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Comedian Wanda Sykes blasted Disney’s suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel last month and criticized Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival for warning comics not to joke about its regime in an interview published Monday, calling both examples of censorship.
Speaking with Variety, Sykes said Kimmel’s suspension over comments about the alleged shooter of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was a “crazy” example of cancel culture.
“It was a real — I don’t want to say a wake-up call, because we were aware of how bad things were. But this is crazy now. I still don’t see how what he said was outlandish or hurtful,” Sykes said, defending the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host.
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Sykes was scheduled to appear on Kimmel’s ABC show when Disney suspended it after Kimmel suggested on air that Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer, 22-year-old Utah native Tyler Robinson, could be a supporter of President Donald Trump.
Reports later indicated that Robinson had expressed left-leaning views. ABC’s parent company reinstated Kimmel’s show several days later.
Many Hollywood figures condemned Kimmel’s removal, calling it censorship and a violation of free speech. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, suggested in an interview that Kimmel’s comments could have created regulatory issues for ABC.
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Sykes agreed the suspension amounted to an attack on Kimmel’s free speech.
“But what happened to Jimmy, that’s real. People online are losing their jobs for stuff they post. It’s not about what a comic says. Now, the guy who works at the post office says something on Facebook, and people jump all over him and want that person fired. So now it applies to everybody.”
However, Sykes said, despite what happened to Kimmel, comedians shouldn’t censor what they say about politics or Trump.
“You can’t really censor yourself like that and give people a good show. I can’t. So I don’t,” she said.
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Sykes also discussed the Riyadh Comedy Festival, a month-long stand-up event in Saudi Arabia that ended in October featuring 50 high-profile comedians, including Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings and Louis C.K.
Several comedians faced backlash for performing in the kingdom amid reports that participants were barred from criticizing the Saudi government over its human rights record. Sykes joined in the criticism.
“I’m sure it was a nice paycheck. And, hey, these comics feel comfortable going there. I wouldn’t. I’m a Black gay woman. I have no business there; I wouldn’t feel comfortable with the treatment of the LGBT,” she said.
On the venue barring criticism of the Saudi government, Sykes said, “To me, that’s anti-comedy. If you complain about cancel culture, but then you take money to not say things — I mean…”
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