(Photo: C-SPAN)
Apr 29, 2018
At the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night, comedian Michelle Wolf roasted President Donald Trump and members of his administration in what's been described as a "scathing" speech.
In a series of tweets, journalist Glenn Greenwald criticized the event but commended Wolf for her comedy routine, declaring that she "was hilarious & struck exactly the right tone from start to finish. She heaped irreverent contempt on D.C. power centers because that's what good comedians do (& they deserve it)."
Wolf cracked jokes about the president's lawyer paying off a porn star to keep quiet about an alleged affair ("It's 2018 and I am a woman, so you cannot shut me up--unless you have Michael Cohen wire me $130,000") and Trump's disputed financial troubles ("Trump is so broke...He looked for foreign oil in Don Jr.'s hair").
She said she wanted to address Democrats too, but "Democrats are harder to make fun of because you guys don't do anything."
Her routine also featured jabs at the corporate news media: "There's a ton of news right now; a lot is going on, and we have all these 24-hour news networks, and we could be covering everything. But, instead, we're covering like three topics. Every hour, it's Trump, Russia, Hillary and a panel of four people who remind you why you don't go home for Thanksgiving."
Watch Wolf's complete remarks:
Wolf's speech--particularly the portion targeting the women of the Trump administration--triggered a slew of sharp headlines on Sunday. In response, Greenwald challenged claims that the dinner should not include attacks of the D.C. elite, tweeting:
Journalists John Nichols and Paul Farhi noted the state of the news media in the Trump era, about which Wolf said: "You guys are obsessed with Trump. ...He's helped you sell your papers and your books and your TV. You helped create this monster and now you're profiting off of him."
\u201cAmerican journalism is in crisis, under attack and literally shutting down across the vast news deserts of a country where citizens are no longer getting coverage that is sufficient to sustain democracy. So DC journalists have rallied after the #WHCD to condemn... a comedian.\u201d— John Nichols (@John Nichols) 1525021847
\u201cI\u2019m afraid all the debate over whether Michelle Wolf was too mean to Sarah Sanders is going to overshadow this juicy bit of media criticism in her #whca monologue:\u201d— Paul Farhi (@Paul Farhi) 1524983753
Wolf also slammed Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders for being dishonest with the American public.
"Man, she has the perfect last name for what she does: Conway. It's like if my name was Michelle Jokes Frizzy Hair Small Tits," Wolf said, adding: "You guys gotta stop putting Kellyanne on your shows. All she does is lie."
Of Sanders, Wolf said:
And, of course, we have Sarah Huckabee Sanders. We're graced with Sarah's presence tonight. I have to say I'm a little star-struck. I love you as Aunt Lydia in "The Handmaid's Tale." Mike Pence, if you haven't seen it, you would love it.
Every time Sarah steps up to the podium, I get excited because I'm not really sure what we're going to get: you know, a press briefing, a bunch of lies or divided into softball teams. "It's shirts and skins, and this time, don't be such a little bitch, Jim Acosta."
I actually really like Sarah. I think she's very resourceful. Like, she burns facts, and then she uses the ash to create a perfect smoky eye. Like, maybe she's born with it; maybe it's lies. It's probably lies.
And I'm never really sure what to call Sarah Huckabee Sanders. You know, is it Sarah Sanders? Is Sarah Huckabee Sanders? Is it Cousin Huckabee? Is it Auntie Huckabee Sanders? Like, what's Uncle Tom but for white women who disappoint other white women? Oh, I know: Aunt Coulter.
While Wolf's comments that were perceived as attacks on the women's physical appearances garnered intense criticism, some were quick to come to her defense.
Jessica Valenti, who writes about women's rights, tweeted:
The New Yorker's television critic Emily Nussbaum broke down the remarks about Sanders in a series of tweets:
\u201c@asvokos That was PRAISE for her eyeshadow technique: she called it a "perfect smokey eye." The insult was saying that she was resourceful enough to burn facts, then use the ashes skillfully, as makeup\u2014the point was that she's a non-stop liar.\u201d— Emily Nussbaum (@Emily Nussbaum) 1525012042
\u201c@7373tinkerbell @asvokos No. Her job is *exactly* like Aunt Lydia: she is the frowning female enforcer for a fascist patriarchal society, punishing those who resist her lies. it has a tinge of the looks element, but that's not the point of the joke, at all\u2014it's aimed at her job.\u201d— Emily Nussbaum (@Emily Nussbaum) 1525012042
\u201c@TheWhackyPaki It was a literal imitation of how she acts\u2014she yells at people like a bossy disciplinary teacher. It has nothing to do with her looks. She DOES this, it's not a made-up thing. It's practically her brand.\u201d— Emily Nussbaum (@Emily Nussbaum) 1525012042
Wolf even took to Twitter on Sunday to confirm that her comments were about Sanders' "despicable behavior."
\u201cHey mags! All these jokes were about her despicable behavior. Sounds like you have some thoughts about her looks though? \ud83d\ude18 https://t.co/JRzzvhBuey\u201d— Michelle Wolf (@Michelle Wolf) 1524984704
\u201cWhy are you guys making this about Sarah\u2019s looks? I said she burns facts and uses the ash to create a *perfect* smoky eye. I complimented her eye makeup and her ingenuity of materials. https://t.co/slII9TYdYx\u201d— Michelle Wolf (@Michelle Wolf) 1525014852
The Washington Post published a full transcript of Wolf's speech.
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glenn greenwaldjohn nicholskellyanne conwaysarah huckabee sanderstrumpismdonald trumpmichelle wolfwhite house correspondents dinner
At the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night, comedian Michelle Wolf roasted President Donald Trump and members of his administration in what's been described as a "scathing" speech.
In a series of tweets, journalist Glenn Greenwald criticized the event but commended Wolf for her comedy routine, declaring that she "was hilarious & struck exactly the right tone from start to finish. She heaped irreverent contempt on D.C. power centers because that's what good comedians do (& they deserve it)."
Wolf cracked jokes about the president's lawyer paying off a porn star to keep quiet about an alleged affair ("It's 2018 and I am a woman, so you cannot shut me up--unless you have Michael Cohen wire me $130,000") and Trump's disputed financial troubles ("Trump is so broke...He looked for foreign oil in Don Jr.'s hair").
She said she wanted to address Democrats too, but "Democrats are harder to make fun of because you guys don't do anything."
Her routine also featured jabs at the corporate news media: "There's a ton of news right now; a lot is going on, and we have all these 24-hour news networks, and we could be covering everything. But, instead, we're covering like three topics. Every hour, it's Trump, Russia, Hillary and a panel of four people who remind you why you don't go home for Thanksgiving."
Watch Wolf's complete remarks:
Wolf's speech--particularly the portion targeting the women of the Trump administration--triggered a slew of sharp headlines on Sunday. In response, Greenwald challenged claims that the dinner should not include attacks of the D.C. elite, tweeting:
Journalists John Nichols and Paul Farhi noted the state of the news media in the Trump era, about which Wolf said: "You guys are obsessed with Trump. ...He's helped you sell your papers and your books and your TV. You helped create this monster and now you're profiting off of him."
\u201cAmerican journalism is in crisis, under attack and literally shutting down across the vast news deserts of a country where citizens are no longer getting coverage that is sufficient to sustain democracy. So DC journalists have rallied after the #WHCD to condemn... a comedian.\u201d— John Nichols (@John Nichols) 1525021847
\u201cI\u2019m afraid all the debate over whether Michelle Wolf was too mean to Sarah Sanders is going to overshadow this juicy bit of media criticism in her #whca monologue:\u201d— Paul Farhi (@Paul Farhi) 1524983753
Wolf also slammed Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders for being dishonest with the American public.
"Man, she has the perfect last name for what she does: Conway. It's like if my name was Michelle Jokes Frizzy Hair Small Tits," Wolf said, adding: "You guys gotta stop putting Kellyanne on your shows. All she does is lie."
Of Sanders, Wolf said:
And, of course, we have Sarah Huckabee Sanders. We're graced with Sarah's presence tonight. I have to say I'm a little star-struck. I love you as Aunt Lydia in "The Handmaid's Tale." Mike Pence, if you haven't seen it, you would love it.
Every time Sarah steps up to the podium, I get excited because I'm not really sure what we're going to get: you know, a press briefing, a bunch of lies or divided into softball teams. "It's shirts and skins, and this time, don't be such a little bitch, Jim Acosta."
I actually really like Sarah. I think she's very resourceful. Like, she burns facts, and then she uses the ash to create a perfect smoky eye. Like, maybe she's born with it; maybe it's lies. It's probably lies.
And I'm never really sure what to call Sarah Huckabee Sanders. You know, is it Sarah Sanders? Is Sarah Huckabee Sanders? Is it Cousin Huckabee? Is it Auntie Huckabee Sanders? Like, what's Uncle Tom but for white women who disappoint other white women? Oh, I know: Aunt Coulter.
While Wolf's comments that were perceived as attacks on the women's physical appearances garnered intense criticism, some were quick to come to her defense.
Jessica Valenti, who writes about women's rights, tweeted:
The New Yorker's television critic Emily Nussbaum broke down the remarks about Sanders in a series of tweets:
\u201c@asvokos That was PRAISE for her eyeshadow technique: she called it a "perfect smokey eye." The insult was saying that she was resourceful enough to burn facts, then use the ashes skillfully, as makeup\u2014the point was that she's a non-stop liar.\u201d— Emily Nussbaum (@Emily Nussbaum) 1525012042
\u201c@7373tinkerbell @asvokos No. Her job is *exactly* like Aunt Lydia: she is the frowning female enforcer for a fascist patriarchal society, punishing those who resist her lies. it has a tinge of the looks element, but that's not the point of the joke, at all\u2014it's aimed at her job.\u201d— Emily Nussbaum (@Emily Nussbaum) 1525012042
\u201c@TheWhackyPaki It was a literal imitation of how she acts\u2014she yells at people like a bossy disciplinary teacher. It has nothing to do with her looks. She DOES this, it's not a made-up thing. It's practically her brand.\u201d— Emily Nussbaum (@Emily Nussbaum) 1525012042
Wolf even took to Twitter on Sunday to confirm that her comments were about Sanders' "despicable behavior."
\u201cHey mags! All these jokes were about her despicable behavior. Sounds like you have some thoughts about her looks though? \ud83d\ude18 https://t.co/JRzzvhBuey\u201d— Michelle Wolf (@Michelle Wolf) 1524984704
\u201cWhy are you guys making this about Sarah\u2019s looks? I said she burns facts and uses the ash to create a *perfect* smoky eye. I complimented her eye makeup and her ingenuity of materials. https://t.co/slII9TYdYx\u201d— Michelle Wolf (@Michelle Wolf) 1525014852
The Washington Post published a full transcript of Wolf's speech.
At the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night, comedian Michelle Wolf roasted President Donald Trump and members of his administration in what's been described as a "scathing" speech.
In a series of tweets, journalist Glenn Greenwald criticized the event but commended Wolf for her comedy routine, declaring that she "was hilarious & struck exactly the right tone from start to finish. She heaped irreverent contempt on D.C. power centers because that's what good comedians do (& they deserve it)."
Wolf cracked jokes about the president's lawyer paying off a porn star to keep quiet about an alleged affair ("It's 2018 and I am a woman, so you cannot shut me up--unless you have Michael Cohen wire me $130,000") and Trump's disputed financial troubles ("Trump is so broke...He looked for foreign oil in Don Jr.'s hair").
She said she wanted to address Democrats too, but "Democrats are harder to make fun of because you guys don't do anything."
Her routine also featured jabs at the corporate news media: "There's a ton of news right now; a lot is going on, and we have all these 24-hour news networks, and we could be covering everything. But, instead, we're covering like three topics. Every hour, it's Trump, Russia, Hillary and a panel of four people who remind you why you don't go home for Thanksgiving."
Watch Wolf's complete remarks:
Wolf's speech--particularly the portion targeting the women of the Trump administration--triggered a slew of sharp headlines on Sunday. In response, Greenwald challenged claims that the dinner should not include attacks of the D.C. elite, tweeting:
Journalists John Nichols and Paul Farhi noted the state of the news media in the Trump era, about which Wolf said: "You guys are obsessed with Trump. ...He's helped you sell your papers and your books and your TV. You helped create this monster and now you're profiting off of him."
\u201cAmerican journalism is in crisis, under attack and literally shutting down across the vast news deserts of a country where citizens are no longer getting coverage that is sufficient to sustain democracy. So DC journalists have rallied after the #WHCD to condemn... a comedian.\u201d— John Nichols (@John Nichols) 1525021847
\u201cI\u2019m afraid all the debate over whether Michelle Wolf was too mean to Sarah Sanders is going to overshadow this juicy bit of media criticism in her #whca monologue:\u201d— Paul Farhi (@Paul Farhi) 1524983753
Wolf also slammed Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders for being dishonest with the American public.
"Man, she has the perfect last name for what she does: Conway. It's like if my name was Michelle Jokes Frizzy Hair Small Tits," Wolf said, adding: "You guys gotta stop putting Kellyanne on your shows. All she does is lie."
Of Sanders, Wolf said:
And, of course, we have Sarah Huckabee Sanders. We're graced with Sarah's presence tonight. I have to say I'm a little star-struck. I love you as Aunt Lydia in "The Handmaid's Tale." Mike Pence, if you haven't seen it, you would love it.
Every time Sarah steps up to the podium, I get excited because I'm not really sure what we're going to get: you know, a press briefing, a bunch of lies or divided into softball teams. "It's shirts and skins, and this time, don't be such a little bitch, Jim Acosta."
I actually really like Sarah. I think she's very resourceful. Like, she burns facts, and then she uses the ash to create a perfect smoky eye. Like, maybe she's born with it; maybe it's lies. It's probably lies.
And I'm never really sure what to call Sarah Huckabee Sanders. You know, is it Sarah Sanders? Is Sarah Huckabee Sanders? Is it Cousin Huckabee? Is it Auntie Huckabee Sanders? Like, what's Uncle Tom but for white women who disappoint other white women? Oh, I know: Aunt Coulter.
While Wolf's comments that were perceived as attacks on the women's physical appearances garnered intense criticism, some were quick to come to her defense.
Jessica Valenti, who writes about women's rights, tweeted:
The New Yorker's television critic Emily Nussbaum broke down the remarks about Sanders in a series of tweets:
\u201c@asvokos That was PRAISE for her eyeshadow technique: she called it a "perfect smokey eye." The insult was saying that she was resourceful enough to burn facts, then use the ashes skillfully, as makeup\u2014the point was that she's a non-stop liar.\u201d— Emily Nussbaum (@Emily Nussbaum) 1525012042
\u201c@7373tinkerbell @asvokos No. Her job is *exactly* like Aunt Lydia: she is the frowning female enforcer for a fascist patriarchal society, punishing those who resist her lies. it has a tinge of the looks element, but that's not the point of the joke, at all\u2014it's aimed at her job.\u201d— Emily Nussbaum (@Emily Nussbaum) 1525012042
\u201c@TheWhackyPaki It was a literal imitation of how she acts\u2014she yells at people like a bossy disciplinary teacher. It has nothing to do with her looks. She DOES this, it's not a made-up thing. It's practically her brand.\u201d— Emily Nussbaum (@Emily Nussbaum) 1525012042
Wolf even took to Twitter on Sunday to confirm that her comments were about Sanders' "despicable behavior."
\u201cHey mags! All these jokes were about her despicable behavior. Sounds like you have some thoughts about her looks though? \ud83d\ude18 https://t.co/JRzzvhBuey\u201d— Michelle Wolf (@Michelle Wolf) 1524984704
\u201cWhy are you guys making this about Sarah\u2019s looks? I said she burns facts and uses the ash to create a *perfect* smoky eye. I complimented her eye makeup and her ingenuity of materials. https://t.co/slII9TYdYx\u201d— Michelle Wolf (@Michelle Wolf) 1525014852
The Washington Post published a full transcript of Wolf's speech.
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