Kenan Thompson to Host White House Correspondents' Dinner

Hasan Minhaj, the host of Netflix's 'Patriot Act,' will return to the dinner as featured entertainer.

The White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner will return to its comedy past, with Kenan Thompson set to host the event Saturday, April 25.

The actor and longest-tenured Saturday Night Live castmember will lead through the evening a year after a historian was picked as host.

Hasan Minhaj, the host of Netflix’s Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj, will return to the dinner as featured entertainer.

"Kenan and Hasan are two of the most engaged and engaging entertainers in America. I’m thrilled they’ll help us celebrate the role of a free press in our democracy," said Jonathan Karl, chief White House correspondent for ABC News and president of the WHCA. "We’re looking forward to a lively evening honoring the most important political journalism of the past year."

The WHCA will be presenting two new awards at the 2020 dinner: The Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability and the Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage by Visual Journalists. These are in addition to the long-standing Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage and Merriman Smith Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure.

This year’s dinner will also include the inaugural presentation of the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability, administered by the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications to recognize outstanding statehouse reporting.

Thompson began his career as a member of Nickelodeon’s sketch series All That. He is currently in his 17th season on SNL, where he has set a record for the most celebrity impressions performed on the show.

Minhaj has hosted his Netflix show since 2018. He was also the entertainer at the 2017 WHCA dinner when he was a senior correspondent on The Daily Show.

This year the WHCA has partnered with Bob Bain Productions, which has produced such events as the Critics’ Choice Awards, the Teen Choice Awards, the Creative Arts Emmys, Miss America and the Trevor Noah stand-up specials.

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is a nonpartisan event that supports the work of the WHCA "to protect the role of independent news media coverage of the president."

Last year, President Donald Trump did not attend the event again, making it three years in a row.