The guest list for this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner is probably short enough to allow most people an extra plus-one. Vanity Fair, Bloomberg, The New Yorker, and other outlets have backed out of events surrounding the big political gathering, which will also be devoid of its biggest target—Donald Trump declined the invitation, presumably to visit one of his properties for the umpteenth time this year. But the WHCD organizers aren’t giving up the ship, even though there’s an adjacent event that sounds pretty awesome. They’ve even managed to land another Comedy Central player as host—Time reports that The Daily Show’s Hasan Minhaj will emcee the event on April 29.
White House Correspondents’ Association president Jeff Mason (who’s covers the White House for Reuters) said he’s “thrilled” to have Minhaj oversee the big night. “Hasan’s smarts, big heart and passion for press freedom make him the perfect fit for our event, which will be focused on the First Amendment and the importance of a robust and independent media.” The Daily Show senior correspondent echoed those sentiments in his own statement about what “a tremendous honor [it is] to be a part of such a historic event even though the president has chosen not to attend this year. SAD! Now more than ever, it is vital that we honor the First Amendment and the freedom of the press.”
Minhaj is well prepared for the gig—in addition to his stand-up and TV work, he raked Congress over the coals at last year’s Radio And Television Correspondents’ Dinner.