Colin Jost, one of the head writers of “Saturday Night Live” and co-anchor of the show’s Weekend Update segment, has been tapped as the entertainer for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the WHCA announced on Friday.
The annual dinner will take place on Saturday, April 27 in Washington, D.C.
Jost is the latest “SNL” alum to host the dinner — Seth Meyers, Cecily Strong, Darrell Hammond and Al Franken hosted dinners in the past. Former “The Daily Show” correspondent Roy Wood Jr. was the entertainer at 2023’s dinner, while Trevor Noah toplined the 2022 event.
“His sharp insights perfectly meet this remarkable time of divided politics, and a presidential campaign careening toward a rematch,” Kelly O’Donnell, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and NBC News Senior White House Correspondent, said of Jost. “His smart brand of comedy and keen observation will turn up the heat on the national news media and across the political spectrum. A night of laughs and reflections as our dinner honors freedom of the press as a cornerstone of American democracy. I am beyond excited to welcome one of NBC’s brightest stars to one of Washington’s greatest traditions.”
Jost started at “SNL” in 2005 as a writer and replaced Seth Meyers at the Weekend Update desk in 2014, initially co-anchoring with Cecily Strong before being joined by Michael Che.
The WHCA dinner is traditionally attended by the President and First Lady as well as senior government officials and members of the press corps. Proceeds from the dinner help finance all the WHCA’s work, including awards recognizing excellence in the profession and scholarships for journalism students, awarded with the hope of building a next generation of White House journalists who reflect America.
