parties

Samantha Bee Is Hosting an Alternative to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

TCA Turner Winter Press Tour 2017 Green Room
Photo: John Sciulli/Getty Images for Turner

Given President Donald Trump’s recent clashes with the media, which he called the “opposition party,” it’s hard to imagine the press and the Trump administration having a chummy or even cordial iteration of the star-studded White House Correspondents’ dinner this year. And given the president’s unwillingness to withstand any roasting, it’s also hard to imagine that any comedian chosen to perform will feel free to make the traditional jokes at the commander-in-chief’s expense. On April 29 — the same time as the Correspondents’ Dinner — Samantha Bee will host an alternative gala called “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” at Washington’s Willard Hotel, and celebrities and journalists will be invited to attend, the New York Times reports. TBS and Bee’s Full Frontal staff are still working out the details of how the night will be broadcast, but it’s sure to be a riot. “I honestly can’t imagine what they’re thinking, but I really wish them well,” Bee told the Times, adding that the Trump administration will likely have a tough time finding a suitably famous comedian willing to host the dinner and take on the tricky task of roasting the president. “Does [inauguration performer] 3 Doors Down do comedy? I don’t know, maybe they do,” Bee said. Mark your calendars for Bee’s special on April 29 and the president’s inevitable tweets to follow in the early hours of April 30.

Samantha Bee Plans Alt-Correspondents’ Dinner