// Adds dimensions UUID, Author and Topic into GA4
Sunday, July 26, 2026
28.3 C
Singapore
type here...
Screenshot
In the Hood
1 min.Read

Influencer Novita Lam apologises for ‘Iran’ & ‘Israel’ joke

Anna Maria Romero
By Anna Maria Romero

SINGAPORE: A local content creator issued an apology after being slammed by netizens for who found her post which jokingly referred to Iran and Israel, two countries currently at war, as inappropriate.

The beauty and lifestyle influencer Novita Lam, who was born in Indonesia but lives and works in Singapore, posted a short video on her TikTok and Instagram accounts on March 3 (Tuesday), showing herself going for a jog in the Marina Bay area, with her Strava statistics showing on her screen.

“Iran this, Israel that. IRAN 10km and the pain ISREAL,” she wrote in the text overlay.

Given the far-reaching effects of the war in Iran and the seriousness of the issue in general, it did not take long for netizens to call out Ms Lam, who has 441,000 followers on Instagram and 129,600 followers on TikTok, on her post, and she quickly took the clip down on both platforms.

“No one wants to be in that situation, and she should be grateful to her very last bit, for the safety and comfort (and living the high life) in Singapore,” wrote a Reddit user.

“Poorly executed pun and massive tone deaf. Makes light of a real conflict where people are suffering and dying on both sides of the war. Turning war into wordplay for social media clout and attention shows her lack of empathy and awareness,” commented another.

“She’s lucky we are not in war,” remarked a third.

Nevertheless, by the time she removed her post, screenshots had already been taken and widely shared online.

Some TikTok users, upset with Ms Lam’s post, even took to commenting on her other videos, and comments have since been disabled on some of them.

On March 4, Ms Lam apologised via an Instagram reel.

“I would like to sincerely apologise for a story I posted earlier. It was insensitive and hurtful, especially with what is happening around the world right now.

I removed it as soon as I realised my mistake. I am truly sorry for this. I will be more mindful moving forward. Once again, I am sorry for my actions,” she wrote. /TISG

Read also: ‘Pick someone who’s not already tired,’ TikTok users tell Canadian influencer who challenged Singaporeans to race him

- Advertisement -
Google News Follow Google News WhatsApp Join us on WhatsApp Telegram Follow us on Telegram

Hot this week

In the Hood

‘It’s fine to keep cats, but owners must be responsible’: Residents complain of roaming cats at HDB block

Residents of Toa Payoh HDB flats say the cats have been roaming freely along the corridor for months, leaving faeces outside homes and a lingering foul smell behind.
Jobs

‘Why is screaming becoming part of corporate culture in Singapore?’: Worker says boss’s shouting left him anxious

A Singapore worker shared how years of being shouted at by his manager left him anxious, afraid to speak up and constantly second-guessing himself at work.

Popular Categories

Singapore NewsFeatured NewsSG EconomySingapore PoliticsLifestyleCelebrityInternational
document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { const trigger = document.getElementById("ads-trigger"); if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { entries.forEach(entry => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here observer.unobserve(entry.target); // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); observer.observe(trigger); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });

The Independent SG

Also Visit

Social Media

© The Independent Singapore

// //
Enable Notifications OK No thanks