Jessica Williams has officially joined the Trump White House’s late-night enemies list.
The Emmy-nominated Shrinking star and former Daily Show correspondent became the latest target of the administration after her return to the show earlier this week apparently touched a nerve inside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
In remarks first reported by The Independent’s Madeline Sherratt, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields dismissed Williams with a jab: “Given that I had to Google who this person is, it’s no surprise she’d resort to outrageous commentary to insert herself into the news, as many irrelevant D-list celebrities do.”
Fields went on to say that “she may oppose tax cuts, a secure border, trade deals, ceasefires, and record job growth,” but said that “a majority of Americans voted for these policies and support this President, regardless of what out-of-touch, spotlight-seeking individuals say.”
Williams, who recently received her second Emmy nomination for her role as Gaby in the Apple TV+ series Shrinking, made a surprise appearance during Jon Stewart’s monologue on Monday night’s Daily Show. Stewart was discussing a recent post by Donald Trump on Truth Social rant, in which the president suggested that Beyoncé, Oprah, and former Vice President Kamala Harris should be prosecuted for their political endorsements when Williams cut in.
“No, oh, no, no, no. Not Beyoncé, Jon,” she said. “That is some bullsh*t right there.”
Williams went on to accuse Trump of using prominent Black public figures as a smokescreen to distract from mounting pressure to release the Epstein files. “Trump is trying to throw every Black person he can think [of] in front of the scandal to distract us,” she said. “First, he released the Martin Luther King Jr. files. Then he accused Obama of treason. And now he wants to prosecute Oprah and Beyoncé… The nerve, Jon, the nerve. He’s coming after all of our greatest Black people. Who’s next? Michael Jordan, Michael B. Jordan? Michael C. Jordan?”
She even joked that Trump was “about a week away from him saying that Urkel did 9/11.”
While Williams hasn’t responded publicly to the White House’s jab, she presaged it during her bit Monday night, telling Stewart, “I just hope this whole thing wraps up before Trump gets to me.”
When he tried to reassure her that she wouldn’t be targeted, Williams shot back indignantly, questioning why not. “I’m nominated for an Emmy,” she reminded him. “I can at least be accused of election fraud, you butthead.”
When Stewart allowed that she was indeed “notable enough,” she replied with a sweetly sarcastic, “Thank you so much. That’s really nice.”
As it turns out, she didn’t have to wait long.
