Michelle Wolf’s personal life is in a radically different place from when Netflix viewers last saw her in 2023. Since then, she got pregnant, gave birth to her first daughter, and took seven months off away from the stage. Wolf acknowledged that she was privileged enough not only to enjoy a proper maternity leave but also to have a career she looked forward to returning to.

### Michelle Wolf: The Well – Stream It or Skip It?

The gist of Wolf’s new hour focuses largely on her initial observations about becoming a mother in her late 30s and how this life change has reshaped her perspectives on white women, sexism, misogyny, and everything else the world is throwing at us in 2025.

This is her first hour-long special since the pandemic. In 2023, her significant contributions included a short set in a Bill Burr showcase for the Netflix Is A Joke festival, her own three-part series of shorter sets titled *It’s Great to Be Here* for Netflix, and a guest-hosting stint on *The Daily Show*.

### What Comedy Specials Will It Remind You Of?

Earlier this year, Netflix viewers also got an unfiltered look at new motherhood from one of Wolf’s contemporaries, Rosebud Baker, with her before-and-after childbirth special, *The Mother Lode*.

### Memorable Jokes

Wolf’s humor tends to blend shock value with a social message. One standout bit is about drinking a “placenta smoothie” after childbirth, which not only shocks but also sets up a recurring callback in her set.

She dives into the territory of dead baby jokes—a controversial choice—using them as a springboard to criticize both of America’s major political parties regarding a woman’s right to choose. Of Republicans, she quips, “They see a problem, and they will chisel away at it until it’s a swastika,” while noting Democrats’ strategy is “the same reason you need an abortion.”

Wondering how the two parties might handle running a literal *Jurassic Park*? Wolf covers that too, taking the GOP to task for claiming to be pro-life while opposing nearly all policies that would support healthy children and adults. While not a wholly novel argument, Wolf elevates it sharply by observing: “It’s kind of like if a pedophile called themselves pro-child. It’s technically true. Super pro-child.” After a beat, she adds, “I’m going to let you guys sit in that.”

Wolf’s wave of feminism touches on small but telling details, such as the chronic lack of pockets in women’s fashion, and zooms out to a broader critique of the scarcity of genuine female role models. Martha Stewart qualifies as one, though Wolf points out that Stewart’s admirers often celebrate only the superficial aspects of her success. This may be a reflection of current times, influenced by social media and TikTok. “People undersell talent and hard work these days,” Wolf argues.

### Our Take

Michelle Wolf first made her mark through sharp joke-writing, which led to her own Netflix sketch series and then the unforgettable keynote speech at the 2018 White House Correspondents Dinner during the first Trump administration. The backlash to that performance was overblown and over-the-top.

She doesn’t revisit that chapter explicitly in this special. However, she does urge viewers to “just hate your body and be free!”—including herself. “Like, do you think I leave the house every day and think my hair looks great? Listen, my hair’s doing the best it can,” she jokes.

Wolf’s issues with drag queens and the LGBTQ+ community differ from the typical conservative or comedy peer critiques. The title of this special derives from her series of dead baby jokes, which she recognizes won’t be for everyone. “And I know most of you weren’t going to like dead baby jokes to begin with. They weren’t for you,” she admits.

She uses these jokes, including a premise about wells suspiciously being baby-sized, to illustrate how motherhood transforms a woman’s feelings and worldview—but it doesn’t erase the woman she was before. She must reconcile these ‘two wolves’ inside her.

Much of Wolf’s comedy encourages audiences—especially men—to confront how sexism and misogyny might soften if men experienced the societal, physical, and emotional challenges faced by most women. She wonders why men enjoy gross-out humor or shocking scenes in movies and video games but react with disgust to childbirth or even basic feminine hygiene.

Ultimately, Wolf reflects on her place in comedy and life. She believes part of her professional success stems from postponing motherhood until her late 30s. “Everyone should decide or have a baby in your young 20s,” she suggests, before conceding, “I was 37 and successful.” This timing allowed her to afford nannies and helpers who could travel with her and her newborn as she returned to stand-up. Having a career she enjoyed returning to makes her “very lucky,” she acknowledges—something many women don’t have, as sufficient maternity leave, healthcare, and desirable jobs remain elusive for most.

### Our Call: STREAM IT.

Come for the sharp gags about sex and fashion, stay for the less glamorous but more sustaining insights into what it’s like to be a woman in 2025. As Wolf quips when asked about dealing with sexism and misogyny in comedy: “I don’t know if you know this, but all jobs are.”
https://decider.com/2025/10/21/michelle-wolf-the-well-netflix-special-review/