“The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah will headline this year’s White House Correspondents Dinner, the first since 2019. “The White House Correspondents’ Dinner celebrates Americans’ freedoms and the working people who bring the news to the world,” said Steven Portnoy of CBS News Radio, president of the WHCA, in a statement. This year’s event will be held on April 30, 2022.
“Trevor is an incredible talent who keeps us laughing — and thinking — four nights a week,” Portnoy added, getting in a nod to the title of Noah’s current stand-up comedy tour. “We can’t wait for him to help bring our 100-year Washington tradition ‘Back to Abnormal.’”
Noah is an in-demand host, it appears, as he’s also due to reprise his duties as Grammys host this year after gaining positive notice for his hosting duties during the 2021 ceremony.
Ron Chernow was the featured speaker at the last event in 2019, while the 2020 event – which was to be hosted by Hasan Minhaj – was scuttled due to the pandemic. 2021’s event was similarly canceled, but on April 30, 2022 the annual dinner will return.
While President Donald Trump declined to attend the dinners in 2017, 2018 and 2019, the press release from the WHCA suggests that President Biden will be in attendance this year. “This year’s dinner will be the WHCA’s first since 2019 and offer the first opportunity since 2016 for the press and the president to share a few laughs for a good cause,” the release reads in part.
Proceeds from the event support the association’s year-round work on behalf of the White House press corps as well as scholarships for aspiring journalists and awards recognizing excellence in the profession.
Held for the first time in 1921, the association’s annual dinner is traditionally attended by the President and First Lady, as well as senior government officials and other guests of association members.
The evening’s programming will be produced in association with Bob Bain Productions.