Whitney Cummings is opening up about an ordeal she faced last holiday season.
During a recent episode of Conan, the 37-year-old comedian revealed she was reported to a TV show’s human resources department after wishing the staff a “Merry Christmas.”
“Last year, I was working on a TV show [and I] got in trouble with human resources for saying ‘Merry Christmas’ to an intern,” Whitney claimed.
“I was leaving, like on the 18th … and I was like, ‘Bye, guys. Merry Christmas.’ Like just a formality, what you would say,” Whitney continued. “I come back, like, June 6. HR calls me and they’re like, ‘Hey, we need to talk to you. One of the interns is pissed off that you said Merry Christmas.’”
Whitney continued: “By the way, I was like, ‘I don’t even care how your Christmas was’…It was just a formality. Like, that’s what you say when you leave.”
Conan then chimed in, saying, “In these times we’re in, that could trigger someone or offend them if it’s not their holiday.”
“That’s what I said, I was like, ‘Well, what should I have said? Do they celebrate something else?’” Whitney replied. “And they were like, ‘Well, no, they’re agnostic.’ And I was like, ‘No, no, no, no, no. You do not get to do that.’”
Whitney then argued that in order for her to know someone’s religious beliefs, they would have to be in an “intimate” relationship.
“Had I known that this person was agnostic, that would mean we were in a relationship, like, that would mean we were intimately connected,” Whitney said. “I should not know who believes in God and who doesn’t. I also can’t guess either, you know? I can’t, like, guess your holiday based on what you look like. That’s offensive ― that’s very offensive.”
