*Wanda Sykes says a joke-filled Golden Globes appearance led to an unexpected confrontation with Bill Maher after the ceremony wrapped in January, Variety reports.
During her presentation, Sykes opened with a broader comment on representation in comedy, saying, “There’s some people pissed off that a queer Black woman is up here doing the job of two mediocre white guys … but first I want to give them some love.”
She then shifted into targeted jokes about nominees, including Maher. “Bill Maher, you give us so much,” she said, “but I would love a little less.” She followed with, “Just try less.” Maher appeared in the audience with a restrained reaction as the moment aired.
The “Real Time” host confronted Sykes once the show ended. Speaking on Jesse David Fox’s “Good One” podcast, she described Maher asking, “What was that about?”
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She said she framed it as comedy, but Maher disagreed. “Well, I mean, it wasn’t even a joke,” she recalled him saying. Sykes said she pointed to audience reaction, noting laughter during the segment.
The exchange, she said, escalated as they debated the intent of the material. Sykes said she told him his reaction matched the point of her joke. “See? You’re doing exactly what we said in the joke,” she said. “We need less of this. You’re, you’re epitomizing the joke. Less of this.”
Maher called the material “a stupid joke,” according to Sykes. She said that comment sharpened the disagreement. “When he said ‘stupid,’ I was like, ‘OK, now you’re gonna get it,’” she said.
Sykes suggested that differing media perspectives shaped how the joke was received. “I was like, ‘Well, I got a lot of texts telling me how great it was, and how they don’t like you, and it was really funny. That’s the problem. You’re watching Fox News, and I’m over here on MSNBC,’” she said.
Maher later invited Sykes onto his podcast, but she declined the offer.
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