Michelle Wolf Tears Apart Liberal Late Night Comedy

Are late night’s political segments starting to look repetitive? Michelle Wolf certainly seems to think so. In a recent segment for Netflix’s The Break with Michelle Wolf, the comedian broke down every beat in a by-the-books “sincere and angry” late night Trump rant. Colbert, Kimmel, and Noah should look out because Wolf has their number.

Appropriately titled “Segment Time,” Wolf starts her meta commentary by sitting behind a desk. That’s how you know things are about to get serious.

“This is the time in the show that we do a viral segment,” she says. “And since this is a comedy show in 2018, you know one thing for sure. This comedy segment is going to be sincere and angry. And you can also tell that it will be funny because I’m sitting down, there will be graphics and facts, and it will feel a little bit like school.”

The segment focuses on Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court. But it’s really about how late night uses the same tired Trump-bashing formulas to create hero narratives for its hosts. In this way the segment actually stands as a scathing criticism of the predictable and boring yet barbed routines of late night. All of the ingredients of a classic Trump rant are there. There’s a Trump insult that’s fairly routine for 2018 but is delivered like it’s a sick burn (“That’s right I just called President Trump the devil — the Cheetos devil, small hands”). There’s a planned break for the applause after said insult. There’s even an “Information Part,” which sets Wolf up to show a series of contradictory clips. Only this time she’s not criticizing Trump. In a plot twist anyone who has seen a desk piece in 2018 can call, Wolf’s actual target is the liberal media. If she didn’t make a tampon joke, you could throw this clip into any other late night show. 

While making a decent segment about a hot news item, Wolf and The Break call out how late night hosts use predictable formats to generate praise and viral fame. She even throws in a courageous speech where she congratulates herself for doing the media’s job for them. Why? Because in Wolf’s own words “writing jokes is hard” and earnest pleas are easier. It’s a hauntingly on-point depiction of most late night segments that seem so preoccupied with yelling at Trump, they often forget to be funny.

Since Wolf’s show has premiered on Netflix, the comedian has carved out an interesting, hyper-aware niche for herself. Instead of (only) mocking the Trump administration, Wolf seems more concerned with trying to take the reins of Jon Stewart’s legacy, calling out media institutions like The New York Times as well as the buddy-buddy atmosphere of late night itself.

She also once presented a salute abortions, so yeah. Wolf’s promise that The Break would offend everyone is coming true. You can watch the clip above.

Stream The Break with Michelle Wolf on Netflix