Comedians Booed At Charity Event After Talking Politics
BOSTON (CBS) - Comedian Wanda Sykes cursed out some audience members at a charity comedy event after she was booed for criticizing Donald Trump.
"I am certain this is not the first time we have elected a racist, sexist, homophobic president. He ain't the first one. He's just the first confirmed one," Sykes told the crowd.
Sykes and a group of other comedians performed at the annual Comics Come Home event at the TD Garden, benefitting the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer Care.
Danvers native, comedian Nick Di Paolo, was also booed after he made fun of Hillary Clinton's health. Audience members said he made a barrage of comments about liberals, Boston women, and Jews.
Audience member Roger Nicholson told WBZ-TV that the political rhetoric made him uncomfortable but comedians should push the limit.
"Comics are the protectors of the First Amendment. They need to say what they need to say, as ugly as it may be. The only thing is, if it's a joke it needs to sound like a joke and not like you really mean it," Nicholson said.
Cambridge comedian and owner of The Comedy Studio, Rick Jenkins, said comedy has become a tough balancing act.
"The ability to see things differently rather than just reject them or ignore them is what makes laughter," Jenkin said.
The Cam Neely Foundation released a statement saying in part:
"Comics Come Home is an event that has been making people laugh for over 20 years and more importantly one that has raised more than $10 million dollars for cutting-edge research, ground-breaking treatments and essential services to support our fight against Cancer. Our goal each year is for all of our guests and entertainers to have an enjoyable night raising money for cancer patients and their families."