Nikki Glaser Apologizes in DMs After Trans Influencer Call-Out

Briel Adams-Wheatley called out Nikki Glaser over jokes about her body and transition; Glaser apologized privately, splitting fans online.

According to Bored Panda, the fracas began when a fan slid into influencer Briel Adams-Wheatley's DMs to alert her that Nikki Glaser was using her life as stand-up material. The fan relayed that Glaser complimented Briel's "talent and beauty and confidence" before delivering a crude punchline about her body.

Briel's public call-out prompted Glaser to respond with an apology in Briel's direct messages. The 42-year-old comedian, who has hosted the Golden Globes twice, admitted she should have reached out before joking about Briel's disability, transition, and private parts, saying "I HATE anti trans jokes of all kinds," that it was a "dumb joke" she would "lose it immediately," and closing with "I love you, and I'm so sorry!" Per Bored Panda, she also argued the fan's account wasn't an "accurate portrayal of the joke." Fans were divided: some called the apology tacky, with one writing it was wild to start an apology with "I'm sorry you found out," while others found her messaging sweet and genuine.

Bored Panda frames the eruption as a test of who comedians can joke about, with fans asking "When are comedians gonna learn times have changed, we punch up now not down." The target here is unusual: Briel is a beloved creator with 1.4 million Instagram followers who shares makeup videos and everyday moments, and fans argued she'd be fine with a joke that wasn't "crass and tacky and gross." For Glaser, whose reputation rests on sharp, often self-directed roasting, the episode shows how a joke about a real, identifiable person can detonate on social media before the special ever airs, forcing a private mea culpa into public view.

Briel, a 26-year-old Brazilian-born trans woman, was born with Hanhart Syndrome and scoliosis, was abandoned as a baby, and was adopted by a Mormon couple in Utah whose tough-love parenting she credits for her independence, per Bored Panda citing a Daily Mail interview. She says she can do everything except drive, running a home with her husband Adam and two dogs. After the blowup, Briel told fans on Instagram Story she "truly didn't think it was going to blow up the way it did" and was still processing everything while out of town for a wedding. Glaser, for her part, promised to cut the joke — whether she does on stage remains to be seen.