Kusha Kapila-Samay Raina row explained: The roast, fallout and the latest rumours
Kusha Kapila has denied rumours of a reconciliation with Samay Raina after the two were seen at Jasleen Royal's birthday party. Her clarification has revived scrutiny of the roast fallout and the misinformation now circulating online.
Rumours of a patch-up between content creator Kusha Kapila and comedian Samay Raina recently took over social media after the two were spotted at singer Jasleen Royal's birthday party. Viral posts claimed the pair had buried the hatchet, with some even alleging that Kusha was keen to appear on India's Got Latent 2.
Kusha, however, was quick to dismiss the claims, calling the posts "fake and seeded". She also alleged that the images circulating online had been altered using artificial intelligence (AI).
Here's a look at how the controversy began and why it has resurfaced:
The roast that started it all
The controversy dates back to December 2024, when Kusha appeared as the subject of comedian Ashish Solanki's Pretty Good Roast Show. Samay Raina was among the panellists roasting her.
After the episode was released, several jokes about Kusha's personal life, particularly her divorce from Zorawar Ahluwalia, drew criticism online.
Kusha later said she had participated in the roast believing it would be handled responsibly. According to her, she was not shown a script beforehand and was unaware of the jokes that would be made about her.
She said she trusted the comedians because they were her friends and admitted she had not expected the content to go as far as it did.
A day after the roast was streamed online, Samay shared BTS pictures and wrote, "Nothing but love for @kushakapila."
Why Kusha objected
Following the backlash, Kusha issued a detailed statement saying that while she had agreed to take part in a live roast, she had not expected the jokes to be released to millions of viewers online.
She said some of the remarks were dehumanising and crossed the line between comedy and personal attacks.
Kusha also revealed that the experience had taken an emotional toll on her and that she had needed time and therapy to deal with the shame and ridicule she felt after the episode.
She has since maintained that many of the jokes should have been censored before the episode was made public.
Did Kusha and Samay stop being friends?
The controversy also affected Kusha's relationship with Samay Raina. She has confirmed that she blocked both Samay and Ashish Solanki after the roast. Although the two later tried to remain cordial, Kusha recently clarified that they are no longer friends.
She also dismissed speculation that she would appear on India's Got Latent, Samay's popular comedy show.
"I am not friends with Samay. I will never be on Latent. We have tried to be cordial and move past what happened, but that's all," she said on Instagram.
Kusha also revealed that several media outlets had approached her for comments against Samay after the controversy. However, she chose not to speak publicly against him.
Why did the rumours return?
The speculation resurfaced after Kusha and Samay attended Jasleen Royal's birthday party.
Videos and photos from the celebration quickly went viral, leading many social media users to believe they had reconciled.
Some posts even claimed Kusha had expressed interest in joining India's Got Latent 2.
Responding to the rumours, Kusha denied every claim. She said the viral images had been AI-altered and accused people online of deliberately spreading misinformation.
Clarifying her presence at the party, Kusha said she attended because Jasleen Royal had invited her and that Samay happened to be there as well.
She stressed that they did not interact at the event and said sharing the same venue did not mean they had become friends again.
Kusha ended her clarification by urging people to stop spreading false narratives and to stop using such rumours to undermine women online.
Despite her clarification, the episode has once again reignited discussion around one of the biggest controversies in India's stand-up comedy space, with the roast, its aftermath and the latest rumours continuing to draw attention online.
Rumours of a patch-up between content creator Kusha Kapila and comedian Samay Raina recently took over social media after the two were spotted at singer Jasleen Royal's birthday party. Viral posts claimed the pair had buried the hatchet, with some even alleging that Kusha was keen to appear on India's Got Latent 2.
Kusha, however, was quick to dismiss the claims, calling the posts "fake and seeded". She also alleged that the images circulating online had been altered using artificial intelligence (AI).
Here's a look at how the controversy began and why it has resurfaced:
The roast that started it all
The controversy dates back to December 2024, when Kusha appeared as the subject of comedian Ashish Solanki's Pretty Good Roast Show. Samay Raina was among the panellists roasting her.
After the episode was released, several jokes about Kusha's personal life, particularly her divorce from Zorawar Ahluwalia, drew criticism online.
Kusha later said she had participated in the roast believing it would be handled responsibly. According to her, she was not shown a script beforehand and was unaware of the jokes that would be made about her.
She said she trusted the comedians because they were her friends and admitted she had not expected the content to go as far as it did.
A day after the roast was streamed online, Samay shared BTS pictures and wrote, "Nothing but love for @kushakapila."
Why Kusha objected
Following the backlash, Kusha issued a detailed statement saying that while she had agreed to take part in a live roast, she had not expected the jokes to be released to millions of viewers online.
She said some of the remarks were dehumanising and crossed the line between comedy and personal attacks.
Kusha also revealed that the experience had taken an emotional toll on her and that she had needed time and therapy to deal with the shame and ridicule she felt after the episode.
She has since maintained that many of the jokes should have been censored before the episode was made public.
Did Kusha and Samay stop being friends?
The controversy also affected Kusha's relationship with Samay Raina. She has confirmed that she blocked both Samay and Ashish Solanki after the roast. Although the two later tried to remain cordial, Kusha recently clarified that they are no longer friends.
She also dismissed speculation that she would appear on India's Got Latent, Samay's popular comedy show.
"I am not friends with Samay. I will never be on Latent. We have tried to be cordial and move past what happened, but that's all," she said on Instagram.
Kusha also revealed that several media outlets had approached her for comments against Samay after the controversy. However, she chose not to speak publicly against him.
Why did the rumours return?
The speculation resurfaced after Kusha and Samay attended Jasleen Royal's birthday party.
Videos and photos from the celebration quickly went viral, leading many social media users to believe they had reconciled.
Some posts even claimed Kusha had expressed interest in joining India's Got Latent 2.
Responding to the rumours, Kusha denied every claim. She said the viral images had been AI-altered and accused people online of deliberately spreading misinformation.
Clarifying her presence at the party, Kusha said she attended because Jasleen Royal had invited her and that Samay happened to be there as well.
She stressed that they did not interact at the event and said sharing the same venue did not mean they had become friends again.
Kusha ended her clarification by urging people to stop spreading false narratives and to stop using such rumours to undermine women online.
Despite her clarification, the episode has once again reignited discussion around one of the biggest controversies in India's stand-up comedy space, with the roast, its aftermath and the latest rumours continuing to draw attention online.
