Comedian and The Daily Show host Trevor Noah has been announced as this year’s host of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Noah, who has recently made headlines for calling out Joe Rogan and the podcast host’s Spotify controversy, will headline a night for journalists and politicians to poke fun at the industry and each other.
The WHCA comprises “hundreds of members from the worlds of print, television, radio and online journalism,” and the fundraising dinner was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to concerns about COVID-19. It was last held in 2019, when former President Donald Trump announced he would hold a competing rally during the event.
Trump— famous fan of the press— said at the time, “I’m going to hold a rally. The dinner is so boring and so negative, that we’re going to hold a very positive rally . . . everybody wants it. The Correspondents’ Dinner is too negative, I like positive things.”
The annual dinner, which will be on April 30 this year, finances the group’s work, “including support of the journalists working to cover the president, events and programs to educate the public about the value of the First Amendment and a free press, and scholarships to help the next generation of journalists.”
Noah is making the rounds, with his “Back to Abnormal” comedy tour underway and a gig hosting this year’s Grammy Awards.
As per WHCA President Steven Portnoy, “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,’” referencing the comedian’s tour.