The White House Correspondents Association has decided to remove comedian Amber Ruffin from its upcoming annual dinner. This decision was made as the association aims to shift the focus of the event back to celebrating journalistic excellence.
Over the weekend, the association announced this change, which did not mention Ruffin’s recent comments on a podcast where she labeled the Trump administration as “kind of a bunch of murderers.” Ruffin, known for her work on NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” has also indicated that she wouldn’t ensure her jokes balanced across the political spectrum, despite being advised to do so by the association.
The Trump administration reacted strongly to her remarks. Notably, President Trump is not scheduled to attend the event in April. In past years, the dinner has featured performances from various comedians, including Stephen Colbert and Colin Jost. The last time there was no comedian at the dinner was in 2019, when historian Ron Chernow delivered a speech instead.
Eugene Daniels, the president of the correspondents’ association, expressed his vision for the dinner, stating that he has been planning a revision of the event to ensure that the emphasis is placed on honoring journalistic achievements. He highlighted the importance of focusing on unity rather than political division, as the organization looks to support and mentor the next generation of journalists.
