Comedian Michelle Wolf’s routine at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association has sparked controversy.
This was the second year that President Donald Trump skipped the event, but he encouraged members of his team to attend, and several did.
Two who were in attendance — White House press secretary Sarah Sanders and senior counselor Kellyanne Conway — were the subjects of some of the more pointed jokes.
Vice President Mike Pence, who was not in attendance, was also the butt of some controversial barbs.
Here is a rundown of five of the most talked-about moments which some felt went too far.
The first insulting comparison that Wolf made of Sanders, who was seated two spots away during the set, was to a character from the dystopian book-turned-television series, “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
“Of course, we have Sarah Huckabee Sanders. We’re graced with Sarah’s presence tonight. I have to say I’m a little star-struck. I love you as Aunt Lydia in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ Mike Pence, if you haven’t seen it, you would love it,” Wolf said.
In the book and show, Aunt Lydia is a character who is an enabler of a regime that treats women horribly, torturing and brainwashing the women under her command.
Wolf also drew a comparison to the title character in the anti-slavery novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The term “Uncle Tom” has been used as an insult against African-American people seen as subservient to whites who oppress blacks.
“I’m never really sure what to call Sarah Huckabee Sanders. You know, is it Sarah Sanders? Is it 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? Oh, I know: Aunt Coulter,” Wolf said.
“Every time Sarah steps up to the podium, I get excited because I’m not really sure what we’re going to get: you know, a press briefing, a bunch of lies or divided into softball teams,” Wolf said.
Another joke that Wolf directed at Sanders has come under scrutiny as well.
“I actually really like Sarah. I think she’s very resourceful. Like, she burns facts, and then she uses the ash to create a perfect smoky eye. Like, maybe she’s born with it; maybe it’s lies. It’s probably lies,” Wolf said.
In the wake of the dinner, some people on Twitter, including journalists such as “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said Wolf’s monologue unfairly criticized Sanders for her appearance.
Wolf responded to both on Twitter on Sunday, the day after the dinner, telling Brzezinski, “I complimented her eye makeup and her ingenuity of materials.”
Wolf said Conway “has the perfect last name for what she does: Con-way,” and also directly called her a liar.
“You guys have got to stop putting Kellyanne on your shows. All she does is lie. If you don’t give her a platform, she has nowhere to lie. It’s like that old saying: If a tree falls in the woods, how do we get Kellyanne under that tree? I’m not suggesting she gets hurt; just stuck. Stuck under a tree,” Wolf said.
“A lot of people want Trump to be impeached. I do not. Because just when you think Trump is awful, you remember Mike Pence,” Wolf said.
She went on to call the vice president “a weirdo… a weird little guy.”
