Australian comedian Julian Woods has faced backlash over a 9/11 joke posted on Instagram, after a public stunt involving a fake bomb left viewers divided.
Woods, who has 439,000 followers on the platform and has been branded “Australia’s king of dark comedy”, shared a video showing him approach an older man sitting on a bench.
He asked the stranger: “Excuse me… if science has flown us to the moon, where has religion flown us?”
Woods then replied: “Into the twin towers!” before opening his jacket to reveal what appeared to be a bomb strapped to his chest.
As the man scrambled away, Woods began counting down from ten. He then said: “It’s actually the 25th anniversary of 9/11 today. Did you know that? Well, I’m not a scientist but I am religious…”
The comedian captioned the video: “Never Forget. 25th anniversary!” alongside a plane emoji.
The stunt prompted angry reactions from several Instagram users, including one who wrote: “Stop making jokes about 9/11. I lost my uncle on that day.” Another asked: “Do you really think that is funny?!!”
One commenter said they enjoyed dark humour but felt Woods had gone too far, writing: “I have good humor, and some 9/11 humor is funny if made appropriately, but this isn’t funny.”
Others accused him of showing a lack of respect. “Have some f***ing respect,” one person wrote, while another described the video as “Not cool”.
Some of Woods’ fans said they had unfollowed him in protest. One wrote: “Wow! I have no words. Love your stuff usually Julian, but you went a step too far on this one I’m afraid. Not offended, just shocked.”
Another commenter said: “Sorry buddy, you crossed a line with this one,” while a further critic wrote: “That’s actually messed up… I was living in NY then and it definitely wasn’t anything to be joking about.”
There were also users who defended the comedian’s dark style. “This is brilliant,” one wrote, while another called Woods a “legend”. A further fan said: “Follow a dark humour page, then whinge about dark humour. Imagine that! Lighten up.”
Woods performed his Cancel Me World Tour last year, promising material that would be “even darker, bolder, and more twisted” than his previous work.
He also faced criticism in July over a miscarriage skit in which he popped a balloon at a gender reveal party, causing fake blood to spill over his white outfit.
Defending that video, Woods said his mother had laughed at it, adding: “You can get a personal testimonial from my mum for each of the miscarriages she’s had and she found it funny.”
