Ali Wong's Netflix Special Is An Ode To Boss Moms & Strong Marriages
Ali Wong’s third Netflix special “Don Wong” is the hardest I’ve laughed in two years
This Valentine’s Day was lower than low-key in my house. We put overpriced sushi on our credit card, played slime with our toddler, and once he drifted off to sleep we settled in to watch Ali Wong’s new special. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint.
Clad in her signature red glasses and a red leopard print secondhand Tom Ford dress, Wong took the stage and dove into her raunchy set head first.
She waxed poetic about what it meant to be the super successful one in her relationship, and how she ultimately started her comedic journey trying to “trap” her husband and ended up being the one caught. She joked about the double standards women face in the workforce while reveling in women’s natural strength in power.
But I think most importantly she addressed moms without harping on motherhood. With Wong, we get to skip over the backpedaling clarifications we feel so obligated to state.
“I love my kids but…”
“My husband is amazing, but…”
In “Don Wong” we’re given permission to embrace the shittier parts of ourselves and laugh at it. When you are a mom who works just as hard as her partner, it can be hard to admit that there can still be dissatisfaction even after great success. At one point, she jokes about cheating on her husband, which on its face is unrelatable to many. When she goes into explicit detail about how and why she wants to, and doesn’t really need to clarify to anyone that she won’t because her and her husband have such a strong foundation. To me, that’s incredibly relatable.
Perhaps best of all, we can just enjoy her comedy without any controversial backdrop. Wong doesn’t punch down or up. She punches out in a way that feels playful and inclusive. She even plays on racial stereotypes in ways that aren’t disparaging or insulting.
So for any working moms who need to feel seen, Wong’s new special is here and worth every second of your precious “me time”
