whcd

Kenan Thompson Is Bringing Comedy Back to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Darius Trump. Photo: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for The New Yorker

Instead of inviting a historian this year — because that went over well — the host of the 2020 White House Correspondents’ Dinner has already made history. Saturday Night Live’s longest running cast member, Kenan Thompson, will host the annual event on April 25. Hasan Minhaj from Netflix’s Patriot Act will be a “featured entertainer.” “Kenan and Hasan are two of the most engaged and engaging entertainers in America,” said Jonathan Karl, chief White House correspondent for ABC News and president of the White House Correspondents’ Association in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m thrilled they’ll help us celebrate the role of a free press in our democracy. We’re looking forward to a lively evening honoring the most important political journalism of the past year.”

Thompson joins a long list of comedians to take on the tough crowd. Last year, Michelle Wolf’s set caused weeks of controversy. Minhaj performed the year before that, when he was still a correspondent on The Daily Show. And back when the president actually showed up to this thing, Seth Meyers, Larry Wilmore, Cecily Strong, and more were there to roast him.

Kenan Thompson to Host White House Correspondents’ Dinner