Regarding the individuals who oversee the podcast.
Luke Mockridge brings disgrace upon himself with offensive remarks in a podcast, leaving him shunned by audiences. Yet, his co-hosts, Nizar Akremi and Shayan Garcia, also contribute to the obscenity. Where is the retribution?
Over a week now, a brief clip from a "The Germans Podcast" recording has been circulating, forcefully causing TV comedian Luke Mockridge to lose most of his projected engagements. German channel Sat.1 has even decided against broadcasting a new quiz show scheduled for Thursday with the 35-year-old, due to his inappropriate jokes about disabled individuals and the recently concluded Paralympics in Paris.
What is striking about this scenario is the delay in identifying the inappropriateness of the comments - more than two weeks after the podcast was uploaded on August 15. This underlines the understanding among "The Germans" fans that such behavior is tolerable. The stands of Akremi and Garcia, the podcast's hosts, in the ongoing ableism controversy also raises questions. This is not the first time the creators have strayed from good taste.
2.5 million listeners per episode
Some may argue that the two hosts are less influential and the spotlight on Mockridge's misconduct is justified. However, "The Germans" places in the top 50 podcast charts with a whopping 2.5 million listeners per episode. Among its guests are notable figures like Bushido, Sido, and Mario Barth.
Exploring Akremi and Garcia's Instagram page, one finds a substantial following of 177,000, as well as announcements of their upcoming arena tour in Berlin, Hamburg, and Frankfurt am Main. Their shows are not modest; instead, they are slated at prominent locations like the UBER Arena and Barclays Arena, selling out tickets in a record five minutes for Frankfurt's shows. Although Babbel withdrew sponsorship, it appears to have minimal impact on their tour plans.
Nizar Akremi's unfavorable humor
Who are the faces entertaining so many, seemingly residing outside the mainstream? Born in Bonn, German-Tunisian Nizar Akremi embarked on his stand-up comedy career in 2015 following an unsuccessful singing career. Akremi brought a storm of criticism in 2022 with his solo show "Shitstorm," promoting controversial antisemitic jokes constructed from outdated stereotypes about Jews.
He claimed that Jews held "ultimate power" in Germany. He also highlighted a Frankfurt restaurant, booked by real Jews with physical markings, as an unseen spectacle akin to a "unicorn." Having never encountered Jews before, he claimed that these individuals were like "unicorns" to him. To verify, he tossed a coin into the air and watched as the owner caught it, confirming her Jewish status. The Hessian Broadcasting Corporation discontinued their collaboration shortly afterward.
Upon October 7, 2023, according to "The Jewish General," Akremi escalated his hatred towards Jews by openly expressing antisemitic views on social media. This is evident in his X posts, where he likened the actions of the Israeli army in Gaza to the Holocaust: "There is no difference between people who put civilians into a gas chamber and people who bomb civilians.” He elaborated with the hashtag #israhell. The 40-year-old further combined her antisemitism with misogyny, as shown in a January post. "Gal Gadot is such a hackface. If I were a woman, I’d give her a choke slam, but she’d come down face first," Akremi said about the Israeli actress advocating for Hamas prisoner release.
Strategic scandals
Akremi entered the podcast scene five years ago with a blank slate. Shayan Garcia, Akremi's co-host, was an unknown figure at the start, reportedly residing in Wiesbaden and living with his wife. Beginning on YouTube with street interviews, his platform now boasts 700,000 followers. On TikTok, he enjoys nearly a million followers.
Since 2019, Akremi and Garcia have been affiliated, broadcasting twice a week, typically talking about trivial matters while playfully deviating from societal norms with caution, humor. It is likely that they anticipated the fallout from episode 448's controversy. Upon the episode's release, Akremi took to X to announce the show's controversial episode: "Luke Mockridge was present on the podcast today. Wake up, Woke Bubble. In true goblin fashion, I've managed to reveal a particularly unsavory side. I am eagerly anticipating the uproar."
This "commotion" seemingly put an end to Luke Mockridge's professional journey, yet Nizar Akremi and Shayan Garcia seem to feel immune from any repercussions. Their fanbase largely rallies behind them, praising their humor and claiming that others are just oversensitive and lack the ability to comprehend their joke's context. This perspective is a common one among dedicated Luke Mockridge supporters. The withdrawal of Babbel as a podcast sponsor likely won't phase Arkemi and Garcia, as no significant backlash has ensued. An online petition primarily calls for consequences for Mockridge, seemingly disregarding the hosts' involvement.
Interestingly, about a year ago, there was another episode of "The Germans" featuring Luke Mockridge in a prominent role. During this episode, Akremi and Garcia explored the accusations made by his ex-girlfriend, Ines Anioli. She alleged that Mockridge engaged in sexual coercion within their relationship, with attempted rape mentioned. However, evidence was insufficient to prove these claims, and Anioli's behavior was not always impeccable either. Ultimately, the case was dropped.
At that time, the hashtag #consequencesforluke gained popularity. Many fans accused those in the media and comedy circles who spoke out against Mockridge of initiating a witch hunt that resulted in several of his appearances being cancelled. "Why isn't there an apology for Luke Mockridge? Where are those individuals now? The ones who ruined his life, the ones who cost him millions of euros," Akremi vented at the time, adding that it had become easy for women to destroy a man's life. Now, Luke Mockridge appears to have brought about his own career's downfall.
Despite Luke Mockridge's career downturn due to his offensive remarks, 'The Germans Podcast' hosts Nizar Akremi and Shayan Garcia continue to attract large audiences with their shows, selling out tickets in record time. Their fanbase defends their controversial humor, claiming others lack comprehension.
Nizar Akremi, one of the hosts, has a substantial following and gained notoriety for his controversial antisemitic remarks in 2022 and 2023, which led to the discontinuation of collaborations. Despite this, the duo's podcast remains popular in the top 50 podcast charts, with influential guests and a wide following.
