KUALA LUMPUR: Comedian Harith Iskander published a post on Facebook on Friday – and no one is laughing.
That’s because the winner of the ‘2016 Funniest Person in the World Contest’ was confirming a shocking exposé by the Hollywood Reporter in December that he was suing the contest organiser – the US-based The Laugh Factory – for failure to award him his grand prize.
According to La La Land’s entertainment bible, the payoff for winning the 2016 international tournament was US$100,000 and a US comedy tour.
But Harith disclosed that he only received US$30,000 of the purse, and that there has been no sign of the promised American tour.
The funnyman said that he had no choice but to take legal action against The Laugh Factory and its founder, Jamie Masada. (He is NOT pulling their legs).
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Harith is suing for promissory fraud, breach of contract, misleading advertising and unfair competition, among other claims. He is seeking the US$70,000 balance of his prize and the realisation of the US tour, or a cash equivalent.
The upstanding stand-up comic revealed that he was approached by an agent from The Laugh Factory to participate in the contest, and was excited at the prospect of putting Malaysia on the comedy world map. The ultimate bragging right of being “the world’s funniest person” must have also been a spur for Harith as he prepared for the comedic showdown, but he said:
“It may have looked simple, but a lot of time, effort and work – not to mention expenses – went into making the goal come true.”
As such, he is also seeking a refund of his costs of participating in the tournament, which includes travel, immigration fees and loss of earnings. (Who’s laughing NOW?)
Harith also revealed, undoubtedly with great relief, that he was advised by his California lawyer against publically commenting on the Hollywood Reporter piece when it was published, as the case was still pending in court – but he is at liberty to do so now as his case is going forward.
The famed jester can take comfort from his friends and fans who expressed their strong support for his cause in the post’s comments section.
Hopefully, Harith will have the last laugh in this sorry affair.