It’s no joke
Comic faces backlash
President Trump snubbed the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner because of his distaste for the media, but he ended up siding with the many journalists who blasted the gala’s headliner for her vulgar comedy routine.
The president and some of his former staffers joined with media members — and the association itself — to call out comedian Michelle Wolf for her bawdy performance Saturday, with one-time White House press secretary Sean Spicer describing it as a “disgrace.”
Trump, who didn’t attend the black-tie affair for the second straight year, opting instead for a campaign-style rally in Michigan, blasted Wolf (inset).
“Everyone is talking about the fact that the White House Correspondents Dinner was a very big, boring bust . . . the so-called comedian really ‘bombed,’” Trump tweeted.
Wolf, 32, leveled an attack on Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the current White House press secretary, who was sitting nearby.
“I’m never really sure what to call Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Is it Sarah Sanders, Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Is it Cousin Huckabee? Is it Auntie Huckabee Sanders? Like, what’s Uncle Tom but for white women who disappoint other white women?” the largely unknown former “Daily Show” contributor said.
After a day of criticism from journalists in attendance, such as New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman and NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, the WHCA put out a statement on twitter Sunday saying its officials they “have heard from members expressing dismay.”
“Last night’s program was supposed to offer a unifying message . . . Unfortunately, the entertainer’s monologue was not in the spirit of that mission,” said the tweet from Margaret Talev, the association’s president.
Earlier in the day, Haberman praised Sanders’ calm in the face of the roasting as “impressive.”
Wolf defended herself from critics who accused her of going overboard with alleged jabs at Huckabee’s physical appearance.
“Hey mags! All these jokes were about her despicable behavior,” Wolf tweeted Sunday, refrring to Haberman.