Nikki Glaser apologises to disabled trans influencer over ‘penis’ joke
Glaser’s joke got back to Adams-Wheatley through a fan, who claimed the comedian had discussed her transition and made a joke about her "penis"
By Aaron Sugg
Comedian Nikki Glaser has apologised to transgender influencer Briel Adams-Wheatley over a joke reportedly made during a show in Washington State earlier this month.
Adams-Wheatley, who posts under the username @no_limbs_, was born with Hanhart syndrome, a condition that meant she was born without arms or legs.
She uses her platform of more than six million followers on TikTok and around 1.4 million followers on Instagram to share her life without limbs, as well as her marriage with husband Adam Adams-Wheatley.
Nikki Glaser allegedly joked about Briel Adams-Wheatley’s “penis”
Glaser’s joke got back to Adams-Wheatley through a fan, who claimed the comedian had discussed her transition and made a joke about her “penis”.
“She did give you lots of [compliments] about your talent and beauty and confidence,” the follower wrote. “She said that already having a hard life with no limbs but still decided to transition… then something about you had to since you rubbed your penis off with the way you drag yourself across the room. I booed her big time.”
In response, Adams-Wheatley tagged the comedian and wrote: “@nikkiglaser Why are you making comments about what is or is not in my pants?”
“I bought tickets for your show in November and now I’m really rethinking my plans,” she continued.
Glaser apologises and reaffirms her support for the trans community
According to JustJared, Glaser apologised to the influencer, saying the joke had been inaccurately described but recognising that it could still have caused hurt.
“Hey girl. I’m so sorry this got back to you like this. I should have reached out to you. I never meant to hurt your feelings at all. This is not an accurate portrayal of the joke, but I’m sure it’s still not fun to hear you’re in my act,” she allegedly said.
“I HATE anti trans jokes of all kinds, and to think I may have added to that rhetoric is disgusting to me.”
“I make sure to say in the joke multiple times, ‘I love her, please follow her, she’s so fucking funny and cool.’ (Not that that takes away from anything if you were offended by it.)”
Adams-Wheatley thanks fans for their support
Adams-Wheatley addressed the controversy on her Instagram Story on Monday (28 September), writing to her fans: “I just wanted to say… Thank you for all the support over the Nikki Glaser situation. I truly didn’t think it was going to blow up the way it did… I’m honestly still processing everything but have been out of town for a wedding. Live/laugh/love you all!!!”