--- description: The fight for gender equality applies to dirty words, too, as Amy Schumer got Comedy Central to let her say this one word title: Amy Schumer Fought to Say This Word on Comedy Central and Won image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3de409598777784e/698768033c1639b07844fe15/amy-schumer.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Living](/tag/time-section-living/) ## Living Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Amy Schumer Fought to Say This Word on Comedy Central and Won by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 10, 2014 4:20 PM CUT  Amy Schumer arrives for the "Late Show with David Letterman" at Ed Sullivan Theater on April 1, 2014 in New York City. Amy Schumer arrives for the "Late Show with David Letterman" at Ed Sullivan Theater on April 1, 2014 in New York City.Donna Ward—Getty Images by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 10, 2014 4:20 PM CUT Comedy Central comedians can now say the word “pussy” uncensored, [thanks](http://www.vulture.com/2014/11/how-amy-schumer-fought-to-say-pussy-on-air.html "undefined") to Amy Schumer. The word was a point of contention between her show, _Inside Amy Schumer_ _,_ and the cable network during the second season. Though certain other references to male sex organs were allowed on Comedy Central, this term for female genetalia was not. Dan Powell, the show’s executive producer, had argued for its use and cited gender inequality. “Dan decided that it wasn’t fair that they bleep the word ‘pussy,'” Schumer, explained at a Paley Center for Media panel this past weekend, according to _Vulture_. “Because you are allowed to say the word ‘dick’ on Comedy Central,” added Jessi Klein, head writer and executive producer. If any show could win that battle, it was _Inside Amy Schumer_, a sketch show that often [comments and criticizes](http://time.com/45771/how-amy-schumer-got-guys-to-think-feminists-are-funny/ "undefined") the different standards for women and men. “Halfway through the first season, we started to realize that a lot of the show was addressing women’s issues and gender politics,” said Powell. “I’d written a letter, sort of like write I’d write to my congressman, and I guess it struck a chord.” Schumer called the victory Powell’s _Mr. Smith_ _Goes to Washington_ moment. The writers embraced the new privilege with gusto. Check out the first sketch where the word isn’t bleeped out. \[[_Vulture_](http://www.vulture.com/2014/11/how-amy-schumer-fought-to-say-pussy-on-air.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3575954/amy-schumer-comedy-central/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3575954/amy-schumer-comedy-central/"},"headline":"Amy Schumer Fought to Say This Word on Comedy Central and Won","datePublished":"2014-11-10T16:20:51.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:56:16.224Z","description":"The fight for gender equality applies to dirty words, too","url":"https://time.com/3575954/amy-schumer-comedy-central/","keywords":["Living","Television","Scandal","controversy","entertainment","Culture","Amy Schumer","Comedians"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3de409598777784e/698768033c1639b07844fe15/amy-schumer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3de409598777784e/698768033c1639b07844fe15/amy-schumer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Amy Schumer arrives for the \"Late Show with David Letterman\" at Ed Sullivan Theater on April 1, 2014 in New York City.","caption":"Amy Schumer arrives for the \"Late Show with David Letterman\" at Ed Sullivan Theater on April 1, 2014 in New York City.","creditText":"Donna Ward—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3575954/amy-schumer-comedy-central/","name":"Amy Schumer Fought to Say This Word on Comedy Central and Won"}}]}] ```