Jessica Williams made a special guest appearance on Comedy Central‘s The Daily Show.
As an alum of the show, Williams’ return felt like a homecoming for fans during Monday’s episode with Jon Stewart.
During one of Stewart’s monologues, the cameras unexpectedly panned to Williams, who came out guns blazing as she had some words for President Donald Trump regarding the alleged Epstein files, per USA Today.
Jessica Williams calls out Trump for using Black icons to distract from the Epstein files controversy
Williams ripped Trump for using “all of our greatest Black people” as a diversion tactic from the Department of Justice’s decision not to release Epstein’s supposed “client list,” claiming that it’s nonexistent.
“Trump is trying to throw every Black person he can think (of) in front of the scandal to distract us,” Williams 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?”
Williams also stated that Trump is appearing to single out prominent Black Americans as a diversion from the unfolding controversy: “Who’s next? Michael Jordan? Michael B. Jordan? Michael C. Jordan?” she said. “We’re about a week away from him saying that Urkel did 9/11. Urkel? Did he do that?” She then wondered aloud if she would be next, quipping that recent Emmy nominations might just make her famous enough to be a target.
Jessica Williams’ career after ‘The Daily Show’
According to Glamour, Williams hopped onto a flight to New York City for an unexpected meeting with host Jon Stewart when she was 22. Despite her jitters and a last‑minute outfit mishap, her audition won Stewart over, and she debuted as the show’s youngest correspondent on Jan. 11, 2012.
Williams occasionally pops up on The Daily Show to flex her comedy chops; she’s one of many folks who’ve leveraged a stint on the show into a flourishing career in Hollywood. After leaving the desk, Williams co‑hosted the acclaimed 2 Dope Queens podcast and starred in Netflix’s The Incredible Jessica James.
She’s also appeared in films such as Booksmart and Corporate Animals, as well as the Fantastic Beasts franchise. She has earned two Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nominations at the 2023 and 2025 Emmy Awards for her role as Dr. Gaby Evans on the Apple TV+ show, Shrinking.
