Chortle's interview with Michelle Wolf

Michelle Wolf came to global prominence roasting President Trump at the 2018 White House Correspondents' Dinner. A former writer for Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Daily Show, she guest hosted the latter and has released three Netflix specials and The Break, a weekly talk and sketch show, for the streamer. Splitting her time between Barcelona and London, Wolf begins her first UK tour, Best Job In The World, in Swindon tonight. Here she talks to Jay Richardson about being pigeonholed as a political comedian, how being a mother has changed her material, and her experiences of British panel shows.

How has the UK comedy scene changed over the decade since you started performing here?

My performing here has been the standard American popping over to do London, Manchester, maybe Dublin, Edinburgh. But not really visiting any other cities or towns. So my idea of UK comedy has been limited. I love going to a comedy club and seeing what everyone else is working on, though. Now I'm in London more, I can see it keeps getting stronger and stronger, everyone's just getting better and better.

Why do you describe Best Job In The World as your most personal show so far? 

I like to talk a lot about society and the politics involved in that. But this is through the lens of where I'm at now, having two small children. My views on myself and the world have evolved, it's all a bit more vulnerable. You're vulnerable every day as a mum anyway. So you might as well take that to the stage.

Are we socially regressing in the West?

I don't know if we're going in a regressive direction. It's been worse than now. But I don't know if we're trying to progress, which is an obvious negative. 

What I do think is good is that more and more people are becoming aware of how contorted we are by society. The more I look at my life and what I have to do, to work or simply get through my day. The more I research women's health, it's like, wow. No one's looking after us. It's insanity. 

But I really don't feel like society is made for you guys either, you're contorting yourselves. I'm hoping you're also becoming aware of it. This society we've built is not fit for human consumption.

I feel that the mistake we make a lot, that I was making in an early version of this show, was that I was only looking at it from a woman's perspective. But men are having a hard time too. And it's important to point out that it's not a competition, none of us should have to contort. If society is better for women, it doesn't have to get worse for men. Or vice-versa. There's a way to do it where it get better for everybody.

I've heard comedians joke that stand-up is harder when you become a parent because you develop greater empathy. You opened your last special, The Well, with dead baby gags. How hard have you found it?

I don't feel like a good stand-up is necessarily empathetic. But it depends where their empathy lands. For me, [motherhood] feels like it's broadened my perspective. It's made me see things I never thought of before. And that I can make jokes about a greater number of things because I'm having more experiences. Becoming a parent, you're more in tune with emotions, other people's emotions. Or at least your children's emotions, hopefully. 

I don't think jokes have a lack of empathy, all jokes come from a place of love, at least in some direction. Even those dead baby jokes, that's me loving myself, me appreciating my own mind and wanting to not lose myself. Maybe I'm just arguing semantics. But the short answer is no, I don't find it harder. I find it more interesting and textured.

Sometimes, people complain that since you've become a parent, that's all you talk about. Well, that's my life and I've always talked about my life. When I'm writing, I try to be aware enough to make it accessible for those who don't have kids. I also just talk about the plight of being a woman or man. And the rampant paedophilia that's apparently been happening in the world.

Am I right in thinking one of your opening acts was also your nanny? How do you find juggling family life and touring?

Yeah, I mean you really have to move as a caravan these days. Everyone has a function or multiple functions, including myself. This tour I have no opener. But I have nannies who travel with me and extra help sometimes if I need it. The killer is, you go to work, which is luckily very fun. But then you're immediately back to being a mum. You don't get to go back to the hotel, have a nice rest and think about seeing your family tomorrow. I'm at the hotel, my family's at the hotel. 

A lot of guys will be like, 'I just miss my family so much when I tour'. And I'm like, 'I would love to miss my family'.

You did a work-in-progress of this show at the Edinburgh Fringe last year while eight months pregnant. How was that?

I spent a lot of the summer in Barcelona and thought it would be great being in Edinburgh in August, cooler, maybe a little rainy, and that would be very nice at eight months. Then I went and it was sunny and hot every single day. And you forget just how many hills there are! 

So I was just a big, sweaty, pregnant mess. I still had a great time and love doing the Fringe. But I was disappointed it wasn't the cold, cloudy weather I've experienced in the past.

You cited the imminent birth as your reason for turning down the Riyadh Comedy Festival. Would you have gone otherwise?

On my podcast I did the jokes I would have done if I had. I would have joked about all those things people say about Saudi and the reasons why you shouldn't go there. 

I would have said I was going to say them. And they would have had to be OK with me calling out the government. I don't know if they would have said yes or no. But I think if you can go someplace and call out what's happening, particularly if you can do it as a comedian in a funny way, well, first of all, that's a fun challenge. Also, it's a good thing to be able to do. I just have a feeling they would have said you can't come.

You recently shared Instagram clips of a sketch show you piloted in 2022. Who was that for?

For FX. They couldn't wrap their head around it. Sketch shows are hard to get on air but we had a lot of fun making it. I would really love to do it in the future if I get the opportunity.

What other scripted projects are you working on?

I have a crime drama I've been wanting to write for the past 10 years. I just wrote the first episode and I'm very excited about it, it's dark and comedic. And I have another TV show I'm working on a pilot for but I don't want to give too much away. 

Much as I love touring, having two small children, there's a reason my schedule is mostly just the South of England. Everything has to be in proximity to London so I can get back the same night.

I just love crime dramas. I've pitched the idea to everybody and they've all said no. So I just thought I would write it and hope that when they read it they'll be like, of course, we'd love to make this. That's where it's at just now.

You've appeared on plenty of British panel shows. Do you find yourself cast in the role of the American having our domestic agenda explained to you?

Now that I've done more and been over here a bit more, I don't necessarily need to be brought up to speed. Although when I did Have I Got News For You, Miles Jupp mentioned a gilet and I needed it explained that that's a puffy vest. There are still moments like that. But with everything happening in America, having my perspective on what life is like here versus there, I don't know if that's a specific role I'm fulfilling. It's just my genuine experience.

With a bit of distance, what do you think about your White House Correspondents' Dinner now? Is there anything you would have done differently?

Unfortunately, it's ageing remarkably well. If I could change anything about it, I would have gone even harder. I feel like I pulled back a bit. Knowing what I know, the reaction I got anyway, where we are now in the world, I would have gone harder. Because why not?

What do you make of Stephen Colbert being cancelled and Jimmy Kimmel suspended? Are you worried about late night's future?

Late night is tricky because it's not overly popular at the moment in general. But the thing that's most worrisome is that sentiment of 'you can't say this', 'Kimmel needs to be off the air because he said that', 'Colbert can't be critical of …' That's exactly what they're there for. They're supposed to make fun and be critical. They're smart guys, they know how to do that and how to do it well. 

What I find so infuriating is that when Trump was elected the second time, Joe Rogan posted about freedom of speech being saved. And that's such a stupid thing to say because Trump has always wanted people not saying things and that's on perfect display right now. 

When he was elected, I said that it was only a matter of time before we weren't allowed to make fun of him. And that's obviously a slippery slope towards being very controlled about what you can say generally. And then comes the end of comedy. It's incredibly problematic, incredibly worrisome.

The upside is that people are increasingly aware of it and it will very much backfire. Because whatever Colbert does now or whatever Kimmel says, people are watching. More people will hear what Kimmel says because the president doesn't want him to say it. 

It appears as if there's some buyer's remorse from the likes of Rogan and Tucker Carlson for their backing of Trump ... 

A lot of those guys just blow whatever way the money or popularity is blowing. A Tucker Carlson says whatever is going to help their career. If the tides change and something else becomes popular, they will pivot again and go in that direction. These aren't people who ever put their neck on the line to say how they really feel. Because they want to keep being popular, keep making money. They're addicted to the fame of it all.

Presumably you've never been worried about entertaining everyone in the room, you're prepared to alienate in pursuit of a joke?

If you like it, great. If you don't, no problem. My comedy is for my audience and you get to decide if you're my audience or not. If you are, buckle up. We're gonna have some fun. But I'm not trying to please an audience. I'm saying what I want to say.

You've had rumours spread by Maga supporters about you online, has that ever given you pause about your approach?

A lot of that stuff is just internet trolls. And it was very fortunate that I knew a lot of people wouldn't like me, so I've never been trying to please everybody. That's just part of being a woman in general, you're always going to be criticised, so do what you want to do anyway. If you try to be perfect, they're gonna find a way to criticise. So you might as well just be you.

Dave Chappelle advised you to temper your perfectionist streak, right?

He told me to let go of the sides, just really let go and be myself. Don't be scared to put yourself out there and then figure out if it works or not. The gist was if you fail, if your joke doesn't work, it doesn't mean it's not going to work. You just need to learn to say it differently. 

Which I know, of course. He was really just letting me know that the audience wants to know you, it doesn't have to be joke, joke, joke. They want to like you, they're interested in what you have to say and I have to trust that the audience is interested.

It's a very valuable part of comedy to know that it can kind of be quiet as you're revealing the story because, sometimes, it means that the payoffs are even bigger.

How much did working in late night influence your material, your turnover and topicality?

Yeah, that's all late night is. Especially with Seth, every day was writing jokes all day, whether you feel good or bad, happy, sad. It really teaches you how to do this job. Because it is a job. You have to get out of your own way, stop thinking about anything else and get to work. 

One of the fun things about comedy is that sometimes you're waiting for something to click where you're like,’oh, that's going to be a good bit’. Other times, it's nice to know that you have the power to think, ‘I could make that into a joke if I wanted to’. Writing a lot helps you realise that you can turn anything into a joke.

Do you actively incorporate potential objections to gags into your routines?

When I write, I like to anticipate when people are going to say, wait, but what about this?' And I'll have a caveat written in. So if someone's disagreeing with it, it's kind of like, I know you're thinking this. I make a very sound argument so that objections are answered before they come.

When I interviewed you this time last year, you said you had two specials recorded. Yet only one has been released since. Is another coming out soon?

I have the other filmed, edited and set to go. I'm just figuring out the right time to release it and where to release it.

You're perceived as a Netflix comic. Yet you have reservations about the streamer's virtual monopoly over stand-up specials?

Yeah, I would like a lot more places for people to see stand-up. However, YouTube has been great for comedy. It's given a chance to acts that the streamers haven't. Given them a chance to grow their own audience. Even if executives aren't buying it, that doesn't mean they're not really funny. Some of the funniest people are on YouTube, just because no one else has given them a shot. And we're seeing some of their audiences grow exponentially. Maybe more so than if they'd been on Netflix.

Will you tour the UK more widely in the future?

Yes. I'm hoping that the older my children get, the further I'll be able to go. I really want to get up to the north of England and do more of Scotland, Northern Ireland. A whole Irish tour would be amazing. Obviously, there are similarities everywhere. But I want to learn say, what makes Newcastle unique? What's their thing in any of these cities? In the States, there's always something that makes the people stand out in specific cities and that's always interesting.

As the Correspondents Dinner looms so large over your career, do you worry about being pigeonholed as a political comic?

It's not like I'm going to get up and just talk about Trump. But everything's political. If I'm talking about being a mum, women's healthcare, men's mental health, all of that's somewhat political. So I might not get into the specifics, Trump or any of those other annoying people. But I'm also not one of those comics that's just going to talk about their Starbucks order.

You started your comedy career in improv, can you see its legacy in your act now?

Yeah, I feel like I still use it today, whether it's just working on a joke on stage or even just my general thought processes. You're constantly kind of yes anding yourself with a joke. Letting yourself be fun, silly and creating a world. Improv was really formative for me.

What can you tell me about Stand Up Sit Down, the Disney+ pilot that you've shot with Jack Whitehall and Katherine Ryan?

It was Jack's pilot [for his Jackpot Productions]. Katherine and I were his guests and we talked about stand-up, kind of what we would talk about at a comic's table at a comedy club. It was really fun to tape. I don't know where it's at. But I think it would be a really interesting thing for him to be able to do, interview comics and talk to them about their experiences: what we've done, what we haven't done. It's a doorway into comics' way of thinking about themselves.

What's next for you after the tour ends?

More touring. This is the first part, and hopefully we'll add some more UK dates. And yeah, keep going.

» Michelle ​Wolf tour dates

Published: 11 Jun 2026