Tabish Hashmi is sorry for her on-air blunder regarding Mariyam Nafees

On Hafiz Ahmed’s podcast, well-known comedian and host Tabish Hashmi, who rose to fame with his YouTube series To Be Honest, recently discussed a developing scandal. In response to criticism from a joke he made about actress Mariyam Nafees, Tabish addressed it during the podcast.

A video clip from a live PSL program in February 2024 included Mariyam, co-hosting alongside Tabish, answering a question regarding her preferred PSL team. “I prefer Peshawar Zalmi, followed by other teams, and Karachi last because of their poor performance,” the actor remarked. Tabish retorted provocatively, saying, “Your husband is also from Karachi.” Does he not perform well either?

The audience was not blind to the double entendre, and they attacked the comedian online. Conversely, Mariyam seemed to take the remark in joke. With a “of course your husband is director,” Tabish countered his statement. Why would he perform?,” the Neem actor remarked, before adding, “Nice cover.”

Many found the joke offensive, and it was criticized for appearing to be a humiliating slip-up on the comedian’s part. Speaking about the matter now on the podcast with Hafiz, Tabish emphasized his tight friendship with Mariyam and said that their mutual banter is a normal aspect of their chemistry. He also stressed that the joke was meant to be lighthearted.

In response to the episode, the TV presenter made it clear how he feels about making fun of Mariyam on live shows. “I made a joke remark to Mariyam Nafees during a live performance. I ought not to have stated that. I have a really close friendship with Mariyam. She is also quite naughty. We are joking around right now. I also play around with her hubby off-air. He’s so kind and pleasant,” Tabish remarked.

He emphasized that they joke around with one other on a personal level and that there was no aim of offending. He did concede, though, that some subjects are best left off of live television. But that was only a joke between us. Tabish cited, regretting and apologizing, “There are some things that you should not discuss openly, let alone joke about them.”

Having said that, he acknowledged that jokes occasionally slip out accidentally when things get tight during the act. The joke in question was not removed from the YouTube video until much later, even with the commotion. He expressed his dissatisfaction at not being able to completely avoid these mistakes.

He attempted, according to Tabish, to address the joke in public the day after it happened. Mariyam, on the other hand, cautioned against it, saying it would be preferable to let the debate die down on its own. Even if the comedian insisted, Mariyam thought that stoking the flames would only make the problem worse. But Tabish insisted, “I shouldn’t have made that joke.”