing crores in revenue, courtesy of Samay's brand of dark humour, supplemented by special guests and panelists.

India's Got Latent: An unnecessary reality show is born

India's Got Latent began airing in June 2024. Samay Raina, who had made a name for himself after winning the second season of Comicstaan in 2019 alongside Aakash Gupta, was already gaining fame for his "dark humour" during his comedy shows and live-streaming sessions. Samay then brought his unhinged and unfiltered humour to his parody show, inviting panelists to judge and rate contestants' performances. The show was launched amid Samay's “dehumanizing" roast of Kusha Kapila on Ashish Solanki's Pretty Good Roast. Fans knew what they were in for with Samay at the helm of affairs.  

Samay described it as an "unnecessary reality show". For someone to win, their self-rated act should match with the average score of the judges. However, it was evident that India's Got Latent was a humour-driven show and not talent-driven. Despite all the unhinged and crass humour, passed off in the name of comedy, the show began to get popular due to word of mouth. Samay's fans also made it a talking point on social media.

The rise in demand: Samay adds premium membership for India's Got Latent content

While the first few episodes of India's Got Latent were made available for free streaming on YouTube, sensing its cult audience and rising popularity, Samay soon added a membership fee of ₹59 to access premium Latent content, from episodes to bonus footage, on his YT channel. Subscriptions sky-rocketed and views grew in leaps and bounds. Views ranged from 20 million to 40 million per episode on YT only, with membership of Samay's channel touching 20-30 lakh. Samay followed this up by creating India's Got Latent episode for premium, show-related content and episodes.

Meanwhile, word started to spread about the new, much-talked-about show. Panelists ranged from Badshah, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Raghu Ram, Bharti Singh, Bhuvan Bam, Vishal Dadlani and many more. The unfiltered humour and the jibes became the show's USP. During a streaming session, Samay shared that he was being offered "blind money" by OTT platforms to bring Latent on their platforms, but he resisted. "I want to keep it raw and unfiltered," Samay said, hinting at censorship and edits such shows face on mainstream digital services. The show's popularity also gave rise to its Pakistani version, Talent Got Pakistan .

What's Samay making off India's Got Latent?

The show's rising popularity led to speculations from many about how much Samay Raina must be making off India's Got Latent. Many anticipated that the comedian would be making at least ₹3-4 crore a month from India's Got Latent, adding YT ad revenue, membership fees and brand endorsement. Appearing on a podcast, Samay jokingly shared that he was making ₹5 crore a month from his creative endeavors, including India's Got Latent. The show, which started in June 2024, had aired 18 episodes till now. Some episodes were shot for and are ready to be released in the coming time.

The controversy: It all comes down for Samay Raina

On Tuesday, a controversial episode of the show was removed by YouTube following orders from the central government. One of the panelists, YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, 31, found himself at the centre of backlash after his comments on parents and sex on Samay Raina's show went viral, sparking widespread criticism and police complaints in Mumbai and Guwahati.

The Maharashtra Cyber Department has also registered a First Information Report under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act against India's Got Latent. More than 40 people have been summoned to join the probe. Later, Samay said he has removed all episodes of India's Got Latent from his YouTube channel and app.