On Monday, TV writer Bob Thompson joined Boston Public Radio to offer his thoughts on the upcoming White House Coorespondents' Dinner, which has opted to re-invite comedians after omitting them in 2019.
“Saturday Night Live” comedian Kenan Thompson will host this year’s dinner, scheduled for April 25, while “Patriot Act” host Hassan Minhaj will provide the headlining speech.
"They’re making up for the one they didn’t have last year by having two this year,” Thompson joked.
The White House Correspondents' Association declined to invite a comedian to speak last year, following criticisms of Michelle Wolf's 2018 routine which some argued was overly critical of the Trump administration.
“Hassan Mihaj did [perform] in 2017, not that long ago … and I didn’t think it was that good a performance, to tell you the truth,” Thompson said. "There were a lot of things there that were kind of rough. … He’s by no means a ... who did they put after Janet Jackson lost her top on the Super Bowl, Paul McCartney on a piano? I don’t think Hassan Minhaj is the equivalent of that.”
Bob Thompson is the founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture and a Trustee Professor of Television and Popular Culture at the Newhouse School of Public communications at Syracuse.
