How India’s Got Latent went from viral sensation to scandal

India’s Got Latent, initially dismissed as 'a pointless reality show'—its creators even joking that viewership reflected unemployment rates—has recently made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

In the latest members-only episode, Ranveer Allahbadia, widely recognised as BeerBiceps, posed a question to a contestant that was not originally his own. This sparked major backlash, leading to multiple FIRs against the panel, the show’s cancellation, and the suspension of all episodes.

Additionally, the controversy has extended beyond entertainment, leading to the cancellation of comedian Samay Raina's tour in India. The issue escalated to the point where Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis addressed it publicly.

Read more: Ranveer Allahbadia apologises for obscene joke on Samay Raina’s show

A look back at India’s Got Latent

India’s Got Latent, hosted by Samay Raina, premiered on 14 June 2024. Before its official launch, Raina recorded multiple episodes but withheld them while refining the format and scoring system.

Raina confirmed in several interviews that Tony Hinchcliffe's American comedy series Kill Tony served as the show's inspiration. India’s Got Latent introduced a unique scoring system that allowed contestants to showcase diverse talents, from dance to coding.

Contestants assessed their own performances, while a panel of judges provided additional scores. If the judges' average score aligned with the contestant’s self-assessment, they won.

In its early days, without a primary sponsor, Raina supported contestants by designating ticket sales from that specific show as prize money.

Read more: Will Ranveer & Samay face backlash from adland after 'joke' outrage?

The show’s title emerged during a reaction video on Tanmay Bhat’s channel when comedian Rohan Joshi jokingly said, "India’s Got Latent"—a clever spin on the classic talent show format.

Brand partnerships and fallout

The show’s immense popularity, with episodes exceeding 20 million views—a remarkable feat in the era of short-form content—helped long-format videos (60–90 minutes) retain audience interest.

Recognising this success, brands quickly partnered with Raina. Companies such as Spinny, Boldcare, WeTok by Veeba, POP Upi, XYXX, and Vastrado aligned with the show. Vastrado reported a 150% increase in revenue and a 20-fold website traffic surge after an episode aired.

Read more: From Spinny to POP: Brands embrace Samay Raina’s ‘India’s Got Latent’

Contestants also gained significant traction, leading to collaborations with Swiggy and Blinkit. Even an episode that drew criticism secured sponsorship from Cashify. However, Myntra, which had partnered with Raina, cancelled its Valentine’s Day campaign amid the controversy.

BeerBiceps: The fallout

Following the controversy, Ranveer Allahbadia, who operates under BeerBiceps and Ranveer Allahbadia on YouTube and Instagram, saw a sharp drop in followers.

Analytics platform Social Blade reports that BeerBiceps lost 90,000 subscribers, while Ranveer Allahbadia lost nearly 100,000 on YouTube between 10–12 February.

Between 10–11 February, BeerBiceps lost 42,800 Instagram followers, while Ranveer Allahbadia’s account lost 35,700 followers over three days.

Meanwhile, the controversy affected Samay Raina differently. On 12 February, he removed all of India’s Got Latent videos from his YouTube channel, SamayRainaOfficial, resulting in an estimated loss of 433 million views.

Yet, despite the backlash, his social media following continued to grow—on 10 February, he gained 80,000 subscribers on YouTube, followed by 30,000 and 20,000 in the next two days. Before the controversy, his channel consistently gained 10,000–20,000 subscribers daily.

Allhabadia has previously collaborated with brands including Spotify, Mountain Dew, Amazon Prime Video, Ajio, Intel, Wow Skin Science, Samsung, Brut, Asus, and boAt.

He is also the co-founder of Monk Entertainment (Monk-E), a digital media agency offering talent management, video production, social media management, and influencer marketing services.

The agency represents top influencers such as BeYouNick, Gaurav Taneja, Be Ghent, Mumbiker Nikhil, Shanice Shrestha, Larissa D’Sa, Aksh Baghla, and Niharika.

This controversy may have repercussions for influencer management agencies as well.

The bigger picture

All episodes of India’s Got Latent have been removed from Samay Raina’s YouTube channel. Meanwhile, Ranveer Allahbadia has issued a public apology, and Raina has stated his willingness to cooperate with authorities.

The controversy has drawn political backlash, with political party social media accounts using the 'latent' theme to mock opponents.

This raises a crucial question: Can comedians such as Raina—who seamlessly merged influencer marketing with satire while openly roasting brands that paid him—continue this strategy? Will we now see influencers moving toward more traditional brand endorsements?

In a recent live stream, Raina revealed that OTT platforms had made significant offers to acquire the show’s intellectual property. However, he declined, citing concerns over creative control and the desire to maintain narrative independence.

As the dust settles, the long-term impact on the influencer and comedy landscape remains to be seen.