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By Marni Rose McFall
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Wanda Sykes targeted fellow stand-up comedians while presenting the award for Stand-Up Comedy on Television at the Golden Globe Awards.
Ricky Gervais and Bill Maher were among the comedians Sykes, 61, took aim at while delivering the award. Sykes is a stand-up comic and actor, known for her roles on Curb Your Enthusiasm and Black-ish.
Why It Matters
Awards ceremonies are a prime place for famous figures to be roasted, with hosts and presenters making jokes at their expense. These moments often go viral on social media and can be an opportunity to address past controversies.
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What To Know
At the beginning of the segment, Sykes said, “Shout out to the Golden Globes for having me, because you know there’s some people p***** off that a queer Black woman is up here doing the job of two mediocre white guys.”
Then she called out her fellow comedians by name. "Bill Maher, you give us so much. But I would love a little less. Try less. Brett Goldstein, you're handsome. You've got that great supervillain voice. You're charming. You would've made a great Menendez brother,” she said.
Moving on to Kevin Hart, she said, “Kevin, you know I love you. And the thing is, Kevin is the richest guy in this category. And yet, I know he wants it the most.”
Next on the list of nominees was Kumail Nanjiani. She said, “Kumail, I love that you prove male comedians can be funny without being chubby. Kumail is jacked!”
“Ricky Gervais, I love you for not being here,” she then said. “If you win, I get to accept the award on your behalf, and you’re gonna thank God, and the trans community,” Sykes said.
Gervais’s most recent stand-up special, Mortality, was released in December, following backlash over jokes he made about transgender people in his 2022 Netflix special titled SuperNature.
GLAAD condemned the remarks at the time as “dangerous, anti-trans rants masquerading as jokes.”
Gervais ultimately won the Golden Globe for the comedy special Mortality.
Sykes’ jokes have quickly taken off online. A clip of Maher’s reaction to Sykes’ joke, shared by Buzzfeed Editorial Director Spencer Althouse, has been viewed 1.9 million times on X. Althouse wrote, “LOL at Wanda Sykes calling out Bill Mahr [sic] to his face while presenting at the Golden Globes.”
Evan Ross Katz, a podcast host and influencer, described Sykes' joke about Maher as an "underdog contender for moment of the night," in a post on Instagram liked over 10,000 times.
What People Are Saying
Franklin Leonard, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, in a post on X viewed over 50,000 times: “Wanda Sykes thanking God and the trans community on behalf of Ricky Gervais was perfect.”
Social media user @TomZohar, in a post on X viewed over 300,000 times: “'Ricky Gervais would like to thank god and the trans community' LMAOOOOO WANDA SYKES.”
Social media user @cfree94, in a post on X viewed 250,000 times: “oh Wanda Sykes you will always be famous.”
Social media user @jordandefenses, in a post on X viewed over 20,000 times: “Wanda Sykes telling Bill Maher to do less, the icon that you are.”
What Happens Next
Gervais reposted announcements about winning the Golden Globe on X, but didn’t acknowledge Sykes’s remarks.
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