The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner has finally found a performer in Hasan Minhaj. “The Daily Show” senior correspondent joins the ranks of Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, Cecily Strong and Larry Wilmore, who have all hosted the event in recent years.
President Donald Trump announced in February he would break tradition by not attending the annual fundraiser, which has historically roasted the sitting Commander in Chief. During a time of increased strain between the White House and press, outlets including Vanity Fair, Bloomberg and the New Yorker canceled their after-parties that typically take place during the festivities. Jeff Mason, the president of the correspondents’ association, told MSNBC on Tuesday morning that he was not seeking a performer who would “roast the president in absentia.”
“I was looking for somebody who is funny and who is entertaining, because I want the dinner to be entertaining, but who can also speak to the message that the whole dinner is going to speak to: the importance of the free press,” Mason said.
Minhaj joined the “Daily Show” in 2014. Apart from his role on the Comedy Central production, he is known best as a stand-up comic and has appeared in guest spots for shows including “Arrested Development” and “Getting On.”
The dinner will take place April 29..
