Wolf routine stuns White House Correspondents' Dinner . The White House Correspondents’ Association decided to break with another tradition — the after-dinner comic — after Trump raged about last year’s choice, Michelle Wolf. It turned out that the selection committee had been a rumor, so the WHCA became inactive for several years. Hasan Minhaj / Getty Images Andrew Kugle-April 11, 2017 11:21 AM Tracy Morgan. The media went ahead and invited a bunch of non-nerds to its Nerd Prom. The annual event is formally known as the White House Correspondents' Dinner but over the last four years it has informally become "nerd prom." https://www.history.com/news/history-of-the-white-house-correspondents-dinner The White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD) is an event thrown by an organization called the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA). ... (He called Stephen K. … Who counts as a nerd in our formulation? As the Post argued in 2010, the name "Nerd Prom" has got to go. Trump Called ‘Scared Little B-tch’ for Skipping White House Correspondents Dinner ... Also Read: White House Correspondents' Dinner Is Still On Despite Trump's Snub. Fifteen presidents have attended at least one WHCA dinner, beginning with Calvin Coolidge in 1924. Rich, popular athletes are basically as far away from nerds on the spectrum of American culture as it is possible to get. President Barack Obama delivers remarks during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., April 27, 2013. On Saturday night, Washington's media elite and the government they cover will sit down together for a meal, lots of drinks, and a few tame jokes. (In 1920, when the dinner started, it probably was not called Nerd Prom in part because the word "nerd" didn't exist yet.) We did not count Michigan governor Rick Snyder, despite his Twitter handle of @onetoughnerd, because we decide who's a nerd and who isn't, Governor. Sitting down for dinner with schlubs from the Post (and, ahem, The Atlantic) was even weirder. Find out more about the origins and evolution of the annual event. So-called comedian Michelle Wolf bombed so badly last year at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner that this year, for the first time in decades, they will have an author instead of a … Here is the breakdown of invited guests, by category. Hasan Minhaj and Kenan Thompson were announced as performers for the 2020 White House Correspondents' Dinner. But, of course, the media could invite non-celebrities to attend. Kevin Ware and Ryan Zimmerman. We counted Eric Cantor, which was probably generous. You know who extra-super aren't nerds? In later years the parade of celebrity performers became even more impressive as the likes of Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington and Barbra Streisand appeared onstage. American comedian Stephen Colbert was the featured entertainer at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, held at the Hilton Washington hotel in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 2006. Comedian Michelle Wolf, who once called Donald Trump the "dumbest president ever," is set to headline the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 28. But Cox did not coin "nerd prom." Not until comedian Mark Russell headlined in 1983, however, did stand-up acts by leading comics selected each year replace the star-studded cabaret. The age of elaborate after-parties dawned around the same time and continues to this day. And, more importantly, the nerd status of each. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. White House Correspondents Dinner: Obama Can Also Be His Own Comedian. We used the Milhouse Van Houten definition: a nerd is a dork who is smart. Look back on some of the funniest moments from past dinners. © 2021 A&E Television Networks, LLC. In May of 2010, the Washington Post wrote: What changed is probably what changed in the White House in 2009 — suddenly there was a president that people (read: celebrities) wanted to see and hang out with. They are popular athletes, one of whom makes millions of dollars. But what happened next is that media personalities embraced the term. In 1962, at the urging of Helen Thomas, the first female White House correspondent, President Kennedy refused to attend until the ban on women was lifted. President Barack Obama took aim at Republicans, the media and himself at Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner — … And yes, I know Leno was not "staffing" Obama, but still. It's too bad that the media is so focused on celebrity, the media thinks, because otherwise the media could announce all of the non-celebrities the media wanted to invite but didn't because the media just loves celebrities too much. Also speaking were Robert C. Pierpoint of CBS News, president, and Clifford Evans of RKO General Broadcasting, incoming president, White House Correspondents Association. Seth Meyers' Correspondents' Dinner speech was notable for one reason in particular that has not only stood the test of time, but has also become … That honor goes to the San Diego Comics Convention, which has been used since the mid-2000s. Celebrities showing up in Washington, D.C., was unusual (at least for people who were new to town since the Clinton Administration). Along with the annual roast, perhaps the most iconic tradition of today’s White House Correspondents’ Dinners is the invitation of celebrities and other household names by journalists and news organizations. So we put him as a "Maybe." Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Thrown at the Old Arlington Hotel, the 1924 affair was an intimate gathering with just 50 guests—a far cry from more recent galas, which have packed 3,000 politicians, reporters, celebrities and elites into the Washington Hilton’s ballroom. The event is run by the White House Corespondents' Association, an organization representing the White House press corps. Politics Comedian Who Called Trump ‘White ISIS’ Will Perform at WH Correspondents’ Dinner. Still, guests in the 1920s and 1930s enjoyed singing between courses, movies and increasingly extravagant variety shows featuring well-known entertainers. Thomas was named the first female president of the WHCA in 1975. John Boehner's amazing cameo during Obama's White House Correspondents' Dinner video. Attendees wouldn’t have caught Charlie Chaplin or Groucho Marx ribbing Silent Cal for his reticence. Since the first White House Correspondents' Dinner took place in 1921, every sitting president since 1924 has attended the the black-tie dinner … While the Comic-Con may not be a prom — that is, a formal dance — there's little question that it is at least a group which includes a healthy percentage of nerds.