Wanda Sykes is used to making people laugh, but her jokes about president-elect Donald Trump at a charity comedy event was met with negative backlash from the audience.
Performing to an audience of thousands at the 22nd annual Comics Come Home fundraiser in Boston, the comedian - who was a vocal advocate for Hillary Clinton during the election campaign - had been enjoying a largely receptive crowd until she veered into politics.
![Wanda Sykes has been an active voice for same-sex marriage and animal rights throughout her career.](/web/20170425234720im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/p/b/n/4/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gspbnq.png/1479180478297.jpg)
"After the election I was going around consoling people. I said, 'Guys, look on the bright side. I am certain this is not the first time we've elected a racist, sexist, homophobic president. He ain't the first one, he's just the first confirmed one," she said in her show on Saturday night.
"Everybody was just saying, 'Oh, well, he just has to learn how to be more presidential, he just has to learn how to control his temper. He has to learn how to be more mild-mannered.' I have a seven-year-old boy, those are the things I'm teaching him. Donald Trump is 70. That motherf---er isn't learning shit. That's just who he is. He's the crazy man."
![Wanda Sykes performing at the 22nd Annual Comics Come Home performance to benefit the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer ...](/web/20170425234720im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/p/b/o/7/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gspbnq.png/1479180478297.jpg)
Instead of amassing the usual laughs, the comedian's anti-Trump statements solicited a heavy chorus of boos from the audience.
And Sykes rapidly fired back, "F--- you, motherf----ers. F--- all y'all. F--- all y'all," before proceeding to point to members of the audience with similar expletives.
"How can you say he's not racist?" she asked. "'Grab them by the pussy'? How can you say he's not sexist? How can you say he's not racist? How can you say he's not homophobic?"
The Boston Herald reported that Sykes was five minutes into her set before mentioning Trump and continued with jokes outside the political realm after the jeers. According to the local newspaper, the comedian flipped off the audience as she departed the stage amid another round of boos. However, the audience cheered as a woman kissed and hugged Sykes while flashing the peace sign.
Male comics on the line-up, including locals Denis Leary and Nick DiPaolo, also waded into politics during their sets, and while DiPaolo was met with some audience discontent, the Boston Herald reported that the crowd reacted in a harsher manner to Sykes comments. When Leary took to the stage to introduce the next performer, he reportedly defended Sykes, telling the crowd she deserved respect.
We voted to keep moving forward together! #ImWithHer pic.twitter.com/lhwKWLmQLE
— Official Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) November 8, 2016
This isn't the first time that a female comedian has faced backlash over anti-Trump comments, with 200 people walking out of Amy Schumer's show in Tampa after she labelled the now president an "orange, sexual-assaulting, fake-college-starting monster."
Sykes, who is openly gay, has campaigned over the year for same-sex marriage and animal rights. The star first found fame as a writer on the Chris Rock Show and has since had her own HBO specials and become a household name stand-up comedian around America.
With Boston Herald