Netflix Censors Whitney Cummings' Trump Joke from Mark Twain Ceremony

Comedian Whitney Cummings' performance at Bill Maher’s Mark Twain Prize ceremony, held on June 28 at the Kennedy Center and streamed on Netflix starting July 21, sparked controversy over censored jokes targeting former President Donald Trump. Initially, Cummings revealed in early July that a joke about Trump was cut after she performed it in rehearsal.

However, the situation escalated when, on a July 18 episode of her “Good for You” podcast, Cummings disclosed that another joke about Trump, which did make it into her live set, would also be edited out of the Netflix broadcast. The specific joke in question stated, “Donald Trump couldn’t make it tonight. He got caught in sex traffic,” a clear reference to Trump's past association with Jeffrey Epstein. Cummings commented, “It stayed in, and then they said we would like to cut it out,” though she did not specify who “they” were.

A Netflix spokesperson clarified the situation to Variety, 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 later posted on X (formerly Twitter) to further clarify, asserting, “I was super clear that Netflix did not cut anything from my Mark Twain prize set. Netflix always supports comedy and comics. Quit spreading rumors ya weirdos.”

On her podcast, Cummings added that the Kennedy Center staffers are “amazing” and “don’t want to silence anyone.” However, she suggested the underlying pressure, stating, “It is true that their boss is Donald Trump, so they did their job.” Cummings noted the irony of the cut, especially since the “sex traffic” joke had already leaked online after the ceremony. Her reaction to the request for removal was, “It’s already out there. Who cares?”

The comedian shared that the reason given for cutting the joke was fear of a lawsuit from Trump. “They’re like, ‘He will sue you,'” Cummings recounted. She initially doubted the threat but then recalled Trump's 2013 lawsuit against Bill Maher after Maher joked about Trump being the “spawn of his mother having sex with an orangutan.” Cummings found it particularly ironic that she was being censored at a ceremony for the Mark Twain Prize, an award dedicated to comedians who use humor to criticize elected officials and offer “fearless” and “uncompromising” perspectives on society.

Reflecting on the incident, Cummings stated, “I am so clear now that when somebody gets offended by something, they are guilty of the thing. I just think it’s a little weird that we can’t joke about it.” Notably, another joke about Trump that implied he was racist – specifically, “Enjoy this fall’s three-month run of white ‘Hamilton'” – *did* make it into the broadcast. Cummings highlighted this, saying on her podcast, “The joke implying he’s racist — no problems.” The special, “Bill Maher: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor,” is now available to stream on Netflix.