Comedian Michelle Wolf is pushing back on some of the criticism she’s received from her controversial White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech this past weekend.
Wolf eviscerated members of the Trump administration, the news media, and both sides of the political and ideological aisle in her speech.
Most of the criticism is aimed towards comments Wolf made about White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who attended the event and sat on stage.
“All these jokes were about her despicable behavior,” Wolf tweeted in response to New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman, who complimented Sanders for sitting through a routine that attacked her physical appearance and job performance.
“Why are you guys making this about Sarah’s looks?” Wolf also said, responding to MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski, who tweeted multiple messages about how it was humiliating for Sanders to have her looks questioned.
The strange thing is that Wolf actually did not say anything about Sanders’ looks at all. In her reference to The Handmaid’s Tale, Wolf compared Sanders to a character that was a complicit oppressor on behalf of an authoritarian government. And in the Maybelline cosmetics riff, Wolf was referencing Sanders’ sketchy commitment to the truth and the fact that she wears makeup to her briefings.
“I actually really like Sarah. I think she’s very resourceful,” Wolf had said. “She burns facts, and then she uses the ash to create a perfect smoky eye. Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s lies. It’s probably lies.”
Conservatives, in particular, are offended by Wolf’s speech. Fox News reporter Ed Henry on Sunday said Sanders deserves an apology.
“It was disgusting, despicable,” said Henry. “Sarah Sanders should get an apology from the White House Correspondents’ Association… What a contrast to what the president was doing [at the rally], talking about issues that people actually care about.”