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'America's Got Talent' Season 15: Usama Siddiquee's act offends viewers, branded 'racist, sexist and unfunny'

While some thought Siddiquee was funny, others thought it did not deserve to make it through

Stand-up comedian Usama Siddiquee showed a lot of promise with his audition but sadly, he struggled to have his jokes land during the third quarterfinals episode of Season 15 of 'America's Got Talent'.

Kicking his routine off with his introductory home video, Siddiquee donned a wig and performed a skit of what his life has been like living with his family during the quarantine. He then walked onto the stage and made a few quips about being an 'Usama' in an airport before he finished, rather ironically, with a joke about how crowds will enjoy anything as long as it's packaged well. Specifically, he interspersed a few unfeminist jokes amid some pretty good beatboxing. His routine, unfortunately, did not sit well with many, including the judges. While Howie Mandel could sympathize with how difficult performing comedy on a stage can be, he commended Siddiquee for taking risks, Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara weren't too sure the comedian stuck the landing on his act. And it appears many viewers agreed.

Mandel tweeted following the act, "I’ll be honest - it’s really really tough for comedy, not sure if he got the response he wanted but I thought he started off fantastic," to which one user responded, "Don't think you should have been laughing at his feminism jokes and calling Klum a "tramp" especially with her sitting right beside you but time will tell." One of Siddiquee's quips was that a woman, such as Klum, wouldn't mind being called a tramp if it was paired with a sick beat. She evidently disagreed.

Siddiquee's early jokes about being racially profiled in an airport also didn't work for many viewers. "911 should NEVER be a part of a comedy routine... #notok," read one tweet, while another user said, "That comic was NOT funny at all. Joking about 9/11 and calling one of the biggest supermodels in the world a tramp...not a bit funny."

Some, of course, pointed out that Siddiquee wasn't actually dissing Klum, but was instead pointing out how easily our values shift while we're having fun. "The joke is highlighting how DJs say trash and we continue dancing!!" stated one viewer. But, as another responding user pointed out, the comedian's act could have made the same point in different ways. "I understand what he was highlighting but to put down women was wrong. He could have said anything else. That’s why Heidi and most are offended by his performance tonight." Another user stated, "He could have said Cheerios and not tramp and it would have worked."

Some users thought Klum was at fault for being offended, however. "Heidi is always too much of a prude with jokes on @AGT. You were told in advance it's a COMEDY act. You literally got a warning "this is a JOKE." Quit being so serious," tweeted one viewer. "I was honestly laughing so hard, dark humor is wonderful, but not for everyone. I can see why some people would be uncomfortable tho," shared another. And one person said, "I wish Heidi would have realized it was a joke. He wasn’t really calling her a tramp."

But many were on Klum's side, with one stating, "Agree with @heidiklum there’s a line even comics shouldn’t cross, especially on a family show," and another sharing, "@heidiklum #AGT thank you! I was uncomfortable as well. Jokes about suicide bombers are not funny, especially this close to September 11. Thanks again. You remain my favorite!" Other users also thought the act's attempt to play on racism was in poor taste. "Guess you weren’t listening. Racism isn’t funny," read one tweet.

Ultimately, Siddiquee's act split viewers so starkly that it's hard to tell whether he'll make it through to the next round or not. "It takes courage to do comedy the way Usama Siddique did tonight on #AGT," shared one viewer, adding, "I thought it was funny and many comedians thrive on similar kind of jokes." But another shared, "10 years ago that would have been funny as hell in today's world not so much." And one user said, "His routine was horrible. I hope America does not vote for him. He is not getting my vote."