Amber Ruffin Will No Longer Headline White House Correspondents' Dinner
The White House Correspondents' Association is changing its dinner plans: Emmy and Tony Award-nominated writer and comedian Amber Ruffin will no longer serve as the feature entertainer at the organization's annual fundraiser, according to CNN journalist Brian Stelter.
"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," WHCA president Eugene Daniels says, per Stelter's reporting.
Ruffin offered a tongue-in-cheek response to the cancellation in a visit to her old stomping grounds at Late Night With Seth Meyers on Monday, chiding Meyers for a joke about a bodega robbery: "If there's one thing I learned this weekend, it's that you have to be fair to both sides." She defended the robbery as "a micro-loan," and when Meyers tried to stand up for the concept of a free press, Ruffin countered: "No, we have a free press so we can be nice to Republicans at fancy dinners."
Daniels originally announced Ruffin would headline the WHCA Dinner back in February, saying the comedian's "unique talents are the ideal fit for this current political and cultural climate. Her perspective will fit right in with the dinner's tradition of honoring the freedom of the press while roasting the most powerful people on all sides of the aisle and the journalists who cover them."
He continued: "This dinner is about centering the importance of a functioning democracy and Amber is the type of entertainer who understands both the significance of that mission as well as the mechanics of power in this country."
Ruffin is known for her work on CNN's comedy-news weekly talks series Have I Got News For You and as writer and on-air personality for Late Night With Seth Meyers. She also hosted Peacock's late-night talk show The Amber Ruffin Show. TVLine has reached out to her reps for comment.
The WHCA Dinner is to be held Saturday, April 26 in Washington, D.C. and broadcast by C-SPAN, and it's unclear whether President Donald Trump will make an appearance. Though the event is traditionally attended by the President and First Lady, Trump never attended during his first presidential term.
TVLine has reached out to the White House for comment on President Trump's plans to attend this year's dinner.
Recent "nerd prom" entertainers have included SNL's Colin Jost, Roy Wood, Jr., Trevor Noah, historian Ron Chernow, Michelle Wolf, Hasan Minhaj, Larry Wilmore and SNL's Cecily Strong.
Will you still be watching the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner this year? Drop your comments below.