PARTING SHOT
Illustration by BRITT SPENCER
“IF YOU HAVE AN AGENDA, THAT’S FINE, BUT YOU BETTER HAVE A GOOD punch line—good enough to overcome any aversion to the joke,” says the New York–based Michelle Wolf, who made headlines in April with her highly controversial set at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, which roasted President Donald Trump, his inner circle, his adult children, Democrats and Republicans. The comedian’s 20 minutes provoked a nationwide taste debate, particularly for ripping into White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders for, among other things, burning facts “to create a perfect smoky eye.” Wolf was accused of humiliating a woman for her looks. “They didn’t listen to the joke. Anyone who thought it was about her physical appearance is not as smart as I thought they were,” says Wolf, who was too busy launching her new late-night Netflix show, The Break With Michelle Wolf, to worry about backlash. The topical variety series takes aim at politicians and celebrities in the news, and so far, she tells Newsweek, “I haven’t made a single Trump joke.”