Comedian Samay Raina has reached a major milestone. His stand-up special Still Alive is now the most-watched comedy special in YouTube history worldwide.
The special was uploaded on April 7. Within just two weeks, it gathered 53.78 million views. It also crossed 3.8 million likes and over 2,00,000 comments as of April 22.
How the record came to light
Samay Raina shared a screenshot on Instagram Stories on April 21. He had asked Grok AI which comedy special had the most YouTube views globally. The chatbot responded, according to News18, that Still Alive is "the most watched YouTube comedy special of all time globally (full-length stand-up special by total views on its primary upload)."
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A return after controversy
The release follows a difficult period for Raina. He faced nationwide backlash connected to his show India's Got Latent.
The controversy escalated after podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia asked a contestant an inappropriate question during an episode. Multiple FIRs were filed as a result.
Raina has spoken openly about the mental toll of that period. As reported by News18, he said, "I was like a dead body... I was just zoned out. I am just looking around. Just depersonalized, detached from the world."
He also spoke about Balraj Ghai, saying, "Bajraj used to try to take me out. He would say chalna yaar, chal. Main kaha, nahi yaar, I just wanna be here."
He described performing ten shows in Edmonton and Calgary in minus 27 degree Celsius weather while deeply struggling. "Those 10 days I have been so lonely," he said, adding that Ghai could not join him in Canada due to visa issues. "I was dead at that time. I was just crying all the time. I was just f****ng demotivated. Kamre mein leta pada rehta tha," he told News18.
How Still Alive was born
Raina began writing the special at the height of the controversy. He tested early material as surprise sets at Habitat Comedy Club, owned by Ghai. Those fragments eventually grew into a full touring show.
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What the special covers
The one-hour 21-minute special addresses the controversy directly. Raina discusses his parents' reaction and the impact on his mental health. He has stated the entire special was born out of that painful experience.
