This year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which had originally been scheduled for April 25 and was then postponed until August 29, has been canceled altogether, per an email from White House Correspondents’ Association president Jonathan Karl, according to Politico. The postponement and eventual cancellation are both a result of the coronavirus pandemic making such large indoor gatherings unsafe, despite what the White House’s current sitting president would have the country believe. A statement posted to the WHCA’s website regarding the cancellation states that “after consultation with medical experts, government authorities, and our own members, we’ve concluded that it is just not possible to put on the kind of dinner that promotes the best in journalism and allows our guests to comfortably and safely enjoy themselves.” Instead of the annual dinner, the WHCA is “working at this moment on a virtual presentation that would allow us to salute award-winning journalism, toast an impressive group of scholarship winners, and still enjoy a few laughs.” Kenan Thompson had been announced as the host, with 2017 WHCD host Hasan Minhaj set to appear as featured entertainment. There is no word yet on whether or not Thompson and Minhaj will participate in this digital iteration.
