The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) has decided to steer the organization in a new direction by eliminating the comedic performance from its 2025 dinner.
- March 30, 2025
AceShowbiz - The WHCA dinner, a celebrated event known for its comedic roasts of politicians and journalists, will undergo a notable change in its 2025 edition. Comedian Amber Ruffin, initially announced as the event's headliner, will no longer take the stage, according to WHCA President Eugene Daniels.
In a letter, Daniels expressed the unanimous decision of the WHCA board to exclude a comedic performance this year. Daniels emphasized the need to "ensure the focus is not on the politics of division but entirely on awarding our colleagues for their outstanding work and providing scholarship and mentorship to the next generation of journalists."
This shift occurs amidst a tumultuous period for the WHCA, which has faced challenges since Donald Trump's administration took office in January.
Trump's consistent attacks on independent media, including the notable February 14 ban of the Associated Press from the White House for refusing to call the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America," have strained the organization. Following this, the administration took full control over the White House press pool, further complicating the WHCA's role.
The WHCA's recent struggle to unify in response to these conflicts became evident when they belatedly showed solidarity with the AP's legal battle by asking members to wear "First Amendment" pins or support AP in court.
Mocking Trump's actions, Ruffin previously remarked, "I saw he banned the Associated Press from the Oval Office because they kept saying Gulf of Mexico. And I was like, what? Now you care about deadnaming. Fine. Well, I'm going to start renaming stuff, too."
While WHCA insists that the move to drop Ruffin was independent of outside pressure, it coincidentally followed a social media outburst from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich.
He called Ruffin a "2nd rate comedian" and criticized her jokes as "hate-filled and violence-inspiring," urging journalists to skip the event. However, according to CNN analyst Brian Stelter, "this change was already in the works" and not influenced by Budowich's comments.
Before she was removed from the upcoming White House dinner, Ruffin promised she would hold nothing back when taking the stage at the event.
