It was a sad day when Ziwe fans learned the satirical talk show had been canceled by Showtime after two seasons earlier this year. Interestingly, that wasn’t the first time the titular comedian faced (an attempted) cancellation, as media personality Megyn Kelly apparently tried to do that to her in real life. Years after that, the TV personality gave a funny take on the situation.
It was reported by Vice in 2021 that Megyn Kelly (who's called out Chrissy Teigen and more stars) posted a message to her Twitter account displaying a letter written by a fellow parent from Spence, a private girls' school in New York. The mother was upset over an episode from Showtime's late-night talk show that featured a discussion about white women. The parent felt the episode was inappropriate and amplified “hate speech against white women.” The former Fox News personality was as upset well, calling the episode “grossly racist.” Kelly revealed she and the other mother pulled their daughters from the school over “growing far-left indoctrination” following the episode’s airing.
The political pundits efforts to get Ziwe Fumudoh canceled was brought up during a panel discussion at the New Yorker Festival (via The Observer). The TV writer was asked if she feared cancel culture over the explicit nature of her content. The question made her recall the uproar caused by the SiriusXM host. She put things in perspective by mentioning that she had no control over which episode the school chose to present to the student body. Of course, in typical fashion, the humorous interviewer took the ordeal in stride, saying:
How can you cancel the wind?
In fairness, it was the private school’s choice to show the polarizing episode, not the host's. The school's reason for showing the clip remains unclear, interestingly enough. Maybe the institution wanted to air something funny to end the school year or simply show it as a supplemental piece of material for academic purposes. Given the show’s raunchiness, it’s honestly surprising that the administration chose to show a clip from the Showtime comedy series. Regardless of what initiated this whole situation, you have to appreciate the comic's sense of humor on the matter.
The moment ultimately passed, and Ziwe kept doing the “rude” interview-style show until its cancellation. Her self-titled show received favorable reviews during its two-season run. It spawned multiple viral moments featuring celebrities like the Joker-emulating Chet Hanks and Drew Barrymore. The comedian has proven to be quite resourceful and, with her talents, she'll likely be back on the small screen sooner rather than later. As for how Megyn Kelly or anyone else who'd want to cancel her would feel, that remains to be seen.
With the WGA writers strike over and the actors’ strike reportedly winding down, Ziwe is occupied with promoting her book of essays, Black Friend. You can also stream both seasons of her show if you have a Paramount+ subscription or are a Hulu subscriber. And if you’re looking for other talk shows to watch, check our 2023 TV schedule to see when they air.
