In the wake of scathing backlash launched at Michelle Wolf following her weekend routine at the White House Correspondents Dinner, a number of fellow comics have rallied to her defense after the comedian drew condemnation from everyone from the president of the United States to the very organization that hired her for the event.
Kathy Griffin, who recently returned to television in an episode of Comedy Central's “The President Show” nearly a year after she sparked controversy by holding a fake severed head featuring President Donald Trump's likeness, was at Saturday's dinner and among Wolf's defenders. She alluded to a double standard in the reception of male and female comics.
“The audience reaction, in a couple times, was tepid, and I really feel like it’s because she’s a woman,” Griffin told The Washington Post. “Some of her comments made a lot of these straighty, backwards dinosaurs uncomfortable, and I live for that. Those were some of my favorite moments.”
Wolf is primarily known as a contributor on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Trevor Noah." Some of her jokes, particularly a series of barbs about Sarah Huckabee Sanders as the White House press secretary sat just feet away, seemed to spark the most outrage.
WHCA President Margaret Talev said she has "heard from members expressing dismay with the entertainer's monologue and concerns about how it reflects on our mission." She said the monologue "was not in the spirit" of the dinner's mission, and she will work with the incoming president of the group and take comments from members on their views "on the format of the dinner going forward."
Wanda Sykes, in defending Wolf, called out the media itself as "24 hrs of bulls---."
Not all performers jumped to Wolf's defense. Ardent Trump supporter Roseanne Barr took to social media following the backlash to say "they use women to attack and bully women." She then offered a series of comedy rules.
Dennis Miller called Wolf "a horrid human being," which prompted the head writer of Netflix's upcoming "The Break with Michelle Wolf" to clap back.