Comedian's Trump joke at Kennedy Center show was cut from Netflix special

Whitney Cummings told a few jokes at the expense of President Donald Trump during last month’s Mark Twain Prize for Humor — but a particularly biting one didn’t make it to the broadcast version.

The ceremony, which honored Bill Maher, premiered on Netflix on Tuesday. During the event, Cummings joked that Trump missed the evening’s festivities because he got “caught in sex traffic,” an allusion to the president’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender and disgraced financier. (Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection to Epstein.)

That joke was cut for the broadcast.

“While it’s our preference not to cut jokes from anyone’s set, The Kennedy Center has the contractual right to do so,” Netflix said in a statement to news outlets.

“Edits to a show are always made in a collaborative way to produce the best product for broadcast,” the Kennedy Center said in a statement.

After Trump returned to the White House last year, he took control of the Kennedy Center by installing allies on the board and becoming its chairman.

It’s not uncommon for live performances and events to be edited for broadcast versions, including stand-up specials. The Netflix version of the Twain Prize show is at least 12 minutes shorter than the live event’s run time. Netflix has been the Kennedy Center’s broadcast partner since 2024. Before that, CNN and PBS had broadcast the ceremony.

Cummings defended Netflix on social media, writing, “Netflix did not cut anything from my Mark Twain prize set. Netflix always supports comedy and comics.”

In a podcast episode published over the weekend, Cummings said that she had already had to cut another joke during rehearsal, and then was informed more recently that her last joke was cut from the broadcast, saying she was told it would help protect her from being sued.

“The people at the venue have been amazing, they don’t want to silence anyone. It is true Donald Trump is their boss ... and it was very clear to me that they would lose their job,” she said. “I don’t care. It’s like, great, cut it. But this is the Mark Twain Prize. This is the only time you shouldn’t get censored because it’s about comedians using humor to criticize our elected officials.”

Cummings referenced Trump’s takeover of the center in her set with a joke that was included in the Netflix broadcast. “He actually does have a lot of power here, and he has say in what productions go on here, so enjoy this fall’s three-month run of ‘White Hamilton.’”

Then, she delivered the “sex traffic” line, earning laughs and some shocked “oohs” from the crowd.

She continued, in remarks also cut for broadcast: “Now, they did tell me not to say that ... but that’s the thing about comedy, we aren’t scared. We try not to be scared of the people that bully, and that’s something I love so much about Bill Maher. He bullies the bullies.”

Jonathan Edwards contributed to this report.