STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Daily Show 's Jessica Williams Accused of Having 'Imposter Syndrome'

The correspondent clapped back at critics who claimed to know what is best for her career.

Highly outspoken Daily Show correspondent Jessica Williams has had it with outsiders telling her what's best for her career. Most recently, after making it clear that she was not interested in replacing Jon Stewart on the Daily Show, she was accused on having "imposter syndome," to which she replied with a quick shutdown.

| CLICK HERE TO SEE TEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT LARRY WILMORE |

In response to fans' suggestions that she fill Stewart's spot, Williams said in a series of tweets, "Thank you but I am extremely under-qualified for the job! At this age [25] if something happens politically that I don't agree with, I need to go to my room & like not come out for, like, 7 days... I am super not right for it, but there are quite a few people who are!"

Following her spirited-yet-honest response, a Billfold writer penned an article claiming that Williams was "the latest high-profile victim of imposter syndrome," gleaned from the very popular book Lean In, where the phrase is defined as a "well-documented phenomenon in which men look at their abilities vs. the requirements of a job posting and round up, whereas women do the same and round down, calling themselves 'unqualified.'"

After the writer further claimed that Williams did not understand "her own self-worth" and just needed a "pep talk," the correspondent directly responded to the writer on Twitter saying, "This is incredibly insulting. Because of my choice, you have diagnosed me with something without knowing me at all. For the world to see... I am a Black woman and I am a femininst and I am so many things. I'm truly honored that people love my work. But I am not yours. No offense, but Lean the F**k away from me for the next couple of days."

The Billfold writer has since apologized for her hash and judgmental words in an addendum to the original article.

BET.com is your #1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.
Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

(Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Comedy Central)

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.