‘Saturday Night Live’ star Colin Jost selected as White House Correspondents Dinner headliner

By CNN Newsource

Published February 9, 2024 9:02 AM

By Oliver Darcy, CNN

(CNN) — Colin Jost will be live from Washington, DC — not New York — on the final Saturday night of April.

The “Saturday Night Live” comedian, featured in the “Weekend Update” segments, was selected by the White House Correspondents’ Association as the entertainer for the press organization’s 2024 dinner, set to take place on April 27. The annual event is traditionally attended by the president and first lady, though President Donald Trump skipped the event during his time in office.

“Colin Jost knows how to make Saturday nights funny, and I am thrilled Colin will be live from the nation’s capital as the headline entertainer for this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” said Kelly O’Donnell, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and NBC News senior White House correspondent.

Jost is a critically acclaimed comedian. Throughout his career he has nabbed five Writers Guild Awards and two Peabody Awards, in addition to 14 Emmy Awards nominations.

“His sharp insights perfectly meet this remarkable time of divided politics, and a presidential campaign careening toward a rematch,” O’Donnell added. “His smart brand of comedy and keen observation will turn up the heat on the national news media and across the political spectrum.”

The White House Correspondents’ Association hosts its annual dinner as a fundraiser for the organization and to provide scholarships for students interested in pursuing a career in journalism.

Previous entertainers have included Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert, Michelle Wolf, and others.

After Wolf ignited controversy for a joke she made about then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House Correspondents’ Association pivoted to a non-comedian headliner, inviting presidential biographer Ron Chernow to helm the dinner.

But in recent years the group has turned back to comedians, with Roy Wood Jr. headlining last year’s event.