The White House correspondents’ dinner axed its traditional comedy act this year, canceling comedian Amber Ruffin as host a day after a Trump administration official called her “hate-filled” because of her jokes about the president.
The annual dinner, which the White House Correspondents’ Association has hosted since 1921, is known for bringing together presidents, journalists and comedians in comradery and hilarity as they poke fun at political scandals and rib one another.
The WHCA had enthusiastically announced Ruffin as headliner in early February. But WHCA president Eugene Daniels said the group had decided weeks earlier to focus on celebrating the First Amendment and “the foundational American value of a free and independent press,” in a memo to members.
“At this consequential moment for journalism, I want to ensure the focus is not on the politics of division but entirely on awarding our colleagues for their outstanding work and providing scholarship and mentorship to the next generation of journalists,” Daniels wrote on Saturday, according to CNN. He added there are “plans in place to honor journalistic excellence and a robust, independent media covering the most powerful office in the world” at the April 26 dinner.
The White House press corps is butting heads with the administration for wresting control of White House press pool assignments, banning The Associated Press from some events. The event itself has become a subject of unease among journalists and others who question the optics of the press mingling with high-profile government officials at a swanky soiree.
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The WHCA had announced Ruffin as headliner in early February. (Getty)
Daniels’ announcement came a day after White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Cabinet Secretary Taylor Budowich took offense at Ruffin’s comments on a Daily Beast-backed podcast, calling her a “garbage, hate-filled comedian” in a post on X.
“They were like, ‘You need to be equal, and make sure that you give it to both sides, and blah-blah-blah’,” Ruffin told hosts Joanna Coles and Samantha Bee. “I was like, There’s no way I’m gonna be freaking doing that dude. Under no circumstances.”
With News Wire Services
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