At the 2026 Golden Globe Awards, comedian Wanda Sykes used her moment on stage to send a pointed message while accepting a trophy for another comic.
Sykes was presenting the Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy award, announcing British comedian Ricky Gervais as the winner. Since Gervais was absent from the ceremony, Skyes took the opportunity to inject some pointed commentary.
When she accepted the award on his behalf, Sykes quipped that “he would like to thank God and the trans community”. That line referenced ongoing criticism of Gervais’ recent stand-up material, which many have called out for its treatment of transgender people.
Gervais was feted for his newest Netflix special, Morality, winning over fellow comedians Bill Maher (Is Anyone Else Seeing This), Sarah Silverman (Postmortem), Kumail Nanjiani (Night Thoughts), Kevin Hart (Acting My Age) and Brett Goldstein (The Second Best Night of Your Life).
Per Variety, before announcing the winner, Sykes also took the opportunity to roast all of the nominees including Maher (“You give us so much, but I would love a little less. Try less”), Goldstein (“You are handsome. You’ve got that great super villain voice, and you are charming. You would’ve made a great Menendez brother”), and Hart (“Kevin is the richest guy in this category, and yet I know he wants it the most. You’re a true American, Kevin”).
She continued going through the nominee list, roasting Nanjiani (“Love that you prove that male comedians can be funny without being chubby”), Gervais (“I love you for not being here. I love you, Ricky, but if you win, I get to accept the award on your behalf, and you are going to thank god and the trans community”) and Silverman (“I love that we are such close friends. We haven’t talked in five years, but we are so close”).
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
