The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) has fired Black queer comedian Amber Ruffin, who was slated to deliver an address at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner this month.
Ruffin was removed after the WHCA’s nine-member executive board voted unanimously to do so last week after announcing her as the dinner’s host in February. According to LGBTQ+ Nation, Ruffin said she had refused to follow the WHCA’s instructions in mocking both Republicans and Democrats in her address.
Ruffin called the Republican administration “kind of a bunch of murderers” and claimed that criticizing their Democratic opponents “makes [the administration] feel like human beings, but they shouldn’t get to feel that way, ‘cause they’re not.” Ruffin added that she planned to be honest about how she felt during her address.
Deputy White House Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich responded writing on X “This year’s @whca dinner will be hosted by a 2nd rate comedian who is previewing the event by calling this administration ‘murderers’ …What kind of responsible, sensible journalist would attend something like this? More importantly, what kind of company would sponsor such hate-filled and violence-inspiring event?”
Following the post, WHCA President Eugene Daniels, who is also gay, announced Ruffin’s removal via a letter sent to the White House press corps. “At this consequential moment for journalism, I want to ensure the focus is not on the politics division but entirely on awarding our colleagues for their outstanding work and providing scholarship and mentorship to the next generation of journalists.”
Daniels’ statement contradicted his previous praise of Ruffin when WHCA hired her in February, in which he said “She has the ability to walk the line between blistering commentary and humor, all while provoking her audience to think about the important issues of the day.”
LGBTQ+ Nation notes that the White House Correspondents Dinner has long been criticized for encouraging mingling between journalists and the politicians they are meant to be investigating.
Trump did not attend the dinner during his first term, though many former presidents famously attended these events. An executive order signed by the president in February banned WHCA from deciding which journalists would be allowed to cover the White House’s press briefings.
The move comes as no surprise as the Trump Administration has swept in an era of racist, xenophobic and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation via a slew of hateful executive orders issued by Trump himself. Political and social figures close to him have made their disdain for the LGBTQ+ community known freely. Elon Musk has posted on X, multiple anti-trans and homophobic comments. The removal of Ruffin is ultimately aligned with the Trump Administration’s actions thus far.
