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That one night of the year where you willingly watch C-SPAN is here! Thrown by the White House Correspondent’s Association, the organization of journalists who cover the White House and the President, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is taking place this Saturday. It’s a night where politics, media, and Hollywood all mingle together, and is commonly referred to as the Nerd Prom. This year’s events are a bit different though, and if it’s been hard to keep track of what’s going on, we’ve got the answers.
Is it still happening?
Oh yes, it’s still happening. You can watch the festivities live on C-SPAN and MSNBC at 9:30pm, and video of the host’s speech will surely be available on YouTube and Facebook shortly after it takes place.
As you know, this administration and the media are not quite BFFs, so many media organizations including Time, People, Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, and Bloomberg, have decided to forgo any celebrations surrounding the event, such as their cocktail receptions the night before.
Is Trump going?
Nah. He tweeted back in February that he would not be attending the event, and has since announced plans to hold a rally in Harrisburg, PA instead. This is the first time since 1981 that a president has said “pass” to the fancy event, and that was when Ronald Reagan was resting up after an assassination attempt.
So who is hosting this year?
The honor of host has gone to Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Cecily Strong, and Larry Wilmore in the past, who all had their jobs cut out for them when it came to being as funny as Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. This year, The Daily Show correspondent Hasan Minhaj has signed on for hosting duties, and if you don’t know him yet, you’ll certainly be talking about him at brunch on Sunday.
He’s been making his mark on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah with pieces like this:
And like this:
He’s also got his special Homecoming King hitting Netflix on May 23rd, which is essential viewing for anyone who’s ever even though about going to high school prom, which, let’s face it, are the real nerd proms.
Isn’t Samantha Bee doing something?
You know she is! The Full Frontal with Samantha Bee host decided to throw her own party, the Not The White House Correspondents’ Dinner. She’ll be “welcoming journalists and non-irritating celebrities from around the world,” and promises, “if you’re not careful, you just might learn something.” You can watch what is sure to be a brutally honest take on recent politics on TBS at 10pm.
