'Do Less': Wanda Sykes Takes a Nasty Swipe at Controversial Comedian Bill Maher to His Face at 2026 Golden Globes
Wanda Sykes drew an applause when she dissed Bill Maher at the Golden Globes.
Jan. 12 2026, Published 1:39 p.m. ET
Comedian Wanda Sykes took a dig at Bill Maher while presenting the award for best stand-up comedy performance on TV at the Golden Globes, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Sykes, 61, an outspoken LGBTQ+ advocate, received a round of applause when she told Maher, 69, he needed to "do less."
Sykes Takes a Dig at Maher
Sykes told Maher to do 'less' as she cracked jokes about the nominees.
"Shoutout to the Golden Globes for having me," Sykes told the audience before cracking her first joke. "You know there's some people pissed off that a queer Black woman is up here doing the job of two mediocre white guys."
Sykes then turned her attention to male comedians sitting in the audience, including Maher, Kevin Hart and Brett Goldstein.
"Bill Maher, you give us so much," Sykes said. "But, I would love a little less. Just, try less."
Maher slightly frowned as he cocked his head to one side while the audience laughed at Sykes.
Maher looked unamused by Skyes' jokes when cameras panned to him in the audience.
Sykes moved on to Goldstein, who she said "would've made a great Menendez brother," before joking about Hart being "the richest guy in this category, and yet, I know he wants it the most."
She then set her sights on Ricky Gervais, who has sparked backlash in recent years for his jokes about the transgender community.
"I love you for not being here," Sykes told The Office UK creator. "If you win, I get to accept the award on your behalf, and you're going to thank God and the trans community."
Ironically, Gervais ended up taking home the Golden Globe for best stand-up comedy performance on TV.
Social media users applauded Sykes' for ruffling Maher's feathers at the award show.
Social media users ate up Sykes' brutal takedown, particularly her swipe at Maher.
"The look on @billmaher face was utterly priceless," wrote one X user.
"Aye, if he never speaks again publicly, that would be OK too... Hang it up, grandpa," quipped a second.
"He's so p--sed which makes it even more delicious," a third noted, to which another added, "Yep. It actually seemed to catch him off guard that he's not as well liked as he thought."
Viewers said Maher looked 'caught off guard' by the audience's reaction to Sykes joke.
Maher has made a name for himself using comedy as a shield for absurd comments and controversial takes.
Back in November 2025, the Club Random podcast host admitted he wouldn't do stand-up comedy again out of fear of being shot.
"I got off the road this year. I stopped doing it at the end of 2024," Maher told his guest Patton Oswalt. "I don't want to be out there in this country, in this political atmosphere. I could get shot by the left or the right. It's a good time to not be out there."
He then huffed about being "twice as funny" as some comedians who sold "twice as many tickets" as he did.
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"I just got tired of being twice as funny as people who were selling twice as many tickets as me," he confessed. "That's partly because I'm on TV every week."
"Not that I didn’t sell a lot of tickets and do great theaters — but I didn't sell arenas," Maher continued. "And some people did, who, frankly, are not that great. But, you know, when the audience is 35 to 45, they don't wanna see somebody 70… I still have my show, I have this, I didn't need it, I miss it, but that's part of what it is (about touring)."
