Amber Ruffin will no longer host the 2025 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.
The WHCA announced via a memo from president Eugene Daniels that there will no longer be a celebrity host during the annual fundraising gala. (The WHCD will be held on Saturday, April 26.)
“The WHCA board has unanimously decided we are no longer featuring a comedic performance this year,” Daniels wrote in his notice, according to CNN reporter 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.”
Last month, it was announced that Ruffin, 46, would emcee the WHCD.
“When I began to think about what entertainer would be a perfect fit for the dinner this year, Amber was immediately at the top of my list,” Daniels said in a February statement. “She has the ability to walk the line between blistering commentary and humor all while provoking her audience to think about the important issues of the day. I’m thrilled and honored she said yes.”
He added, “Amber’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.”
The Have I Got News For You cohost, for her part, has not yet publicly addressed the WHCA’s decision to go hostless this year.
Ahead of the programming change, Ruffin joked she was “freaking out” about the gig during a Thursday, March 27, appearance on “The Daily Beast” podcast.
“I have my Google Docs open at all times for throwing jokes in there and little thoughts I’m having, but … we’re a little ways out,” Ruffin told podcast hosts Samantha Bee and Joanna Coles. “News is happening at such a freaking clip that how are we supposed to hit that moving target? Also, how could you forget any of this stuff happened, you know what I mean?”
When asked whether she expected President Donald Trump to attend, Ruffin succinctly said, “No, I don’t.”
“I honestly don’t think it’s an important thing to him in any way,” Ruffin said on Thursday, noting she was presently in the dark about the attendees. “I’m sure I will [get a rundown] at some point. I know the news organizations that will be attending. I don’t think the people confirm until quite a bit later.”
According to Ruffin, she was also instructed to keep any and all of her jokes fair and balanced.
