Nicole Byer, the acclaimed host of “Nailed It!” and prominent comedian, recently opened up about a harrowing experience with racism during her career. On a recent episode of Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s “Dinner’s on Me” podcast, Byer shared a disturbing incident from her time performing in Appleton, Wisconsin, which left her deeply shaken and determined never to return to the city.
Byer described her experience in Appleton as unpleasant and alarming, saying, “I really hated it there. I was like, ‘The vibes fucking sucked. Bad vibes!’” She learned that Appleton had a history as a “sundown town,” a term used to describe areas where Black people were expected to leave by nightfall to avoid conflict.
The situation escalated during her performance when a disruptive audience member targeted the Black featurer (or opener) by shouting, “Smile, we can’t see you!” Byer was taken aback by the blatant racism and immediately questioned the lack of response from the venue staff. “I walked out on the floor and looked at a server and I was like, ‘You’re not gonna say anything?’” she recounted. The server’s indifference led Byer to cancel her planned meet-and-greet sessions, despite them being included with ticket purchases.
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Byer expressed her frustration with the lack of consequences for the offensive behavior, revealing that she decided not to meet with fans in Appleton and informed her agent of her decision. She emphasized, “I will never go back to Appleton,” underscoring the impact of the incident on her perspective.
The comedian, known for her work on Netflix’s “Nailed It!” and TBS’s “Wipeout,” has faced various instances of racial prejudice throughout her career. In 2018, she went viral with a thread detailing the challenges faced by Black comedians, and in 2022, she disclosed a troubling experience where a casting director instructed her to “be Blacker” but not “too Black” during an audition.
Byer’s account of the Appleton incident highlights the persistent and unsettling reality of racism that many Black artists continue to encounter. “It is scary,” she told Ferguson. “That shit sucks.”
This experience serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing need for awareness and change in how racism is addressed, both in entertainment and beyond.
