Daily Show host Trevor Noah will be the headline entertainer at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner this April. His booking marks the first time since 2019 that the event will be held.
The dinner, held annually since 1921 before the pandemic caused a two-year hiatus, is scheduled for April 30. As has been the case with most Presidents, Joe Biden is expected to attend. Donald Trump skipped the soirée while he was in office, describing it somewhat richly as “too negative” an affair. The return of the event this year offers Official Washington an opportunity to reconstitute one of its most cherished traditions—rubbing shoulders with the people tasked with covering it.
Traditionally the dinner is accompanied by supplementary bashes, leading to the nickname “Nerd Prom.” Some news outlets have decided to skip the whole shebang in recent years. The New York Times hasn’t attended since 2007, for instance—Executive Editor Dean Baquet called it “too cozy for my taste.” The event raises money for the White House Correspondents’ Association as well as scholarships it provides for aspiring journalists. Washingtonian reported in 2017 that those donations had stagnated.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
