Boyfriend got roasted at comedy show for not proposing after 9 years — then he got on stage and flipped the script

When a couple dating for six years showed up to a live taping of comedian Akaash Singh’s show in Austin, the boyfriend didn’t expect to get publicly grilled. But after admitting he hadn’t proposed yet, Singh roasted him in front of the crowd, calling him out for dragging his feet. "What a f***ing idiot. I don’t see a ring," he said. Three years later, the couple returned, and this time, the man came prepared. The moment was shared on Singh's Instagram @akaashsingh and has since garnered 7.6 million views and over 800,000 likes.

Singh recognized them and addressed the man again. "You still haven’t proposed? That was three years ago. So we’re nine years in now. The man laughed, to which Singh said, "This is funny to you?" He then called both of them up on stage. The man introduced himself as Phil, and his girlfriend as Melissa. Singh turned to him and said, "Tell Melissa and this audience the one possible reason you could have to not propose." He then turned to Melissa and said, "And if it’s not good, they’re going to boo in support of you."

Phil didn’t hesitate and said, "It’s not something I need to explain to you guys. It’s something I need to explain to Melissa." Turning to her, he continued, "I’ve loved you since the day I met you. It took me nine years to become the man you deserve. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He pulled out a ring, got down on his knee, and put it on Melissa's finger as the crowd erupted in cheers. In the full video posted on Singh's YouTube channel, he shared that the whole thing had been planned in secret. "Phil messaged me months ago. We had Zoom calls about this. He was planning this for months," he told the audience.

Melissa later said she had actually asked him to give her the ring before the show so they wouldn’t get called out again. But Phil jokingly said, "Hell no, we’re waiting 10 years. There’s no way I’m not going to the decade. We’re so close." Singh admitted that pretending through the whole set was the hardest part. "I was on autopilot," he said. "I had to sit through the whole 45 minutes pretending I didn’t know it was going to happen." While some may question waiting nine years, relationship researchers suggest there may be wisdom in it. A survey by Emory University of 3,000 married individuals found that couples who date for at least three years before getting engaged have a 50% lower rate of divorce compared to those who move faster. 

People on Instagram had plenty to say once the full-circle moment was shared. "I mean, nobody else thought he was setting up for the stage proposal? Great job, Akash," said @omg_wonderwoman. @timchantarangsu commented, "Pausing this to say 'this better be a proposal set up' ok anddd PLAY." "He said 'it took me 9 years to become THE MAN THAT YOU DESERVE'—blew me away to hear a man see her value and wanted to better himself for her," wrote @tigerlillytigerluly909. @karve.pranav added, "The moment he called him on stage I knew where this was headed, 'cause what comedian ever calls anyone on stage?"

You can follow Akaash Singh (@akaashsingh) on Instagram for more comedy content.