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.
