Leslie Jones Makes ‘Daily Show’ Host Debut With Her Thoughts on Accidentally NSFW MLK Jr. Statue

Leslie Jones took over The Daily Show as guest host on Tuesday night (Jan. 17), and she took some time to share her characteristically hilarious thoughts on the new Martin Luther King Jr. statue in Boston.

The statue, which was inspired by a photo of the legendary civil rights leader hugging his wife after he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, features the couple’s arms embracing without their heads — which sparked criticism as some believe that it accidentally ended up looking quite erotic.

Jones wasted no time getting right to the point. “Has anyone in here ever been eaten out?” she asked the audience, who promptly broke out into cheers and laughter. “I’m serious! Has anyone in here ever participated in the munchy, munch, munch, munch? Because they are celebrating you in Boston right now.”

The comedian then turned to the camera with a message for the white viewers at home. “White people, you don’t need to be saying sh– about this statue. Do you understand? Black hands only. You need to sit your a– in the back of the bus for this one. You need to honor this statue. This is our civil rights icon going down on his wife.”

After more roaring cheers, Jones continued, “OK, black people. What the f— are we going to do? We got to talk about this, because you know it’s messed up when black people and the Proud Boys hate the same statue.”

To conclude, Jones compared the statue to other famous ones, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, noting that people probably didn’t love them at first. “Maybe it’s a matter of time,” she joked about the newly unveiled MLK statue. “In time, we will see the statue for what it truly is. Martin Luther King going down on his wife. I can’t unsee it!”

Jones will guest-host three episodes of The Daily Show this week, followed by fellow comedians Wanda Sykes, D.L. Hughley, Chelsea Handler and Sarah Silverman with weekly stints through Feb. 16. Following the exit of host Trevor Noah, the show will keep up this guest-hosting rotation until the fall.

Watch the full clip below.