Comedian Michelle Wolf slammed the White House Correspondents’ Association on Monday after the organization announced it would drop comedy for their 2019 dinner and instead feature historian Ron Chernow as the keynote speaker.
Wolf — who was criticized for insulting White House press secretary Sarah Sanders at this year’s event — called WHCA members “cowards” and said she remained pleased with her tough as nails performance the year before.
“The @whca are cowards. The media is complicit. And I couldn’t be prouder,” she said, with comedian Kathy Griffin adding a five clap emoji assist in the comments.
The @whca are cowards. The media is complicit. And I couldn't be prouder. https://t.co/OOIFGuZ731
— Michelle Wolf (@michelleisawolf) November 19, 2018
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— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) November 19, 2018
On Monday, the association, which puts on the annual dinner announced that it had invited Chernow to speak instead of a comedian.
“The White House Correspondents’ Association has asked me to make the case for the First Amendment and I am happy to oblige,” Chernow said in a press release. “Freedom of the press is always a timely subject and this seems like the perfect moment to go back to basics. My major worry these days is that we Americans will forget who we are as a people and historians should serve as our chief custodians in preserving that rich storehouse of memory.”
He also promised to not be too “dry.”
Chernow is best known for his lengthy biographies of American statesmen, including President Ulysses Grant and Alexander Hamilton. His book on the latter was later adapted into the Broadway mega-hit play “Hamilton” by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
President Donald Trump, who hadn’t shown up for the event since he took office, gave no indication that he planned to change course for 2019. Trump is the first president since Ronald Reagan — who was recovering from an assassination attempt — to skip the event.
Wolf’s routine at this year’s dinner became known for its edgy jokes on social issues and biting attacks against Sanders — including jabs at her appearance which many critics later said were sexist. Sanders, who attended in Trump’s absence, mostly sat stone-faced.
Wolf’s Netflix series, “The Break,” was canceled after just 10 episodes in August.