Comedian Russell Peters talks about getting sick in Hong Kong and ‘professional offence takers’
Canadian funny man Peters says his observations are based on reality and people shouldn’t get upset and that comedians are the last truth tellers
![Handout image shows Canadian comedian Russell Peters. 24MAR17 [FEATURES 2016]](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1200x800/public/images/methode/2018/02/09/7613cdd6-0cae-11e8-a09e-8861893b1b1a_1280x720_200344.JPG?itok=iSGwMyWZ)
“Out of our crew of 11, nine of us got extremely ill, including me. One of our security guards got so sick he ended up staying in a Hong Kong hospital for three weeks. His kidneys failed, he almost died. That’s one of our more crazy experiences!” the Canadian comic says, adding with a chuckle: “He’s great now but he’s not on tour with us any more because he doesn’t want to chance it.”
Mysterious viruses aside, Hong Kong holds a special place in Peters’ heart. If nothing else, he loves to poke fun at the city’s ways. “It’s become so materialistic!” the 47-year-old exclaims. “You see people lining up to get into Hermès or Louis Vuitton. You don’t even get that in LA. It’s like they’re going, ‘Hey! I really don’t want this money so can you just take it from me, please?’”
Hong Kong holds no fears for British stand-up Michael McIntyre
For nearly three decades, the stand-up comedian has become known for his comparisons of different cultures’ quirks and the comical interplay between groups.