The White House Correspondents’ Association is pleased to announce that Amber Ruffin will be the featured entertainer at its annual dinner on Saturday, April 26 in Washington, D.C.
“When I began to think about what entertainer would be a perfect fit for the dinner this year, Amber was immediately at the top of my list,” said Eugene Daniels of Politico, president of the association.
“She has the ability to walk the line between blistering commentary and humor all while provoking her audience to think about the important issues of the day. I’m thrilled and honored she said yes.”
Ruffin is an Emmy- and Tony Award-nominated writer, comedian, host, performer, and best-selling author. She will soon return for the second season of the comedy-news series, Have I Got News For You, which she leads opposite Roy Wood Jr. and Michael Ian Black.
She also is a writer for, and appears on, Late Night with Seth Meyers.
“Amber’s unique talents are the ideal fit for this current political and cultural climate,” said Daniels. “Her perspective will fit right in with the dinner’s tradition of honoring the freedom of the press while roasting the most powerful people on all sides of the aisle and the journalists who cover them.
“This dinner is about centering the importance of a functioning democracy and Amber is the type of entertainer who understands both the significance of that mission as well as the mechanics of power in this country.”
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.
About the WHCA
The WHCA comprises hundreds of members from the worlds of print, television, radio and online journalism. Their work, for outlets based in the United States and overseas, reaches a global audience.
Since its founding in 1914, the association works to ensure that the journalists who cover the White House have the ability to seek answers from powerful officials, up to and including the President. That includes everything from advocating for access and managing the pools of reporters who stay close to the president to logistics for the press corps following the president around the world.
More About Amber Ruffin
Amber Ruffin is an Emmy and Tony Award-nominated writer, comedian, host, performer, and best-selling author. She next returns for the second season of CNN’s acclaimed comedy-news weekly talks series, Have I Got News For You, which she leads opposite Roy Wood Jr. and Michael Ian Black. She also currently serves as a writer and on-air personality for Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Her additional television credits as writer include HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, Comedy Central’s Detroiters, plus major awards telecasts including the Emmys, Tonys, and Golden Globes.
As a celebrated theater writer, she wrote a new book for the smash-hit Broadway revival of the iconic musical The Wiz and was nominated for a Tony Award for co-writing the acclaimed musical adaptation of Some Like It Hot. She is next developing an original musical comedy, Bigfoot.
She is currently the host alongside her sister Lacey Lamar of the podcast The Amber & Lacey, Lacey & Amber Show! Together, they are also New York Times Best Selling authors.
An alum of Second City, she brought a fresh perspective to late night and variety/sketch TV as the Emmy-nominated host, writer and executive producer of The Amber Ruffin Show, which ran from 2020-2023 on Peacock and was also nominated for Critics Choice, TCA, NAACP Image and GLAAD Media Awards. The series firmly established her as one of the most innovative, versatile voices writing and performing comedy today.
For more, contact WHCA Executive Director Steve Thomma at director@whca.press