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Netflix denied Monday that it decided to remove a joke about President Donald Trump from comedian Whitney Cummings’ set at the upcoming Mark Twain Prize for American Humor special, instead saying the decision rested with the Kennedy Center under the terms of its agreement for the event.
The dispute erupted after Cummings said on her podcast that a joke she performed live during the June 28 ceremony honoring comedian Bill Maher had been removed from the version set to stream on Netflix on July 21.
But Puck News founder Matthew Belloni reported Monday that Netflix rejected claims it made the editorial call.
“While it’s our preference not to cut jokes from anyone’s set, The Kennedy Center has the contractual right to do so,” a Netflix spokesperson told Belloni.
Cummings also moved to defend the streaming giant after reports suggested it had censored her material.
“I was super clear that Netflix did not cut anything from my Mark Twain prize set. Netflix always supports comedy and comics. Quit spreading rumors ya weirdos,” she wrote on X.
I was super clear that Netflix did not cut anything from my Mark Twain prize set. Netflix always supports comedy and comics. Quit spreading rumors ya weirdos
— Whitney Cummings (@WhitneyCummings) July 21, 2026
The controversy came in relation to a joke Cummings delivered during the ceremony, a nod to Trump’s past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“I actually heard Trump may come tonight, but he couldn’t make it. He got caught in sex traffic,” she said during the live event.
On a July 18 episode of her Good For You podcast, Cummings said she was informed after the performance that the joke would be removed from the broadcast.
“Not only did I have to cut a joke in rehearsal, then the joke I did, I ended on… it stayed in, and then they said, ‘We would like to cut it out,’” she said.
She continued: “They said, ‘We need to cut it from the broadcast,’ and I’m like, ‘Well, it’s already out there. Who cares?’ And they’re like, ‘He will sue you.’”
Earlier this month, Cummings said Kennedy Center staff had already urged her to remove another Trump joke during rehearsals.
“I was practicing my jokes, and people were like, ‘Yeah, we’ll get fired if you say that,’” she recalled. She ultimately dropped a line about Trump putting his name on the Kennedy Center, but performed the Epstein-related joke during the live ceremony.
The post Netflix Denies Cutting Whitney Cummings’ Trump Joke, Passes Blame to Kennedy Center: Report first appeared on Mediaite.
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