Trevor Noah to headline White House Correspondents’ Dinner
A comedian has not performed at the annual event since Michelle Wolf in 2018.
Trevor Noah, the host of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central, will perform at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 30 — becoming the first comedian to headline the annual event since Michelle Wolf’s controversial routine roiled official Washington in 2018.
“The White House Correspondents’ Dinner celebrates Americans’ freedoms and the working people who bring the news to the world,” Steven Portnoy, CBS News Radio’s White House correspondent and the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, said in a statement.
“Trevor is an incredible talent who keeps us laughing — and thinking — four nights a week. We can’t wait for him to help bring our 100-year Washington tradition ‘Back to Abnormal,’” Portnoy added, referencing the name of Noah’s current comedy tour.
Indeed, the announcement of Noah as the dinner’s featured entertainer represents a return to normalcy for the highly anticipated gathering of Washington journalists, politicians and elite society, which in the past drew big-name comedians to preside over the event known as “Nerd Prom.”
But after Wolf’s performance in 2018 — which saw the comedian savage Trump administration officials such as then-press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders — proved too polarizing for some attendees, the WHCA selected presidential biographer Ron Chernow to speak at the 2019 dinner. The dinner was then canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to coronavirus-related concerns.
The White House did not immediately respond when asked whether President Joe Biden would attend this year’s dinner. Former President Donald Trump declined to participate in the events throughout his term.
But if the first couple does decide to make an appearance, Noah will have at least one ardent fan in the audience: His autobiography — “Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood” — was one of the two pieces of required reading for an introductory English course taught last year by first lady Jill Biden.