The White House Correspondents’ Association announced this morning that SNL’s Kenan Thompson will host its annual dinner on April 25 this year with comedian Hasan Minhaj as the featured entertainer:
Kenan Thompson, the actor and longest-tenured Saturday Night Live cast-member, will serve as @whca dinner host in April. Hasan Minhaj, the Peabody award-winning host of Netflix’s Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, will return to the dinner as featured entertainer.
— Anita Kumar (@anitakumar01) February 18, 2020
So, they’re admitting last year’s dinner was a dud?
.@kenanthompson to host this year’s #WHCA dinner on 4/25, with @hasanminhaj returning as the night’s featured entertainer. Last year, dinner veered away from Hollywood celeb element in favor of historian Ron Chernow as headliner.
— Judy Kurtz (@JudyKurtz) February 18, 2020
Will Thompson host as Darius Trump?
???? ??????? ???? ????? – Darius Trump pic.twitter.com/Sm33B4vkKa
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) December 8, 2019
Or will he come dressed up as the “Blacks for Trump” guy?
Live from Phoenix… #WeekendUpdate pic.twitter.com/wLszKLgZJ6
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) August 25, 2017
The dinner is making some other changes, too, and looking to liven things up from previous years:
Recommended
A look at our ambitious plans for the 2020 White House Correspondents' Dinner by @grynbaum. The breaking news is in the final paragraphs . . . . https://t.co/CCg64Gf4Fu
cc @kenanthompson, @hasanminhaj & @whca
— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) February 18, 2020
You know, one reason print journalism is dying is because it can’t compete with giant screens, which they’re admitting:
The dinner itself — held in the dreary ballroom of the Washington Hilton — will have a refreshed look. The yellowish curtain of years past will be replaced by large screens, and the evening will be overseen by a veteran television producer, Bob Bain, whose résumé includes a pair of Trevor Noah’s Netflix specials.
Whether Mr. Trump plans to go remains unknown: the White House did not respond to a request about the president’s intentions.
So, will the president attend? Hopefully it’s a hard no.
***
Join the conversation as a VIP Member