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Netflix Blames Kennedy Center for Joke Cut
21 Jul
Summary
- Netflix stated the Kennedy Center had the right to remove jokes.
- Cummings defended Netflix, saying they did not censor her set.
- A joke about Trump's association with Jeffrey Epstein was removed.
Netflix has denied making the decision to remove a joke from comedian Whitney Cummings' set for an upcoming special.
The streaming service stated that the Kennedy Center, which hosted the event honoring Bill Maher, possessed the contractual right to make such editorial choices.
This controversy surfaced after Cummings mentioned on her podcast that a joke referencing President Donald Trump's past association with Jeffrey Epstein was cut from the broadcast set to stream on July 21. Cummings performed the joke live during the June 28 ceremony.
Cummings herself publicly defended Netflix, asserting that the company supports comedy and that reports of censorship were unfounded. She clarified that Netflix did not remove any material from her performance.
Reports indicated that Kennedy Center staff had previously urged Cummings to cut another Trump joke during rehearsals. However, she proceeded with the Epstein-related joke during the live ceremony, only for it to be subsequently removed from the broadcast version.
