In a recent episode, late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel humorously offered himself as a potential host for the upcoming White House Correspondents’ Dinner, following the news that former President Donald Trump plans to attend.
During his Tuesday night monologue, Kimmel highlighted Trump’s decision to attend the dinner for the first time since becoming president, having skipped the event throughout his first term.
This appearance marks Trump’s first return to the dinner since 2011, back when he attended as a celebrity guest.
Kimmel observed a break from tradition for this year’s event, noting that instead of a comedian, the dinner will feature renowned mentalist Oz Pearlman as the entertainer.
“Typically, a comedian hosts the dinner,” Kimmel remarked. “In the past, we’ve seen Al Franken, Ray Romano, Seth Meyers, Jon Stewart, Conan O’Brien, and Wanda Sykes take the stage. I even had the honor in 2012. However, it seems Trump wasn’t keen on being the butt of a comedian’s jokes, so this year, a mentalist is the choice. Imagine having both a mentalist and a ‘mental case’ on stage together,” he quipped.
Although Kimmel praised Pearlman as an “exceptional performer,” he labeled the decision to forego a comedian as a “cop out.” With playful banter, he extended a tongue-in-cheek invitation to Trump, suggesting that he should be the one to host the event instead of Pearlman.
“Mr. President, please let me host this dinner,” he said. “I’ve never asked you for anything, but can you imagine you, me, the commissioner of the FCC, all at a table together? Think of the ratings!”
In a comment to Fox News Digital, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said, “Nobody in their right mind wants to watch or listen to Jimmy Kimmel, who is a talentless hack with failing ratings.”
Fox News Digital also reached out to the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Kimmel’s reference to the FCC commissioner likely alludes to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Brendan Carr issuing a threat to Disney over Kimmel after the late-night host made controversial comments regarding Charlie Kirk’s assassination in September.
The controversy led to Disney briefly suspending Kimmel’s show for approximately one week, though the FCC was not involved in the decision.
Last year, the WHCA broke tradition after canceling its comedian performer, Amber Ruffin, in an effort to move away from “the politics of division.”
