2025 continued to make it nearly impossible to enjoy anything without political discourse (unwarranted or otherwise) rearing its annoying head, and stand-up comedy is often as reflective of that unfortunate evolution as anything else. In fact, before its streaming debut (via Netflix subscription), I half-assumed comedian Robby Hoffman's new special Wake Up would follow along that same trajectory. Thankfully, though her act was entirely filled with politically charged topics, Hoffman’s skewed and skewered perspective remained central, and wound up making me laugh harder than anything else that hit the 2025 TV schedule.
To drive this point home right away, Hoffman’s act is extremely NSFW in various ways. She uses all the four-letter words one can think of, and also frequently uses words that are oft-viewed as being slurs for gay men and women, though her usage isn’t purposefully inflammatory in that way.
Robby Hoffman's Jewish Lesbian Curmudgeonliness Is Pretty One-Of-A-Kind
Without meaning to be reductive at all, perhaps the best way to describe Robby Hoffman's act to someone unfamiliar would be to say if Larry David's needle-threaded gripes from Curb Your Enthusiasm was combined with Andrew Dice Clay's purposefully controversial Diceman persona, and then a brilliant lesbian cleared the room by shitting on the floor and then rewrote all of it herself. (I'm not sure what the "it" is in the previous description, but I bet it's hilarious.)
As one of ten siblings to divorced (and Jewish) parents, Hoffman experienced a challenging and somewhat impoverished childhood that informs a lot of her act. As one can imagine, struggling to understand and embrace her sexuality didn't exactly tip the scales in her favor in youth or beyond, which largely helps to inform the rest of her act. As does jumping from self-deprecating humor to self-congratulatory statements about having wooed and then married The Bachelorette's Season 19 star Gabby Windey.
In that way alone, Robby Hoffman's stand-up comedy is in rarefied company, but she also doesn't hesitate to go pitch-black with her jokes and musings, and in ways that might even have the Diceman clutching at his fleshy pearls. She flips topics on their head — such as pedophila, gay couples having children, and transgender pronouns — in unexpected and playfully villainous ways that stand far apart from Dave Chappelle's unironically villainous and one-note approach to such topics.
The Hilarity Comes Just As Much From Robby Hoffman's Performance As The Jokes Themselves
If Robby Hoffman's act were transcribed and I had to read it rather than hear it, I can only assume that most of it would still get a rise out of me. But her physical performance and her vocal deliveries are somehow just as key to the humor as the words themselves. Whether it's chuffy disdain for women who claim to be bisexual or incredulousness over people randomly asking her gender, Huffman's performative energy is so much of what had my throat and stomach hurting from laughing too hard.
Similar to how it's impossible to apply that energy to written jokes, it's also impossible for me to properly describe it here. But even just watching Hoffman's first late-night appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week, or listening to her on podcasts, can be a great indicator of what I'm talking about. Her intonations and ways of addressing things are atypical and unlike anyone else at her level of celebrity, especially when she's saying something that, in any other context, would be wildly awful.
Hoffman rose up quickly as a new favorite co-star on Hacks, where her off-kilter and unpredictable performances stood out every single time amidst a bevy of other accolade-worthy cast members. In fact, she was nominated for Oustanding Guest Actress in at Comedy at the 2025 Emmys, though she lost out to fellow Hacks great Julianne Nicholson. With Hacks likely ending with Season 5, here's hoping this special helps boost her star power to the point where she's not only earning nominations, but also hosting the ceremonies. Wouldn't that be the day?
Where To Find More Robby Hoffman Excellence
- Hacks Season 4 - Streaming on HBO Max
- I'm Nervous (2019 Stand-up Special) - Streaming on YouTube
- History of the World, Part II - Streaming on Hulu
- Verified Stand-Up - Streaming on Netflix
- Everybody's Live with John Mulaney Episode 9 - Streaming on Netflix
Find Robby Hoffman: Wake Up streaming alongside many of Netflix's best stand-up comedy specials.
