Comedian Amber Ruffin dropped from White House press dinner after calling Trump administration ‘murderers’
Ruffin previously stated that she would not honour a request to roast both Democratic and Republican politicians at the event
By Gary Grimes
Comedian and actress Amber Ruffin has been dropped as the host of an upcoming White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner because of disparaging comments she made about the current administration.
In a recent episode of The Daily Beast Podcast, Ruffin was asked about how she was preparing for the upcoming gig. She revealed to hosts Joanna Coles and Samantha Bee that she had been asked in advance to please roast both Republican and Democratic politicans at the dinner.
Regarding this request, Ruffin referred to the Trump administration as “kind of a bunch of murderers”. She stated that she could not honour the request as she believes that criticising Democratic politicians “makes [the administration] feel like human beings, but they shouldn’t get to feel that way, ‘cause they’re not.”
“I think I’m going to do it the same way I always do it, by just telling the truth about how I feel” – Amber Ruffin
She went on to say: “I think I’m going to do it the same way I always do it, by just telling the truth about how I feel.”
This year’s @whca dinner will be hosted by a 2nd rate comedian who is previewing the event by calling this administration “murderers” who want to “feel like human beings, but they shouldn’t get to feel that way, because you’re not”
— Taylor Budowich (@Taylor47) March 29, 2025
What kind of responsible, sensible journalist… pic.twitter.com/tZCJS9fNOT
Following the podcast going live, deputy White House chief of staff Taylor Budowich responded on X, writing: “This year’s WHCA dinner will be hosted by a second-rate comedian who is previewing the event by calling this administration murderers. What kind of company would sponsor such a hate-filled and violence-inspiring event?
“What kind of responsible, sensible journalist would attend something like this?” she went on. “More importantly, what kind of company would sponsor such as hate-filled and violence-inspiring event?”
Ruffin’s comments ultimately led to her losing the gig. In a letter to the press corps, announcing Ruffin’s removal, WHCA president Eugene Daniels, who is gay, wrote: “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.”
Ruffin responded to her dismissal in an appearance on Late Night with Seth Cohen. In a comedic skit with host Cohen, he said to Ruffin: “Amber, when people are objectively terrible, we should be able to point it out on television.”
“I thought that too… on Friday,” the actress replied. “But today is Monday, and Monday’s Amber Ruffin knows that when bad people do bad things, you have to treat them fairly and respectfully. When you watch The Sound of Music, you have to root for the singing children and the other people.”
“You mean the Nazis,” Meyers asked, before Ruffin interjected: “Calling them that is so one-sided.”