In a surprising turn of events, Singaporean authorities are now contemplating "further steps" after American comedian Sammy Obeid called out a "completely fictional account" regarding the cancellation of his show in the city-state, according to Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs, Edwin Tong.

During a recent media visit to Siglap South Community Centre, Tong expressed that he was eager to clarify the situation surrounding Obeid's allegations.

The controversy erupted after Obeid posted on Instagram, claiming his performance was axed due to strict content restrictions on sensitive topics, including the Gaza conflict. His post garnered significant attention, racking up over 49,000 likes and more than 6,000 shares.

Obeid alleged his original script faced rejection twice, claiming he had already been cautious by mentioning Palestine a few times and Israel just once. According to him, he was instructed to purge any references to both regions as well as calls to action, which led him to say he "completely caved" and edited his work.

To his dismay, Obeid mentioned that even his revised script met with rejection. He implied that although he was ready to make more adjustments, there was "deemed insufficient time for resubmission" of his work.

Edwin Tong firmly contradicted Obeid’s narrative, stating that the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) did not ask for any edits to the comedian’s script and emphasized that this was confirmed by Obeid's own agent.

Pointing out the lateness of Obeid’s application, Minister Tong asserted, "The facts are clear. The rules state that license applications must be submitted 40 working days prior to the show. In this case, Obeid applied on August 15 for a show scheduled on August 31 — that’s nearly 30 days late!"

The IMDA reiterated on Thursday that several of Obeid's claims were "inaccurate and misleading." They elaborated that the event's local representative, experienced in such applications, had informed Obeid of the lateness via email on August 19 and followed up in writing and by phone on August 25.

In a final note, an IMDA spokesperson added that the organizer expressed surprise at Obeid’s allegations and possesses emails and recordings affirming she consistently reminded him of the late submission, which was the sole reason for the decision to reject his application.