Apropos of nothing, an incomplete list of differences between comedians Sam Jay and Ziwe Fumudoh: Former SNL writer Sam Jay has short-cropped hair that can fit under, say, a baseball cap, while ex–Desus & Mero writer Ziwe Fumudoh tends toward longer locks; Sam Jay wears baggier clothing, while Ziwe Fumudoh styles herself as an over-the-top femme; Sam Jay often wears glasses, while Ziwe Fumudoh tends toward sunglasses; Sam Jay has a show on HBO called Pause With Sam Jay, while Ziwe has a show on Showtime called Ziwe; Sam Jay rarely wears shirts with the name “Ziwe†on them, while Ziwe is more likely to be found in that particular merch. Still confused? Well, you might be the camera operator for the New York Liberty, the WNBA team that put Jay on the Jumbotron last night with the unfortunate caption “Ziwe Fumudoh Comedian & Writer, Showtime’s ‘Ziwe’†after a trailer for the show played.
It turns out Ziwe was, in fact, at the game, helpfully wearing a shirt that says “Ziwe,†according to her Instagram Story, and she later got her moment on the big screen. One would assume self-captioning would exempt you from this kind of miscaptioning — it turns out Ziwe works hard, but racism works harder. WNBA Jumbotron, you’d be an iconic guest.