The first stand-up comedian in Malaysia posted a heartfelt message on his Instagram account yesterday, thanking the “Bangsa Johor” for the support given to him throughout the competition organised by Laugh Factory, a renowned comedy club based in Los Angeles, the United States.
“I was born in Johor, my dad was a Johorean,” he proudly posted, before going on to say how his late mother, who was from England, had moved to Malaysia in 1962 and was accepted by “orang Johor” who were so helpful to her in adjusting to life in a new country.
“My late Mum’s (coming from England) first taste of Malaysia back in year 1962 was living in JB (Johor Baru) where orang Johor were so helpful and accepting of her. Her first Raya was in Muar,” Harith said.
The veteran comedian, who was also one of the brains behind the Jangan Ketawa sketch comedy TV series in the early 1990s, said that despite growing up in Kuala Lumpur, “roots will always be roots”.
The Instagram post also featured a photo of him holding his trophy while wearing a hoodie featuring the Johor flag on its sleeve.
Harith said the hoodie was a gift from the Crown Prince of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
“This hoodie given to me as a gift by the Crown Prince of Johor (fondly known as TMJ) kept me warm in Helsinki,” he said, referring to the capital of Finland, where the final rounds of the stand-up comedy contest were held.
He added that he was looking forward to “coming back and hitting my favourite stall for a bowl of Johor laksa”.
A former student at the St John’s Institution in Kuala Lumpur, Harith came out tops in the Laugh Factory Funniest Person in the World competition, beating four other contestants in the final on Saturday.
He beat out Alex Calleja from the Philippines, Katerina Vrana (Greece), Mino van Nassau (India) and David Kilimnick (Israel) to win the US$100,000 (RM445,000) cash prize.
The competition started in September with 88 participants, including another Malaysian stand-up comedian, Dr Jason Leong.
Harith had also topped the voting at every stage of the competition.