Vir Das takes a dig at podcasts amid outrage over Ranveer Allahbadia's India's Got Latent row: 'You are allowed to...'

Famous YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia aka BeerBiceps, who runs the popular podcast The Ranveer Show, landed into a huge controversy after he made alleged offensive remarks on the stand-up comedian Samay Raina's YouTube show India's Got Latent. Ranveer issued an apology but still several complains and a couple of FIRs were filed against him.

Now, comedian and actor Vir Das has taken a dig at the podcast trend in the country and suggested that the podcasters must take a "tiny IQ test" before starting out. Taking out to his X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday, February 26, the Delhi Belly actor wrote, "Okay...hear me out...imagine a world where....you have to take a tiny IQ test, maybe a basic reasoning exam...you pass both....above a certain metric...and THEN.....and ONLY THEN.....you're allowed to start a podcast. Better world? Worse?"

Okay...hear me out...imagine a world where....you have to take a tiny IQ test, maybe a basic reasoning exam...you pass both....above a certain metric...and THEN.....and ONLY THEN.....you're allowed to start a podcast. Better world? Worse?

— Vir Das (@thevirdas) February 26, 2025

A couple of weeks ago, Vir Das also shared his thoughts on the India's Good Latent controversy. He wrote on his Instagram, "The audience is always welcome to debate what good comedy is. A good artist will take their feedback head down, mouth shut, and maybe evolve. Either way the consequences of your comedy on your career and audience are pretty instant. That’s a natural process."

Das further suggested that there should be a debate on what is good journalism as well as he further added, "But we are also watching a bunch of irrelevant mainstream media anchors bordering extinction coming together to take down new media that gets millions more views, longer interviews, and far more impact than their bloated studios and fat salary at 1 per cent of the cost. Whether you like the new media or not is irrelevant. That’s also what’s happening here. And while they debate what good comedy is, please debate what good journalism is, and the news that they should be doing, the questions they should be asking, and who they should be asking them to."

Meanwhile, in November 2024, Vir Das created history by becoming the first Indian to host the International Emmy Awards. In 2023, he had won the International Emmy Award for Best Comedy Series for his Netflix comedy special Vir Das: Landing.