Kenan Thompson of Saturday Night Live fame will host this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner after the annual event took a brief hiatus from comedy.
Thompson, who has been with the comedy show for 17 seasons and is its longest-tenured performer, will be joined by comedian Hasan Minhaj as a featured entertainer. Minhaj, who previously performed at the 2017 dinner, is the host of the award-winning show, Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj.
“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 a free press in our democracy,” said Jonathan Karl, president of the WHCA and chief White House correspondent for ABC News. “We’re looking forward to a lively evening honoring the most important political journalism of the past year.”
President Trump has never gone to the dinner, which presidents typically attend, since taking office. In 2018, the event turned contentious when then-White House press secretary Sarah Sanders became the butt of some controversial jokes by comedian Michelle Wolf. Instead of a comedian, historian Ron Chernow was the featured speaker last year as a result.
Although Trump had initially indicated he was open to attending last year’s dinner, he ended up not going and ordered a boycott for administration officials from attending as the guests of various news networks. It is not clear if the president will attend this year or if he plans to boycott the dinner once again.
