The 2025 dinner will not have its traditional headlining comedian as the association removed Amber Ruffin in March following critical comments she made about the Trump administration
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It is, once again, time for nerd prom.
The White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner is set to take place Saturday in Washington, D.C.
The event raises funds to support the association’s First Amendment scholarships and programs to promote. It also functions as the tentpole event during a weekend that brings together media executives, personalities and celebrities.
The 2025 dinner will not have its traditional headlining comedian as the association removed Amber Ruffin in March. The move came after White House staffers lobbed criticism at comments made by Ruffin that were critical of the Trump administration.
“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,” association President Eugene Daniels wrote in a note to press colleagues in March.
Ruffin responded to the firing in an appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” earlier this month.
“We have a free press so that we can be nice to Republicans at fancy dinners,” Ruffin joked. “I thought when people take away your rights, erase your history and deport your friends, you’re supposed to call it out, but I was wrong.”
Axios reported earlier this month that President Donald Trump will not attend the dinner, a continuation from his first term. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced she would not be attending in a March interview on the Sean Spicer Show podcast, saying the association held a “monopoly” over covering the president.
Spicer, Trump’s first press secretary, skipped the 2017 edition of the dinner but attended the 2018 and 2019 dinners after he no longer held the position. His successor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, attended the 2018 dinner and faced mocking from comedian Michelle Wolf.
Trump ordered a boycott of the dinner from White House officials in 2019, CNN reported at the time.
The dinner comes at a perilous time for the association, having lost control of the White House press pool − the group of reporters who fly on Air Force One and cover the president in tight spaces such as the Oval Office.
Daniels’ leadership and willingness to stand up to the Trump administration in defense of the free press was challenged in a membership meeting following the loss in March − according to media news outlet Status.
Here’s what to know about, and how to watch, the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.
When is the White House Correspondents’ Dinner?
The White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner is scheduled to take place on Saturday April, 26.
What time is the White House Correspondents’ Dinner?
The White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner starts at 8 p.m. ET
Where does the White House Correspondents’ Dinner take place?
The White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner takes place at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.
How to watch and stream the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner
C-SPAN will carry coverage of the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on television and stream the proceedings on its website and app.
The broadcaster will show red carpet arrivals at 6 p.m. ET and the dinner starting at 8 p.m. ET.