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Wanda Sykes draws cheers, jeers at White House
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| Wanda Sykes draws cheers, jeers at White House | ||
| by Shaun Knittel -
SGN Staff Writer Wanda Sykes pulls no punches. The crass comedian is known for saying exactly what is on her mind. Still, the Obama administration asked Sykes to speak during the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner Saturday night at the Washington Hilton. Sykes was the first openly Gay comedian to be asked to do so. Wanda Sykes has been called "one of the funniest stand-up comics" by her peers and ranks among Entertainment Weekly's 25 funniest people in America. Sykes' career runs the spectrum; she's been involved with movies, HBO comedy specials, and traveled extensively as an outspoken jokester. No one is safe once Sykes gets started. During her recent national tour, Sykes covered such topics as Gay marriage, health care, politics, the pressures of being a woman, and the perks of getting older. Sykes came out as a Lesbian earlier this year. Being asked to speak at the dinner was both "exciting and scary," Sykes said. Sykes did what was expected of a comedian of her caliber: a shock and awe routine in which conservative Republican talk show host Rush Limbaugh drew most of the fire. At one point she accused Limbaugh of treason, compared him to Osama Bin Laden and wished his kidneys would fail - all in retaliation for Limbaugh's commenting that he hoped the Obama administration would fail. Sykes looked at Obama and said, "You know, you might want to look into this, sir, because I think maybe Rush Limbaugh was the 20th [9/11] hijacker. But he was just so strung out on OxyContin he missed his flight." "Too much?" she asked. Obama smiled at the joke, even as some in the audience showed their displeasure with a unified groan. Sykes was referencing Rush Limbaugh's public battle with an addiction to painkillers in early 2002. Sykes continued to pile it on. Her whole routine was basically split down the middle, drawing both cheers and jeers. Immediately after the Correspondents' Dinner, conservatives screamed that Sykes had crossed the line when she talked about Limbaugh's health. Monday, the White House Press Secretary issued a statement saying that although President Obama smiled, perhaps nervously at the time, there was nothing funny about 9/11. Of course, liberals could be found scratching their head saying, "Really?" Watching the footage of Sykes' performance, the audience - including the president - clearly found her routine to be funny. Even during the controversial Limbaugh moments, a lot more laughs could be heard over any groans. Wanda Sykes is a shock comedian. What did the conservatives in the audience think, that Sykes would put on a "nice" routine? It's laughable to think that she would abandon what made her famous and what got her invited to speak at the dinner in the first place: her talent for crossing the line with the audience laughing along. Rush Limbaugh has said far more offensive things over the years on his nationally syndicated radio show. I'm sure his enormous ego will be able to take the insults. In the LGBT community, let's not let Sykes' off-color jokes overshadow the fact that the president of the United States had someone from our community speak at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, four short months after a homosexual bishop from New Hampshire led the benediction at his inauguration. Let's hope the trend continues. |
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