SerpApi.Org
Once again, President Donald Trump finds himself near the center of a controversy involving a late-night television host. This time it's Bill Maher, as comedian Whitney Cummings claimed a joke made at the president's expense never made the final cut of Maher's Mark Twain Prize ceremony.
Last month, Maher received the prestigious honor that recognizes achievement in American humor. The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. held the event, which already meant that President Trump was involved in some capacity.
Since installing himself as chair of the Kennedy Center, President Trump has held a major influence over the center's events. Reports suggest he signed off on Bill Maher receiving the 2026 Mark Twain Prize despite a history of back-and-forth insults between the president and Real Time host.
The event took place on June 28 and is set to stream on Netflix beginning July 21. According to comedian Whitney Cummings, what the streaming giant shows won't accurately reflect what she said on stage last month.
On the July 18 episode of her podcast Good for You, Cummings indicated that Netflix cut a joke she made about President Trump. The joke in question goes "Donald Trump couldn’t make it tonight. He got caught in sex traffic.” It's a harsh joke, but not unlike one that would be delivered by Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, or even Bill Maher himself. But the problem was location and timing.
In a statement, Netflix clarified that it did not remove the joke from the stream. Instead, it revealed that the Kennedy Center has final say based on contractual powers. So with that in mind, it's not all that hard to see why the joke wouldn't make it past the censors and lawyers at the Trump-controlled Kennedy Center.
Cummings also took to social media to defend Netflix and reiterate the streaming service's support for stand-up comedians. She also revealed that one joke about President Trump definitely made the final cut.
"Enjoy this fall’s three-month run of white ‘Hamilton,'” Cummings said in reference to President Trump's control over the center's programming. The comedian also couldn't help but notice that joke didn't raise any red flags.
“The joke implying he’s racist — no problems,” Cummings said on Good for You.
Bill Maher: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is now streaming on Netflix. Real Time with Bill Maher airs Fridays on HBO.
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This article was originally published on lastnighton.com as Whitney Cummings says Donald Trump joke got cut from Bill Maher's Mark Twain ceremony.
