Categories: Entertainment

Nicole Byer Recalls Openly Racist Comment At Wisconsin Comedy Club: ‘I Will Never Go Back’

Nicole Byer will never forget the racism she witnessed while on the road as a comedian.

The “Nailed It!” host had plenty of stories to share about her early days as a struggling Black comic but, while talking to Jesse Tyler Ferguson on Tuesday’s episode of his “Dinner’s on Me” podcast, Byer recalled one particular night in Appleton, Wisconsin, standing out.

“I really hated it there,” she revealed. “I was like, ‘The vibes fucking sucked. Bad vibes!’”

Byer recalled learning that Appleton was a “sundown town,” a community where Black people are allowed to work or travel through during the day but were implicitly or explicitly told to leave by sunset.

“During my show, I had a white host, a Black featurer [or opener], and the crowds were so unruly,” she said Tuesday. “And at one point, my Black featurer was onstage and … a guy in the crowd was like, ‘Smile, we can’t see you!’ And I was like, ‘What the fuck?’ What?”

“I walked out on the floor and looked at a server and I was like, ‘You’re not gonna say anything?’” Byer continued. “And she was like, ‘What?’ And I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ So I refused to do meet-and-greets, even though it was sold with the tickets.”

The actor recalled telling her agent she’s “just not meeting these people” as a result of the remark, and said the glaring lack of repercussions “blew my mind.” Byer added that though she assumed there were also “nice people” in the crowd, “I will never go back to Appleton.”

Byer previously shared a viral social media thread about the racism endured by Black comics.

Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images

In addition to hosting Netlflix’s “Nailed It!” since 2018 and co-hosting TBS’s “Wipeout” alongside John Cena since 2018, Byer hosts four popular podcasts and starred in a critically acclaimed comedy this year.

The comic has had to endure a plethora of racist nonsense in her career, however.

The comedian published a viral social media thread in 2018 about the slew of ways in which Black people are treated unfairly, and later revealed in 2022 that a casting director once told her to “be Blacker” — but not “too Black” — during an audition.

“It is scary,” Byer told Ferguson about the Appleton incident. “That shit sucks.”

News Today

Recent Posts

Kareena Kapoor’s Next Untitled Film With Meghna Gulzar Gets Prithviraj Sukumaran On Board

Kareena Kapoor is working with Raazi director Meghna Gulzar for her next film. The project,…

2 weeks ago

Purdue basketball freshman Daniel Jacobsen injured vs Northern Kentucky

2024-11-09 15:00:03 WEST LAFAYETTE -- Daniel Jacobsen's second game in Purdue basketball's starting lineup lasted…

2 weeks ago

Rashida Jones honors dad Quincy Jones with heartfelt tribute: ‘He was love’

2024-11-09 14:50:03 Rashida Jones is remembering her late father, famed music producer Quincy Jones, in…

2 weeks ago

Nosferatu Screening at Apollo Theatre Shows Student Interest in Experimental Cinema – The Oberlin Review

2024-11-09 14:40:03 A silent German expressionist film about vampires accompanied by Radiohead’s music — what…

2 weeks ago

What Are Adaptogens? Find Out How These 3 Herbs May Help You Tackle Stress Head-On

Let's face it - life can be downright stressful! With everything moving at breakneck speed,…

2 weeks ago

The new Mac Mini takes a small step towards upgradeable storage

Apple’s redesigned Mac Mini M4 has ditched the previous M2 machine’s SSD that was soldered…

2 weeks ago