Samay Raina returned to the digital stage on Saturday, over a year after public outrage, multiple FIRs, and a Supreme Court intervention forced the complete erasure of India’s Got Latent Season 1. The comedian launched Season 2 on June 20, 2026, bringing actors Alia Bhatt and Sharvari Wagh onto the panel to promote their upcoming YRF action-thriller Alpha. The premiere quickly ignited a fresh controversy when a contestant mimicking Donald Trump delivered a punchline referencing Jeffrey Epstein’s island.
Contestant Avinash Agarwal told the panel, “You want oil? Come to the island, my friend.” While Raina and the studio audience broke into laughter, Bhatt maintained a completely stoic expression and refused to smile. Her silent reaction rapidly gained traction across social platforms, with viewers praising her moral compass. Conversely, Raina faced immediate backlash for entertaining the joke on the broadcast.
The episode operates under a first-of-its-kind distribution model for the Indian creator economy, according to India Today, streaming simultaneously on both Netflix India and YouTube. Before the controversial standup set, Raina directed his signature roasting style straight at the Bollywood star. He mocked her recent box-office performance in Jigra, questioned her red carpet credentials by stating, “Kahan Cannes, kahan Latent,” and brought up her infamous Koffee With Karan general knowledge mistake. Raina also introduced Sharvari simply as Bhatt’s “plus one,” though both actors remained in high spirits through the initial banter.
The intense scrutiny surrounding the episode mirrors the fallout from the show’s original run. Raina’s previous season was wiped from the internet after podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia made a highly inappropriate comment on the panel. That specific incident triggered intervention by the National Commission for Women and required Allahbadia to secure interim protection from arrest. The immediate viral debate over the Epstein joke indicates the new season will operate under a similar magnifying glass.