Michelle Wolf Tops Social Media Comedian Rankings After WHCA Controversy

Michelle Wolf's explosive performance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner last month made [...]

By Michael Hein

Michelle Wolf's explosive performance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner last month made her the number one ranked comedian on social media, despite the backlash to some of her jokes.

Wolf tore into the controversial Trump administration at the Correspondents' Dinner. Some felt her jokes went too far, noting especially that she had joked about Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' eye make-up, though Wolf's defenders pointed out that it was part of a broader analogy.

Still, despite several days of articles and social media backlash, the event was a success for Wolf. According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, she now tops their Top Comedians chart. The list tabulates the most popular comics on social media by comparing the rate at which they gain followers, their engagement across platforms and other analytics data.

Wolf isn't the only embattled figure on the list, either. She joins Kathy Griffin, who was famously shunned from many circles last year after she posted a photo of herself holding a Trump mask covered in fake blood as if it were a severed head.

Also there is Kumail Nanjiani, star of Silicon Valley and The Big Sick. Nanjiani's Twitter has taken a distinctly political turn since the election, and he went to great lengths to defend Wolf from her detractors -- particularly those on the left. He even exchanged several tense Tweets with journalist Maggie Haberman, who was in the headlines after being mocked by President Donald Trump.

"That @PressSec sat and absorbed intense criticism of her physical appearance, her job performance, and so forth, instead of walking out, on national television, was impressive," Haberman wrote.


"They call you liars. They call Mexicans rapists. They call Muslims murderers. They support white supremacists. But someone calls them out on what they do, & suddenly they're heroes for not walking out," Nanjiani responded. The two exchanged a few more blows before unfollowing each other and moving on.

For better or worse, the event put Wolf at the number one spot on THR's list. Behind her is Kevin Hart, then D.L. Hughley, Griffin, Nanjiani, Tommy Chong, Dennis Miller, Roseanne Barr, Chris D'Elia and finally Patton Oswalt.

Wolf is best known for her work on The Daily Show, where she worked as both a writer and a correspondent, and for writing on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Her stand-up special, Nice Lady, premiered on HBO last December.

While Wolf has skyrocketed to social media stardom, she hasn't posted anything since the day after the dinner. That may change soon, however, as her late night talk show, The Break with Michelle Wolf, premieres on Netflix on May 27.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of