Controversial Aussie comedian Chris Lilley seen in rare outing in Sydney

Cancelled comedian and actor Chris Lilley has been spotted out and about in a rare outing in Sydney.

Cancelled comedian and actor Chris Lilley has been spotted out on a rare outing in Sydney.

The controversial star was seen at the harbourside suburb of Watsons Bay on Wednesday, walking back to his Jeep Wrangler after a day out and about.

The 49-year-old – who is behind the hit shows Summer Heights High and Angry Boys – kept it causal in blue shorts and a grey T-shirt with a matching grey bucket hat over his shoulder-length hair.

Lilley has led a relatively quiet life since his shows were abruptly axed on Netflix back in 2020.

Comedian Chris Lilley was seen in a rare outing in Sydney’s Watsons Bay on January 31. Picture: Mega Agency

Amid an outcry over his racial depictions on the programs, the streaming giant ripped We Can Be Heroes, Jonah From Tonga and the aforementioned Summer Heights High and Angry Boys from the platform.

The move came in the wake of global outrage over the death of unarmed black man George Floyd at the hands of police in Minnesota that year. The brutal incident sparked a fierce debate about racism.

Lilley appeared downcast during his casual outing. Picture: Mega Agency

Lilley’s programs came under fire given he used blackface to portray rapper S.Mouse in his 2011 series Angry Boys, which was still streaming on Netflix at the time of Floyd’s death.

The award-winning Aussie comedian had portrayed several racially diverse characters on his shows, but it was his character of S.mouse that sparked the most backlash.

“I wanted to do it because I thought it was a challenging, new, interesting idea, and mostly I just thought it was a really funny character,” Lilley said, addressing the backlash in a 2011 interview with Vulture.

“The funny thing is, I played a Chinese student in We Can Be Heroes, I played a Tongan boy in Summer Heights High, and I play a Japanese woman also in Angry Boys, but the only one that people talk about is S.Mouse.”

Lilley won the TV Week Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor in 2014. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

He continued, “It’s kind of funny that there’s only certain races that it’s an issue – yes, it’s that history with blackface – but, I don’t know. There’s no comparison. I think it’s a bit stupid that you would shut yourself off to being able to do that.”

Some fans came to Lilley’s defence on X amid the controversy, arguing that he was just “bringing awareness to real issues” in his racial depictions.

“People should watch and analyse more. Chris highlighted real issues and created awareness,” one tweeted. “Artists, in particularly comedians target real life issues.”

“You’re an incredible talent .... so observant of human nature .. don’t change,” wrote another, while yet another fan tweeted: “I know that nothing you would do would be malicious. I’m behind you all the way. Keep making people laugh.”