The son of Lewis Allen Wolff, a Jewish advertising professional, and Marguerite "Van" Wolff, a reporter for the Paterson Evening News, Michael Wolff grew up in a family that valued storytelling and intellectual curiosity. He attended Montclair Academy (now Montclair Kimberley Academy), where he served as student council president during his senior year. Wolff later pursued higher education at Vassar College before transferring to Columbia University, graduating in 1975. While at Columbia, he worked as a copy boy for The New York Times, gaining early exposure to the world of journalism.