News / TV

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee will present “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” at same time as actual WHCD in D.C.

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and TBS have announced its first “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” which will take place on Saturday, April 29, 2017 at The Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D.C.

It’ll take place at the exact same time as the actual WHCD — which hasn’t announced much more than its date yet.

“Executives at TBS offered their full support of the gala by nodding politely and then muttering under their breath as we turned around,” Bee said in the official press release. “The evening is sure to bring plenty of surprises, music, food, and laughter—and if you’re not careful you just might learn something. Specifically, you’ll learn how screwed we’d be without a free press.”

Bee further told The New York Times that “we’re not trying to supersede (the WHCD). We just want to be there in case something happens — or doesn’t happen — and ensure that we get to properly roast the president.”

“We were talking out loud about whether we thought the White House Correspondents’ dinner would change during a Trump presidency, or if it would even exist,” she said. “And then we thought, Why don’t we just do one, just to do it in the way that we would want it done if we were hosting it?”

Larry Wilmore gave the keynote address in 2016 for President Barack Obama’s final year.

The 2011 WHCD infamously included jabs by both Obama and Seth Meyers at Donald Trump, sitting in the audience, mocking the businessman for his lying misinformation campaign against Obama and his failing businesses. It has been cited by some as fuel for Trump to actually run for president himself. Whether that’s true or not, this is definitely true: All proceeds for “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” will go to the Committee to Protect Journalists (cpj.org).

“We’re really doing this,” said Bee. “This is not a joke.”

For additional information and updates please follow #NotTheWHCD.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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