*The White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a long-standing event that traditionally includes a comedic performance, has decided to forgo a comedian this year after controversy surrounding its scheduled entertainer, Amber Ruffin.
The comedian was removed from the lineup after comments she made on The Daily Beast podcast stirred backlash from the Trump administration. Ruffin dismissed the idea of balancing jokes between political parties, a request reportedly made by the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA). Instead, she referred to the Trump administration as “kind of a bunch of murderers” and argued against humanizing them, saying, “they shouldn’t get to feel that way, ‘cause they’re not.”
These remarks ignited criticism, particularly from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich, who labeled her a “2nd rate comedian” and condemned the event as “hate-filled and violence-inspiring.”
Following the controversy, WHCA President Eugene Daniels informed members in a letter that the organization had been reassessing the dinner’s format. Announcing the decision to eliminate the comedic performance, Daniels emphasized that the focus should be on honoring journalists’ achievements and supporting future members of the profession.
“As a first step, I wanted to share that the WHCA board has unanimously decided we are no longer featuring a comedic performance this year,” wrote Eugene Daniels, the president of the WHCA, in a letter to its members. “At this consequential moment for journalism, I want to ensure the focus is not on the politics of division but entirely on awarding our colleagues for their outstanding work and providing scholarship and mentorship to the next generation of journalists.”
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?? BREAKING: After claiming that the current Trump Administration are a bunch of murderers, “comedian” Amber Ruffin has been fired from the White House Correspondents’ dinner
Do you think this is a right move ? pic.twitter.com/Qh55sBJziA
— JOSH DUNLAP (@JDunlap1974) March 30, 2025
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which dates back to 1921, has traditionally included a roast of the president, a role filled in the past by comedians such as Colin Jost, Trevor Noah, and Hasan Minhaj. However, this year’s event will deviate from that tradition amid ongoing political tensions.
Despite Ruffin’s removal, criticism persisted. Budowich accused the WHCA of making a “cop out” decision, alleging that members privately blamed Daniels for the controversy while avoiding public accountability.
“Many WHCA members are privately pointing the finger at Eugene for making the unilateral decision to recruit and sign this garbage, hate-filled comedian,” he stated. “Yet, they are all turning a blind eye to it publicly. It’s an indictment on how broken and useless this organization has become… so sad that such a storied and consequential group has been so quickly driven into irrelevancy.”
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