- Whitney Cummings's joke about President Donald Trump was cut from the Netflix broadcast of the Mark Twain Prize ceremony, which premiered on July 21.
- During the ceremony, Cummings made a joke suggesting that Trump missed the event because he got caught in sex traffic, referencing his past association with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender.
- Netflix clarified that it was not responsible for the joke being cut, stating that the Kennedy Center has the contractual right to make such edits.
- Cummings expressed on her podcast that the Kennedy Center management has been amazing and that they do not want to silence anyone, despite Trump being their chairman.
- Despite the cut, Cummings was able to make several jokes about Trump during the special, including a comment about the venue's board chair position.
Whitney Cummings's joke about Donald Trump missing the Mark Twain Prize ceremony due to being 'caught in sex traffic' was cut from Netflix's broadcast. The quip referenced Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender. Cummings clarified on her podcast that the Kennedy Center, where Trump is chairman, has the right to edit content.123456
Cummings stated, “They don’t want to silence anyone. It is true that their boss is Donald Trump, so they did their job. I was presented with a tricky conundrum.” Despite the cut, she managed to poke fun at Trump multiple times during the event, saying, “I’m just glad that we could all celebrate Bill even though Trump is now the board chair of this venue.”
Netflix emphasized that it did not request the cut, with a spokesperson stating, “While it’s our preference not to cut jokes from anyone’s set, The Kennedy Center has the contractual right to do so.” Cummings also took to social media to clarify, “I was super clear that Netflix did not cut anything from my Mark Twain prize set. Netflix always supports comedy and comics.”
The ceremony, which honored Bill Maher, premiered on Netflix on July 21, 2023, showcasing Cummings's humor while navigating the complexities of performing in a politically charged environment.
“The joke referenced Trump's past friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, with Cummings quipping that Trump got 'caught in sex traffic.' Cummings later clarified that Netflix did not cut the joke, but the Kennedy Center exercised its contractual right to edit the broadcast.”
The Independent
