White House Correspondents' Dinner Recruits Kenan Thompson, Hasan Minhaj in Pivot Back to Comedy

This year's White House Correspondents' Association dinner will be pivoting back to comedy after a brief -- and controversial -- break from political humor. The White House Correspondents' Association announced on Tuesday that Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson will host the event on Saturday, April 25, and Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj host Hasan Minhaj will return to the podium to serve as the featured entertainer for the evening.

Minhaj previously emceed the same event in 2017 and offered up some blistering takes on the current president of the United States, notably joking, "The leader of our country is not here, but that's because he lives in Moscow. It is a very long flight. Vlad can't just make it on a Saturday."

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The following year, in 2018, it was comedian Michelle Wolf who stepped up to deliver some sharp barbs at the administration, including a joke about Sarah Sanders, then the White House press secretary, that prompted complaints from conservatives. The following year, the WHCA shied away from those types of jokes and instead chose historian Ron Chernow to serve as featured speaker, which prompted Wolf to publicly call them "cowards."

In a statement provided to TV Guide, ABC News' chief White House correspondent and president of the WHCA Jonathan Karl said, "Kenan and Hasan are two of the most engaged and engaging entertainers in America. I'm thrilled they'll help us celebrate the role of a free press in our democracy. We're looking forward to a lively evening honoring the most important political journalism of the past year."

The White House Correspondents' Association's annual dinner will be held on Saturday, April 25.