Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does stand-up comedy superstar Michelle Wolf. In the wake of the White House Correspondents’ Association’s March decision to hold its annual dinner without a traditional speech by a comedian, Wolf is set to release a 15-minute clip in which she dishes on her unflinching and controversial 2018 set at the event and even throws in a few more jokes.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The clip, titled Dinner Time, will premiere at 8 pm Eastern / 5 pm Pacific time tonight on Punchup.live, a digital platform for live comedy where Wolf’s weekly podcast Thought Box resides. Although the podcast requires a $5 monthly subscription, Dinner Time will be free.
“There might not be a comedian at the Correspondents’ Dinner this year, but the good news is: I have some leftovers!” Wolf says. “I’ve been holding onto this set since 2022, and with everything going on, now felt like the right moment to share it exclusively on Punchup, a platform where comedians can release their own uncensored material without the constraints of any network or streamer.”
Wolf’s routine sparked a media firestorm after she roasted a number of the political powers who were in the room — including then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who is currently the governor of Arkansas, adviser to President Trump Kellyanne Conway and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie – President Trump (who skipped the event) and such talking heads as Fox News’ Sean Hannity and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.
Zeroing in on Conway, Wolf, addressing the media, said, “You guys gotta stop putting Kellyanne on your shows. All she does is lie.” She then added, “It’s like that old saying: If a tree falls in the woods, how do we get Kellyanne under that tree? I’m not suggesting she get hurt, just stuck.”
She also pulled no punches with Sanders, who sat just two seats away from the podium where Wolf delivered her jokes. “I think she’s very resourceful,” the comic said of the press secretary before referencing her make-up style. ” Like, she burns facts, and then she uses the ash to create a perfect smoky eye.”
The barbs stuck with Sanders, who recounted the incident in her 2020 memoir, Speaking for Myself: Faith, Freedom, and the Fight of Our Lives Inside the Trump White House. “I debated walking out or perhaps even throwing my wineglass at her,” she wrote. “But ultimately I stayed in my seat and held my head high.”
Clips of the media furor that resulted can be seen in the trailer for Dinner Time, and in the actual clip, Wolf remains unrepentant — a point of pride for ride-or-die stand-up comics. She explains to the receptive crowd that she is a non-partisan comic. “I hate Republicans. I hate Democrats. I hate the media. It’s all bad,” she says. “It’s all a big circle jerk.”
She also says that she hadn’t planned to talk about the White House Correspondents’ Dinner ever again, until Sanders wrote about it in her book. “And I was like, if you’re gonna talk about it…”
Wolf then proceeds to tell more jokes about Sanders, Conway and President Trump.
Check out the official trailer for Wolf’s Dinner Time below:
