The White House Correspondent Association announced on Saturday that the annual dinner would not feature Amber Ruffin comedian, almost two months after announcing it as his choice.
In fact, this year’s performance will not have a comedy show at all.
Eugene Daniels, President of WHCA, told members that the Association Board unanimously chose to erase the performance of comedy for the April 26 event.
Amber Ruffin attended the premiere of Netflix’s “Survival of the Thelest” season in DGA Theater, on March 26, 2025, in New York.
Picture of Jamie McCarthy/Getty
“At a consequence time for this journalism, I want to ensure that the focus is not on division politics but entirely on our colleagues for their extraordinary jobs and provide scholarships and guidance to the next generation of journalists,” he said.
Daniels, who did not mention Ruffin with the name in the memo, said the council was planning “our re -disclosure of dinner,” added that he would reveal more details later.
Ruffin, who hosted the talked event at Peacock and had become an old writer and player for “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” did not immediately comment on the cancellation of his performance, which was announced by WHCA in February. He has long reviled and made fun of Washington’s politics, especially Trump’s administration, during his routine.
Amber Ruffin attended the premiere of Netflix “Survival of the Thelestst” at the DGA Theater on March 26, 2025, in New York.
Picture of Jamie McCarthy/Getty
Ruffin talks about his preparation for the event at A Siniar This week with The Daily Beast.
“News is happening in a very scary clip so how can we achieve this moving target?” he said.
“I like laughing about things -when they become bad,” he added. “You can’t help but laugh.”
President Donald Trump spoke at the reception that celebrated the history of women in the east room of the White House, March 26, 2025, in Washington.
Mandel and/AFP
When WHCA announced Ruffin as a dinner feature this year, Daniels said in a statement that “His unique talent is very suitable for the current political and cultural climate.”
“Its perspective will match the tradition of dinner to respect the freedom of the press while baking the most powerful people on all sides of the hallway and journalists who cover them,” Daniels added.
The annual charity dinner has been going on since 1921 and displays the latest entertainers and politics, often with jokes about the political players present.
President Donald Trump never attended dinner while in the office, and he and his staff often criticized WHCA and comedians who were hosting dinner.
Press Secretary of the White House Karoline Leavitt spoke during the daily briefing in the White House Brady direction room in Washington, March 26, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
Although Trump has not yet indicated whether he will attend dinner this year, the Press Secretary of the White House Karoline Leavitt told “The Sean Spicer Show” two weeks ago that he would not be present.
“This is a group of journalists who have covered the White House for decades,” he said. “They started this organization because the president did not have enough press conferences. I didn’t think we had any more problems under this president.”
ABC News’ Karen Travers contributed to this report.