She was not shy about mocking President Trump, his family and staff — and even the news media itself. Comedian Michelle Wolf both charmed and shocked the press during her appearance at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April. Within a month, she landed a late-night spot on Netflix showcasing her own brand of unscripted comedy, which debuted in late May.
After 10 episodes, the show is gone. Netflix has pulled the plug on “The Break with Michelle Wolf,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Wolf’s late-night entry failed to garner the kind of viewership that warrants a second season at the streaming giant,” the Reporter noted Sunday. “During the series’ brief run, Wolf herself generated considerable press attention and a handful of segments — including an ’ICE Is’ recruitment video and a salute to abortion, among others.”
Viewers were repelled, according to some.
The abortion segment in particular prompted “horrified” Netflix customers to cancel their subscriptions, petition for the show’s cancellation and promote a #BoycottNetflix hashtag on Twitter, wrote Craig Bannister, an analyst for CNSNews.com.
“In the end, though, Wolf’s shock-and-offend theatrics failed to draw and maintain enough audience to justify a second season,” he said.
Some entertainers have dropped the political angle altogether. Veteran comedians Steve Martin and Martin Short are about to embark on a national tour, and they’re leaving their Trump jokes and White House criticism at home.
“Before the election, we did a lot of Trump material, a lot of political material, and it was fine. After the election, you started to hear comments from the audience, whether it was a yay or a boo, and we said, we don’t want that. We’re not here to preach. So we started limiting the divisive political material from the act because you get that on late-night TV. It’s not something you want to pay for. We’re just trying to be funny,” Mr. Martin told IndieWire.com.
“When it comes to politics, you don’t want to make half the audience feel like they’re inappropriate,” added Mr. Short.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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