‘Daily Show’s’ Roy Wood Jr. to take the mic at this year’s White House correspondents’ dinner

by Judy Kurtz - 02/02/23 9:47 AM ET

AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
Comedian Roy Wood Jr. poses for photographers as he arrives to the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, Saturday, April 30, 2022. Wood will headline this year’s White House Correspondents Dinner on April 29.

Roy Wood Jr. is promising a White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner that will “go down in the history books,” as the “Daily Show” correspondent was named the event’s featured entertainer.

The comedian will appear at the April 29 dinner in Washington, the WHCA announced on Thursday.

The WHCA described 44-year-old Wood as a comic “who uses satire to shed light on serious topics including race and discrimination in the U.S.,” noting that he pursued a broadcast journalism major at Florida A&M University.

Wood, WHCA President Tamara Keith said, “brings a journalistic eye to his comedy. He’s hilarious — but also makes sure his audiences are thinking as they laugh.”

Keith, NPR’s White House correspondent, said the aim for this year’s dinner is “to lift up the importance of a free and independent press to a functioning democracy.”

“It’s an honor to be a part of a long-running tradition of celebrating those members of the media, who work so hard to uncover the truth, and hold our government accountable,” Wood said in a statement about his starring role at the lawmaker- and journalist-filled annual bash.

“It will be a great night that will go down in the history books, or not, depending on which state you live in,” Wood quipped.

The dinner, somewhat not-so-affectionately dubbed “Nerd Prom,” made a return to the inside-the-Beltway social scene last year, with former “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah taking the reins at the gala following two years of cancellations due to COVID-19.

The 2022 dinner, which raises money for journalism scholarships, also marked the return of a sitting president joining in on the roast-like event, with President Biden in attendance.

Former President Trump — who often sparred with the media — bucked tradition and skipped the fete throughout his years in the White House.

Past headliners for the WHCA dinner in recent years include: “Saturday Night Live’s” Cecily Strong, Hasan Minhaj, Jimmy Kimmel, historian Ron Chernow, Larry Wilmore and Conan O’Brien.