Joel McHale, funny person popular with the young people of today. Photograph by RoidRanger via Shutterstock.
Joel McHale, the star of Community and host of The Soup was announced today as the host of the White House Correspondents Association Dinner on May 3.
McHale, who started out as a stand-up and improvisational comic in Seattle, keeps his routine mostly apolitical, but that doesn’t mean he’s a soft-puncher like some of the correspondents association’s favorite entertainers, like four-time host Jay Leno. (For evidence, see McHale’s bit on his fellow E! host Ryan Seacrest.)
And as host of The Soup, a program that eviscerates talk shows and reality shows, McHale is well-practiced at skewering high-profile figures with fragile egos. He should have no problem ripping apart a room full of lawmakers, blow-dried cable news hosts, and their Hollwood guests. In fact, he’s already started.
My material will be equally offensive to all & over within 30 min – just like a Congressional work year RT @Variety: http://t.co/LiuGrXGYxu
This year’s dinner—or “nerd prom,” as it is referred to by people who actually enjoy the annual confluence of Washington-famous people and actual famous people—will mark the 100th anniversary of the correspondents association, which over the past century has transformed from a clubby trade organization into an overblown party-planning committee whose signature achievement is making a mile-long stretch of Connecticut Ave., Northwest, a traffic nightmare for three days every spring.
And while it’s unlikely McHale will fly as close to the sun as past hosts like Stephen Colbert and Wanda Sykes, who ruffled the proper Washington so much that they were succeeded by hoary lightweights (Rich Little, Jay Leno), there’s a chance that he’s just the right level of mean.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
“Community” Star Joel McHale Will Host White House Correspondents Dinner
He’s no Colbert, but at least he’s a lot funnier than Leno.
Joel McHale, the star of Community and host of The Soup was announced today as the host of the White House Correspondents Association Dinner on May 3.
McHale, who started out as a stand-up and improvisational comic in Seattle, keeps his routine mostly apolitical, but that doesn’t mean he’s a soft-puncher like some of the correspondents association’s favorite entertainers, like four-time host Jay Leno. (For evidence, see McHale’s bit on his fellow E! host Ryan Seacrest.)
And as host of The Soup, a program that eviscerates talk shows and reality shows, McHale is well-practiced at skewering high-profile figures with fragile egos. He should have no problem ripping apart a room full of lawmakers, blow-dried cable news hosts, and their Hollwood guests. In fact, he’s already started.
This year’s dinner—or “nerd prom,” as it is referred to by people who actually enjoy the annual confluence of Washington-famous people and actual famous people—will mark the 100th anniversary of the correspondents association, which over the past century has transformed from a clubby trade organization into an overblown party-planning committee whose signature achievement is making a mile-long stretch of Connecticut Ave., Northwest, a traffic nightmare for three days every spring.
And while it’s unlikely McHale will fly as close to the sun as past hosts like Stephen Colbert and Wanda Sykes, who ruffled the proper Washington so much that they were succeeded by hoary lightweights (Rich Little, Jay Leno), there’s a chance that he’s just the right level of mean.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Best of Washington 2023: Things to Eat, Drink, Do, and Know Right Now
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
These Volunteers Wake Up at Dawn to Collect DC’s Dead—and Injured—Birds
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This May
Democrats and Republicans Pass Balls, Not Bills, at Congressional Soccer Game
3 New Memoirs by Prominent Women
Everything You Wanted to Know About Urban Bear Sightings but Were Afraid to Ask, Because Who Wants to Get That Close to a Bear?
Rockville Police Are Searching for Culprits of a $4,500 Pickleball Paddle Heist
Dozens of Vintage Planes Will Fly Over the National Mall This Saturday
PHOTOS: “Rupaul’s Drag Race” Queens Work It at the National Mall