ITV BGT finalist sparks antisemitism row after ‘appalling’ remark to Hebrew-speaking comedy show attendee

Mr Abdulrashid, 41, who has also made appearances on several British comedy shows including Would I Lie to You, The Last Leg, Have I Got News For You, and many others, was making a joke about the English language when the incident involving a Hebrew-speaking attendee occurred.

“The best thing England ever produced is the English language. English is such an easy language. You can’t speak any other language without speaking English,” he began.

“You don’t believe me? I’ll prove it. Who here speaks another language? Come on, you foreign scum. What language do you speak?” he joked.

A Norwegian member of the crowd was the first to speak up, which prompted Mr Abdulrashid to ask him how to say “non-binary” in his native language.

When the response sounded similar to English, Mr Abdulrashid began chanting: “England till I die! I’m England till I die! I know I am, I’m sure I am, I’m England till I die!”

He continued the skit: “Who’s next, you Saracens? Next language, let’s go. What language do you speak?”

“Hebrew,” the second audience member replied, which led to Mr Abdulrashid pausing before he quipped: “Not quite.”

Mr Abdulrashid then followed it up with a dig aimed at Israel: “I think you’ll find a lot of it is borrowed. Now I…”

The BGT contestant held his hand aloft to make a peace gesture as other attendees applauded and laughed. He continued his jibes soon after.

“How do you say ‘original occupant’ in Hebrew?” he pressed on before belting out: “Gaza till I die! I’m Gaza till I die!

“From the sea to the river, I’m Gaza till I die!”

Mr Abdulrashid concluded the joke by saying to the Hebrew-speaking gig-goer: “I know, I’m sure you’re a good guy. I’m just p****d because I went to use the toilet and you were in there. The door said occupied.”

While the crowd in attendance appeared to see the funny side of Mr Abdulrashid’s remarks, they’ve been widely criticised by prominent Jewish figures.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote in an X post on Wednesday: “Someone speaking Hebrew can’t go to a comedy club without being mocked and ridiculed.

“When Jews are the butt of a joke simply because of who they are, you know your society has taken a disastrous turn.”

Meanwhile, Free Speech Nation host Josh Howie also commented on the joke: “Hey @GrandmasterNabz take the p**s out of whomever you want, even be massively hack, but please I f*****g beg you, read a history book. Jews were speaking Hebrew thousands of years before Islam colonised your ancestors.”

And columnist and author Jake Wallis Simons summed up his thoughts on the comments with a blistering two-word verdict: “Dirty antisemite.”

Another social media user branded Mr Abdulrashid’s gag as “appalling” and “pure prejudice”, while others labelled him a “bigot”.

GB News has contacted Mr Abdulrashid’s representatives and Top Secret Comedy Club for comment on the backlash.

Mr Abdulrashid is no stranger to controversy. In 2020, during his Britain’s Got Talent stint, he faced a wave of complaints about his sets.

After receiving a Golden Buzzer from Alesha Dixon, his semi-final performance prompted a little under 1,000 Ofcom complaints, while his finale set was met with over 2,000.

Ofcom dismissed the complaints, however, saying: “The comedian’s satirical take on his life experiences as a black Muslim was likely to have been within audience expectations.”

Meanwhile, incidents of antisemitism have risen drastically in the past year, with the UK recording the highest rise among any major Jewish population outside of Israel in 2025.

The findings, published in a report by the J7 Large Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism, also found that 2025 had been the deadliest year for Jews living outside Israel in more than three decades.

Angela Rayner branded the rise in antisemitism “horrific” and “intolerable”, while Lord Mann, the UK government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, has publicly called for a “clear, calm and methodical” approach to tackling anti-Jewish hatred.