Comedian Nikki Glaser has admitted that she thinks twice before including any political humor in her sets out of fear of getting doxxed, detained, or receiving death threats.
The 40-year-old stand-up comic, whose well-received Golden Globes hosting debut thrust her into the spotlight, was in attendance at the 2025 Mark Twain Prize For American Humor at The Kennedy Center in honor of Conan O’Brien on Sunday.
O’Brien, 61, was named the latest recipient of the Lifetime Achievement in Comedy Award in mid-January, nearly three weeks before President Donald Trump controversially upended the Kennedy Center by ousting the longtime president and the board chairman.
Addressing the “elephant in the room” on the red carpet, per Deadline, Glaser predicted the evening would largely focus on honoring O’Brien; however, she assumed there would likely be a few “rebellious” figures brave enough to crack jokes about the circumstances.
She added that now, she’s particularly careful about the political humor she injects into her comedy routines, especially jokes aimed at Trump.
“Like, you just are scared that you’re gonna get doxxed and death threats or who knows where this leads, like, detained. Honestly that’s not even like a joke. It’s like a real fear,” Glaser said.
“So it’s unfortunate that that’s true, but I’m not gonna lie and say I don’t think about that sometimes and go, ‘Oh, god. Can I just say, I hope they all know, I can be up on the gallows and say I was just joking. I’m a comedian.’ I hope that that’s a defense,” she quipped.
During the event, several comedians zeroed in on the tension.
Actor Robert Smigel, who performed his Triumph the Insult Comic Dog puppet routine, teased the audience, saying: “Thank you all for coming, and shame on you for being here.”
Meanwhile, John Mulaney retorted: “It’s an honor to be here at the Kennedy Center or, as it will be known next week, the Roy Cohn Pavilion for Big, Strong Men Who Love Cats,’” in reference to Trump’s late mentor, political fixer Roy Cohn, and the president’s recent remarks that he’d like to see the divisive Cats musical open at the Kennedy Center.
O’Brien himself alluded to Trump during his acceptance speech. “First and foremost, Twain hated bullies,” the former late-night host said. “He punched up, not down. And he deeply, deeply empathized with the weak.”
In January, Trump ousted the Kennedy Center’s leadership, filled the board of trustees with his supporters, and announced he had been unanimously elected the board’s chair.
“The Kennedy Center learned the hard way that if you go woke, you will go broke,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement at the time. “President Trump and the members of his newly-appointed board are devoted to rebuilding the Kennedy Center into a thriving and highly respected institution where all Americans, and visitors from around the world, can enjoy the arts with respect to America’s great history and traditions.”
As a result of Trump’s takeover, several celebrities, including Insecure creator and star Issa Rae, singer-songwriter Ben Folds, and screenwriter-producer Shonda Rhimes, severed their ties with the Kennedy Center.
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