White House Correspondents’ Association Cancels Plans to Feature Comedian Amber Ruffin at Annual Dinner
The White House Correspondents’ Association has canceled plans to have comedian Amber Ruffin perform at its annual dinner on April 26, a new sign of the pressures being brought to bear on news organizations during President Donald Trump’s second term.
The journalism group, which has seen its control over interactions with Trump eroded in recent weeks, made the decision after Taylor Budowich, a White House deputy chief of staff, raised comments Ruffin has made in the past that are critical of Trump. Ruffin, who first came to notice as a writer and contributor to Seth Meyers’ “Late Night” on NBC, has in recent years hosted her own program on NBC’s Peacock streaming service and, most recently, worked as a featured player on CNN’s “Have I Got News For You,” a topical comedy program that airs on Saturday nights.
“The WHCA board has unanimously decided we are no longer featuring a comedic performance this year. 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,” WHCA president Eugene Daniels wrote to members in a statement.
President Donald Trump will not be attending the dinner.
Daniels, who is about to a launch a career as an MSNBC anchor, seemed very supportive of Ruffin just a few weeks ago. “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,” he said in February, when the decision to have Ruffin host the dinner was announced.
more to come…
The journalism group, which has seen its control over interactions with Trump eroded in recent weeks, made the decision after Taylor Budowich, a White House deputy chief of staff, raised comments Ruffin has made in the past that are critical of Trump. Ruffin, who first came to notice as a writer and contributor to Seth Meyers’ “Late Night” on NBC, has in recent years hosted her own program on NBC’s Peacock streaming service and, most recently, worked as a featured player on CNN’s “Have I Got News For You,” a topical comedy program that airs on Saturday nights.
“The WHCA board has unanimously decided we are no longer featuring a comedic performance this year. 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,” WHCA president Eugene Daniels wrote to members in a statement.
President Donald Trump will not be attending the dinner.
Daniels, who is about to a launch a career as an MSNBC anchor, seemed very supportive of Ruffin just a few weeks ago. “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,” he said in February, when the decision to have Ruffin host the dinner was announced.
more to come…