White House Correspondents’ Association Cancels Amber Ruffin Performance

Black, queer comedian Amber Ruffin has had her performance at the White House Correspondents Dinner canceled. The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) President Eugene Daniels wrote to members, “The WHCA board has unanimously decided we are no longer featuring a comedic performance this year … At this consequential moment for journalism, I want to ensure the focus is not on the politics of division but entirely on awarding our colleagues for their outstanding work and providing scholarship and mentorship to the next generation of journalists.” When announcing Ruffin as the featured entertainer, Daniels previously said, “When I began to think about what entertainer would be a perfect fit for the dinner this year, Amber was immediately at the top of my list. 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.” The decision to cancel Ruffin’s performance followed a post on social media from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich where he called her a “second-rate comedian” and claimed that her performance would be “hate-filled and violence-inspiring.” Amber Ruffin is a writer and contributor on Seth Meyers’ Late Night and is a part of CNN’s Have I Got News For You. She also had her own show on NBC that ran for three seasons. During her appearance on the podcast The Daily Beast, Ruffin said she would not be making an equal amount of jokes at each party’s expense the way that the WHCA advised her to do. “There’s no way I’m gonna be freaking doing that,” she said. “They want that false equivalency (between parties) that the media does … It makes them feel like human beings. But they shouldn’t get to feel that way because they’re not.” Ruffin posted a clip of her thoughts on “both sides” on her instagram, making fun of the absurdity of being fair and avoiding being divisive. Interesting how Daniels commended Ruffin for her ability to address the issues of today, yet when she was vocal about said issues, her performance was canceled. Ruffin is not the only comedian who has made jabs at the president, and it is not lost on me the significance of a queer, Black woman criticizing this administration. If allowed to perform, she would have been the first Black or LGBTQ+ woman to be the dinner’s featured performer since 2009. Daniels claims that he wants to change tradition to “honor journalistic excellence” and even called out the White House when they decided that they would choose which journalists would cover the president each day. In response to the White House, Daniels said, “this move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States.” Even though Trump will not even be attending the dinner, one can’t help but be reminded of another instance in which he, or someone in his administration, has complained and then gotten their way after pouting about it publicly. Photo courtesy of Instagram