A commercial featuring comedian Bayoumi Fouad has sparked considerable controversy on social media among Egyptian and Saudi tweeters. Fouad arrived in Saudi Arabia to participate in the entertainment season in Riyadh, where he will feature in the play "Salam Murabba" alongside comedian Mohamed Henedy.
Fouad participated in a commercial while in the Kingdom, where he was seen with the owner of a restaurant making a sarcastic remark mimicking one of his famous comedic sketches. However, some social media activists perceived his comments as inappropriate. Turki Al Sheikh, the head of the Entertainment Authority, commented on the advertisement via a tweet, stating: "A trivial ad! Embarrassing! Bad taste and offensive!!!"
In response to the backlash, Fouad issued an apology yesterday to his audience in Egypt and the Arab world, writing on his official Facebook account, "Good evening.. I released an advertisement in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is said to be offensive.. First, my complete apologies to all my brothers in the Kingdom."
He added: "Secondly, I would like to clarify the misunderstanding that occurred; I did not intend for what was published to be an advertisement. The restaurant owners asked me to do this joke as a personal video, and of course, I did not imagine it would be used for the restaurant's advertisement with my name, and I was just as surprised as you all when I saw the video."
He continued: "Accordingly, I completely reject attributing this advertisement to me, out of respect for you and all my audience in the Arab world."
In response to Fouad's post, some accused him of underestimating the audience's intelligence, stating it would have been better for him to apologize without justification. On the other hand, some defended Fouad, arguing that the advertisement was not offensive.
