Michelle Wolf is fine with being divisive. Returning to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time since her Best Newcomer nomination nine years ago, the American stand-up has recorded two acclaimed Netflix specials and a pioneering podcast. But she was decried as “a so-called comedian” by a thin-skinned President Trump after infamously roasting him and his administration at the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Mischievously playful, with a high voice she describes as “Muppety”, Wolf is nevertheless ruthlessly clinical with her punchlines, taking few prisoners.
Splitting her time between Barcelona and London, the 40-year-old émigré will be eight months pregnant with her second child in Edinburgh. The Pennsylvania native would “much rather be loved and hated than somewhere in the middle” and faced walkouts at the Leicester Square Theatre last year after declaring “Free Palestine” in a joke setup. She isn’t overly fazed though.
“I know some people aren’t going to agree with what I say,” she states. “I very much believe in my right to say it. And I very much believe that they have the right not to want to hear it. It won’t ever stop me joking about the things I believe in.”
During Covid, Wolf quarantined at the Ohio home of Dave Chappelle, a comic whose material divides opinion about as effectively as Trump. Most stand-up is “skating holding onto the wall” Chappelle told her, but “you gotta let go of the wall. You gotta take more chances.”
“I tend to be a perfectionist,” she reflects. “But he told me to not be worried if I bomb, because sometimes you will. He encouraged me to be confident in my ability, to present myself unfiltered more.”
Uninspired by collegial chats in which comics simply interview each other, Wolf performs 30 minutes of fresh stand-up each week, generally in Catalonia, and releases it as the podcast Thought Box, in both video and audio versions. “Which I’m happy to do,” she affirms. Only a small percentage of it is developed further and makes it into her full shows. But she’s prolific. Her Fringe return is the best bits drawn from two forthcoming specials that she’s recorded since her 2023 Netflix mini-series, It’s Great To Be Here, and an hour of new material.
Stand-up is “a really, really interesting art form that gets overlooked and dismissed as a bunch of drunks in a basement. And it can be that!” she acknowledges. “But it’s also where you can develop some really interesting takes. One of the best things about writing topical jokes is that it forces you to have an opinion on something. It makes you ask yourself a lot of questions and develop your perspective.”
An experienced marathon runner, Wolf also credits pounding the streets with freeing up her thoughts, while moving to Europe, for her relationship, has further expanded her horizons.
“I have a broader audience and a broader knowledge of people now, just a different view than I would have in the United States,” she maintains. “I’m constantly asking UK comedians ‘what do you think of Trump?’ and asking Europeans how the vibe feels to them when they visit the US. Becoming a mom as well, I’m looking at society differently and how I approach life”.
She’s in no great hurry to move back to America. “[It’s nice] having kids [and not worrying] about [them] getting shot in Europe. Stabbed, maybe.”
Originally recorded for It’s Great To Be Here, in April she released the withering routine “Dinner Time”, about her Correspondents’ Dinner experience, online. She points out that the 2018 roast is “ageing well” and expresses solidarity with Amber Ruffin, a friend and former colleague on Late Night With Seth Meyers, who was unceremoniously dumped as the host of this year’s event at the last minute, in a move widely seen as pacifying Trump.
“If you’re going to do it and not point out the serious issues in the government in a funny way, it’s pointless,” Wolf argues. “Whether it’s a Republican or Democrat in charge, you have to go in there and really go for the jugular.
“One of the things I said when Trump got elected was that we should all be worried about free speech. I thought he was going to start saying: ‘I don’t like hearing these things’. I know people who are travelling from Europe into the States and they’re wiping their social media, they don’t want to get caught with anything, even if it’s just mild criticism.”
A comedy Anglophile, Wolf recently appeared on Have I Got News For You? and has just recorded an upcoming episode of Would I Lie To You?
“I love panel shows and they’re really fun to be on,” she explains. “You actually see people’s personalities, which isn’t something we do in America. Part of the reason we haven’t been successful in making them is that we’re too scripted. ‘Here is my very prepared joke that I’m pretending is not prepared’. In the UK, you genuinely seem like you’re relaxed and having a good time.
“If I’m trying to write but I’m not in a great mood, I’ll put on some Would I Lie To You? Or a Sean Lock compilation from 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. And it always makes me laugh.”
As a formerThe Daily Show correspondent, Wolf returned to guest host the US institution in 2023. And she hasn’t ruled out presenting a late night show in the future. “It’s a show I’ve loved for a really long time, it’s right up my alley.
“But what I’m trying to do with my podcast is my version of a late night monologue. With no sponsors or network to report to. If a late night host could actually have their unfiltered point of view.
“It’s really fun for me to say what I want to say. I’m excited about trying to get more people’s eyeballs on it.”
Michelle Wolf, Pleasance Courtyard, 11-15 Aug, 8.30pm; 16-17 Aug, 4pm