Australian comedian Julian Woods has sparked backlash, with some fans unfollowing him, after posting a video joking about the September 11 terrorist attacks on the 25th anniversary of the tragedy.
Woods, who has been branded "Australia's king of dark comedy," shared the clip on his Instagram page, where he has 439,000 followers, on Friday. In the video, he approaches a stranger, an older man, sitting on a public bench.
"Excuse me... if science has flown us to the moon, where has religion flown us?" Woods asks the confused man, before delivering his punchline: "Into the twin towers!" He then opens his jacket to reveal a fake bomb strapped to his chest.
"It's actually the 25th anniversary of 9/11 today. Did you know that? Well, I'm not a scientist but I am religious..." Woods says in the clip, while displaying the fake device.
What Happened In The Video
The frightened man scrambles from his seat and runs away as Woods begins counting down from ten. "Never Forget. 25th anniversary!" Woods wrote in his caption for the post, alongside a plane emoji.
The stunt received very mixed reviews online, with many social media users using the comments section to express their distaste at the joke.
Backlash From Fans
"Stop making jokes about 9/11. I lost my uncle on that day," one person wrote, while another asked: "Do you really think that is funny?!!"
Someone else commented: "I have good humor, and some 9/11 humor is funny if made appropriately, but this isn't funny." Another wrote: "Have some f***ing respect," while a further comment read: "Not cool. This is why the world's corrupt."
Some of the comedian's own fans said the "tasteless" joke had gone too far, with several unfollowing his Instagram account in protest. "Wow! I have no words. Love your stuff usually Julian, but you went a step too far on this one I'm afraid. Not offended, just shocked," one wrote.
Another follower posted: "Sorry buddy, you crossed a line with this one." One more added: "That's actually messed up... I was living in NY then and it definitely wasn't anything to be joking about." A further comment read: "I just unfollowed you... You're a disgrace to society and your family."
Some Fans Defend The Joke
Not everyone was offended, however, with some social media users amused by Woods' dark humour and arguing that critics were taking the gag too seriously. "This is brilliant," one person wrote, while another called Woods a "legend."
One fan wrote: "Follow a dark humour page, then whinge about dark humour. Imagine that! Lighten up."
Known For Dark, Edgy Comedy
Woods is well known for his "edgy" brand of comedy and embarked on his Cancel Me World Tour last year, which he promised would be "even darker, bolder, and more twisted" than his previous work.
This is not the first time the comedian has faced criticism for a shock stunt. In July, he was condemned for a skit about miscarriage in which he popped a balloon at a gender reveal party, only for fake blood to pour over his white outfit.
Defending that gag to the Daily Telegraph, Woods said: "My own mother lost a whole tube having me and she laughed her a**se off watching that video. You can get a personal testimonial from my mum for each of the miscarriages she's had and she found it funny. I'm friends with women, I date a woman."
Bali Arrest With Bonnie Blue
Woods also made headlines in December when he was arrested at a film studio in Bali alongside British porn star Bonnie Blue, accused of flouting Indonesia's strict morality laws as part of a probe into pornography.
Woods was never formally charged and was released from custody eight days later. He insisted he had been spending time with his longtime friend Blue socially and was not filming pornography.
"I didn't go there to break the law," Woods told the Daily Telegraph. "I went there to switch off after a UK tour. I didn't go there to make porn. There was no porn filmed."
