Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor sued comedian Harith Iskander on June 9, 2026, alleging his stand-up routine on January 17 in Melaka defamed her by comparing her to Malaysian mythical creatures Toyol, Pontianak, and Pocong [1, 2].
The performance took place at the Swiss-Garden Hotel, where Harith displayed images of these creatures before showing Rosmah’s photograph as the 'frightening figure' reflected in a rear-view mirror on a dark road [1, 2]. Rosmah claims the routine subjected her to body shaming, public ridicule, and seriously harmed her reputation by portraying her as frightening, evil, inhuman, and unworthy of respect [1, 3, 4, 2].
She said the alleged defamation tarnished her dignity and public standing as the wife of Malaysia’s sixth prime minister and as a patron of charitable organisations, as well as a recipient of domestic and international honours [2].
Clips from Harith’s performance were widely shared on TikTok, with one video viewed over 219,700 times and another around 12,500 times, amplifying the damage to Rosmah’s reputation [3, 4, 2]. The lawsuit seeks general, aggravated, and exemplary damages, an injunction to remove the content, and a written apology in two mainstream newspapers and on social media [3, 4, 2].
Harith Iskander, age 60, denied the allegations when filing his statement of defence on July 9, 2026, saying the suit relies on edited and incomplete TikTok clips taken out of context from his full 90-minute performance [3, 4, 2]. He argued the references to mythical creatures were fictional, figurative, and satirical, not literal statements about Rosmah [3, 4, 2].
Harith also denied recording, uploading, or authorizing the TikTok videos, claiming they were posted by third parties without his consent, contrary to his instructions against audience recording [3, 4, 2].
Rosmah, 74, is pursuing legal remedies to restore her reputation after the viral spread of the clips.
The case is ongoing, following Harith’s July defence submission, with further legal proceedings expected.
