It's Political Media vs. Comedians as White House Press Association Disavows Michelle Wolf
The White House Correspondents' Association has disavowed Wolf's Correspondents' dinner address, amid a non-controversy that sprang from an innocuous joke about eye makeup.
By Aaron P. Bernstein/REUTERS.
On Saturday night, Michelle Wolf roasted the current presidential administration and the media at the White House Correspondents' dinner, as per annual tradition. But it appears that the people who hired her for that roast had been hoping she'd do . . . something else.
Following criticism from some of the elite journalists in the room—along with conservative politicians and pundits targeted by Wolf—the White House Correspondents' Association released a statement disavowing Wolf's speech, saying it did not reflect the "spirit" of the night. What, precisely, the organization meant by this is unclear, since Wolf gave a performance that was very much in keeping with the tradition set by comics before her, at least tracing back to Stephen Colbert scorching George W. Bush in 2006. If Wolf's roast—which worked in swipes at just about everyone imaginable, including left- and right-wing media, Democrats and Republicans, Donald Trump, Mike Pence and, yes, Sarah Huckabee Sanders—did not reflect, as the Association put it, the "spirit" of the night, it's worth asking if any true roast could.
The statement, written by Association president Margaret Talev and released late Sunday, noted that some members of the group expressed "dismay with [Wolf's] monologue and concerns about how it reflects on our mission." Talev ultimately agreed with their dismay: "Last night's program was meant to offer a unifying message about our common commitment to a vigorous and free press while honoring civility, great reporting and scholarship winners, not to divide people. Unfortunately the entertainer's monologue was not in the spirit of that mission."
Unsurprisingly, President Trump himself—who, like last year, skipped the dinner in favor of throwing himself a rally on the same night—has also chimed in, tweeting, "The White House Correspondents' Dinner was a failure last year, but this year was an embarrassment to everyone associated with it. The filthy 'comedian' totally bombed (couldn't even deliver her lines-much like the Seth Meyers weak performance). Put Dinner to rest, or start over!" Such ire is to be expected from the president—but several prominent journalists scolded Wolf's address as well, including NBC News's Andrea Mitchell, who said Wolf should apologize. In particular, Wolf's joke, that Sanders "burns facts and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smoky eye," stirred backlash. "Maybe she's born with it," Wolf had said Saturday night, referencing the Maybelline slogan. "Maybe it's lies. It's probably lies." Star New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman complimented Sanders for her fortitude: she "sat and absorbed intense criticism of her physical appearance, her job performance, and so forth, instead of walking out," Haberman wrote.
The gist from those who disliked the roast is that Wolf was simply too mean. But plenty of people have come to Wolf's defense as well—including several prominent comedians. Wolf's former Late Night colleague Seth Meyers—who hosted the Correspondents' dinner in 2011—wrote, "Few people go to DC and accomplish what they set out to do while staying true to themselves. @michelleisawolf is one of those people." Kumail Nanjiani was among those who questioned if a joke about Sanders' eye makeup really constituted a knock against her looks. (In Wolf's own opinion, as expressed after the fact, it did not.) And Kathy Griffin—who also faced a firestorm of controversy after making a joke against the Trump administration that some said went too far—offered a thorough defense in a lengthy thread, in which she asked why the offended journalists are holding Wolf, a comedian, to a higher standard of integrity than the president of the United States.
Wolf, Griffin noted, "was hired to do a roast. That was her job. She wasn't hired to offer media analysis or be fair and balanced. She was hired to poke fun at powerful people. Not once did she punch down. She focused on the people/institutions that are powerful beyond measure. . . Comics by their nature are anti-establishment. They are charged with the often unenviable task of going after people in power. It's a lot easier to tell jokes about the difference between LA and NYC or cats and dogs."
Perhaps, then, it wasn't the Sanders line that riled the media, but this one instead: "I think what no one in this room wants to admit is that Trump has helped all of you," Wolf said as she began to wrap up. "He couldn't sell steaks or vodka or water or college or ties or Eric—but he has helped you. 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." If the Association wasn't pleased with her performance, perhaps they should take Jimmy Kimmel's advice: "Hire a juggler next year."
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