Amy Sedaris makes awkward trans joke on New Year’s Eve broadcast, leaving Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen silent
“Could have done without the Amy Sedaris trans joke. Not cool," one viewer commented to X
By Aaron Sugg
Amy Sedaris left an awkward silence after making a trans bathroom joke on CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcast alongside Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper.
During a viewer Q&A, Cooper asked Sedaris where the best place to meet a man in 2026 might be.
Sedaris responded with the tongue-in-cheek remark, saying it might be “in the women’s bathroom”, which was met with silence from her co-hosts.
The 64-year-old comedian was quick to pivot, suggesting Bergdorf Goodman before throwing the question back to the hosts and joking about a fire station, which finally drew a laugh.
“Could have done without the Amy Sedaris trans joke” – one user commented on Amy Sedaris’s CNN’s New Year’s Eve joke
Viewers were quick to take to social media, with mixed reactions, as some praised her humour while others described the joke as appalling.
“Could have done without the Amy Sedaris trans joke. Not cool,” one user wrote on X. Another viewer commented: “It was, in fact, transphobic. But what I don’t understand is the placement of the joke. I don’t get it.”
In previous interviews, Sedaris has openly said that she values her gay audience. Speaking with Brandon Voss, she said that her queer viewers “have the best sense of humour” and that their acceptance of her work “means everything to me”
“You can’t have a successful project without the homos” – Sedaris in an 2017 interview about the LGBTQ+ community
In the same interview she said: “You can’t have a successful project without the homos. They make everything a little more beautiful.”
Later in the New Year’s Eve broadcast, Sedaris accidentally swore live on air while answering a question about excuses to get out of commitments, quickly apologising afterwards.
“What’s the number one best excuse to get out of a prior commitment?” Cooper asked the actress.
“I say nothing – anything after ‘because’ is bullshit,” Sedaris replied, before quickly apologising for swearing.
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