The White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner will return with comedy from Saturday Night Live cast member, Kenan Thompson.
What We Know:
- Kenan Thompson, the longest-tenured Saturday Night Live cast-member, will headline the April 25th White House Correspondents’ dinner.
- Comedian and host of Netflix’s Patriot Act, Hasan Minhaj, will be featured as an entertainer. Minhaj performed at the dinner in 2017, and stated that the president was a “liar in chief” who “can’t take a joke”.
- “Kenan and Hasan are two of the most engaged and engaging entertainers in America. I’m thrilled they’ll help us celebrate the role of free press in our democracy,” said Jonathan Karl, chief White House correspondent. “We’re looking forward to to a lively evening honoring the most important political journalism of the past year.”
- Organizers have struggled over the years to find the right vibe for these annual dinners. Traditionally, there is a jocular gathering of journalists and government officials. It was once a must-attend event for former presidents, but President Trump has since transformed the tone. Trump derides the media as “fake news” and has not attended a dinner in three years. Last year, he ordered administration officials to boycott the dinner.
- The association will debut two new awards at the dinner: Award for for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage by Visual Journalists and Katherine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability.
The nonpartisan event aims “to protect the role of independent news media coverage of the president”.
