White House Correspondents Dinner Won't Feature Comedian Next Year

White House Correspondent's dinner at white House won't feature comedian next year

The annual White House Correspondents Dinner (or nerd-prom as it's known in some circles in Washington D.C.), will have a different sort of host next year. Presidential biographer, Ron Chernow, is scheduled to be the featured speaker at the annual dinner next spring the White House Correspondents' Association announced on Monday. 

"I'm delighted that Ron will share his lively, deeply researched perspectives on American politics and history at the 2019 White House Correspondents' dinner," said Olivier Knox, Chief Washington Correspondent for SiriusXM and president of the WHCA. 

"As we celebrate the importance of a free and independent news media to the health of the republic, I look forward to hearing Ron place this unusual moment in the context of American history." 

The move is a departure from tradition for the nearly 100-year-old dinner, where a comedian is tapped as a host for a roast of the press members and politicians present. Last year, comedian Michelle Wolf came under fire for her criticism of President Donald Trump (who didn't attend that year's dinner) and of White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Wolf was criticized for comparing Sanders to a ruthless character in the Hulu TV show, "The Handmaid's Tale," saying Sanders had become proficient in burning facts, and that she "uses the ash to create a perfect smoky eye" referring to her makeup. 

For her part, Wolf appeared to be both pleased and annoyed with the White House Correspondents Association after they demurred hiring a comedian for next year's dinner, calling the organization "cowards."

Photo: Getty Images


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