From Bob Hope and Richard Pryor, to Conan O’Brien and Wanda Sykes, to Trevor Noah and Birmingham’s own Roy Wood Jr. For decades, comedians have been integral to the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner. But not this year. The WHCA has canceled comedian Amber Ruffin’s performance at the 2025 edition, scheduled for April 26.

The White House Correspondents Association canceled comedian Amber Ruffin from performing at its annual dinner because it wants to refocus the event on journalistic excellence. The association's announcement over the weekend made no mention of Ruffin's appearance on a podcast by the Daily Beast last week in which she referred to the Trump administration as “kind of a bunch of murderers.