"I am glad it happened to me"
Apoorva Mukhija says she is “grateful” for the backlash she received following her appearance on India’s Got Latent, calling it a learning experience that helped her emotionally detach from online criticism.
Popularly known as Rebel Kid, Apoorva reflected on the fallout and admitted it took “so much courage to get back out there”.
She explained: “I am really happy that it happened to me. I am grateful that it happened to me because I realised the internet is not your reality.
“It is a digital world; you don’t live there.
“These people don’t matter; nothing matters. Whatever you think of yourself matters. It took me so much courage to get back out there. I am glad it happened because it helped me detach from what people are saying about me.”
Recalling how the backlash affected her mental health, she said she became obsessed with checking responses online.
Apoorva said: “I was in the loop of constantly checking Reddit comments, what people are saying, and the roast videos they’re making on me.
“Now, I don’t care. I am glad it happened to me; had it happened with someone else, they wouldn’t have been able to tolerate it. So, I really killed with that.”
Apoorva Mukhija was among several creators who came under fire after appearing on India’s Got Latent, a comedy show hosted by Samay Raina.
The February 2025 episode sparked public outrage after YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia made a crude joke about parental sex.
Apoorva also attracted criticism for her remarks towards a contestant, which many deemed vulgar.
Following the episode, multiple complaints were filed in Mumbai against Samay, Ranveer and Apoorva.
The National Commission for Women also intervened, issuing summons to all three and condemning the language used in the show.
The controversy had serious real-world consequences for Apoorva, who was forced to vacate her home in Mumbai.
She explained: “The cops came to my house to put up a notice and to summon me, the building management raised a complaint that ‘cops are coming to this building, it’s wrong, that’s why we don’t allow bachelors, that’s why we don’t rent out to single women’.
“So somehow, I was single-handedly responsible for evacuating feminism out of that building.
“Because police came to my house. So, the owner told me to leave. I stayed in that house for one year only.”
Despite the upheaval, Apoorva has continued working.
She recently appeared in the Prime Video reality series The Traitors and had a cameo role in the Netflix film Nadaaniyan, which stars Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor.
The India’s Got Latent fallout drew sharp criticism from audiences and advocacy groups alike, fuelling wider debate about accountability in online content and the blurred line between digital personas and real-world impact.
But Apoorva Mukhija’s response underlines a shift in how creators are confronting and recovering from cancel culture.
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