Offerman plays the craftsman Ron Swanson on the show. Offerman to headline RTCA dinner

The 70th annual Congressional Correspondents’ dinner, hosted by the Radio and Television Correspondents’ Association, will this year feature “Parks & Recreation” star Nick Offerman as its headliner, at its June 12 event.

Offerman, who plays the craftsman Ron Swanson on the show, hasn’t previously headlined a Washington gala, making him a “huge get” according to CNN’s Lisa Desjardins, who chairs this year’s dinner.


“I know that with announcements like this, you’re supposed to say something like, ‘we’re very excited that Nick is performing at our dinner’, but the truth is way beyond that,” said Desjardins. “This is phenomenal. I’ve had a very hard time keeping the news to myself.”

The Congressional Correspondents dinner has made a push in recent years to buck its status sloppy second to the White House Correspondents Dinner by aiming to be more fun, and less celebrity focused.

“This is not a dinner for Hollywood,” the Association declares in a release about the dinner set for release Thursday. It also states: “One other thing that sets us apart … the RTCA is comprised of journalists who cover a broad range of issues before Congress, and therefore the dinner this year will not take funding from national corporate sponsors or lobbying organizations outside of communications companies.”

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