White House Correspondents’ Dinner Preview: POTUS, Politics and Media

UPDATE: A tradition at every White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is for the media to invite a guest list that includes politicians, government officials and celebrities.

The networks are starting to reveal who will be coming to the annual event, which we will continue to update.

ABC News: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Andrew McCarthy, Hiro Sanada, Molly Ringwald, Rosario Dawson Quavo, Naomi Biden, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby, Biden Harris Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon. Also from the network: ABC News contributor Byron Pitts, Juju Chang, Deborah Roberts, Whit Johnson, Reince Priebus.

A list of events is below:

PREVIOUSLY: This year’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner will likely see a slight uptick in the celebrity quotient.

The power of the stars could be a function of the 2024 election year and a program of dinners during which Saturday Night Live Colin Jost, co-anchor of ‘Weekend Update,’ will be featured artist after the president Joe Biden‘s own stand-up act. POTUS himself will likely remain tight-lipped about his rival and predecessor Donald Trump’s legal drama unfolding in New York this week, but expect Jost to add a twist or two to it.

Expected showbiz types include Chris Pine, Da’Vine Joy Rudolph, Jon Hamm, Scarlett Johansson and Rachel Brosnahan. Netflix’s Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell The diplomat are also planning to attend, after headlining a Deadline event with series creator Debora Cahn at the Irish ambassador’s residence Saturday morning. Also planning to attend: Fran Drescher, President of SAG-AFTRA, and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, National Executive Director.

Tickets for the dinner were grossly oversold, according to the WHCA, which sparked a bit of a rush to find extras as the event approached. The result is a twist of sorts, in which high-ranking members of Congress contact journalists, who typically use them as sources, to gain access to the event.

That said, the dinner is just one event of many this week, as media outlets, talent agencies, big brands and nonprofits look to have a big presence in front of Beltway players .

We’ll update as the week goes on, but here’s a look at WHCD events so far:

Thursday April 25

Bytes and signatures: The annual Thursday evening kickoff returns to the Irish Ambassador’s Residence, hosted by Susanna Quinn, Eric Kuhn, Stephanie Cutter, Sarah Kate Ellis, Adrienne Elrod, Karen Finney, Adam Rathe and Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason.

WHCW Kickoff Reception: British Ambassador Karen Pierce and Politico host a reception at the British Embassy.

Washington Women in Journalism Awards: Kara Swisher, Rachel Scott, Carol Leonnig and Meridith McGraw are honored at the annual event.

Step into the spotlight: Axios and LiveNation host a live music event with a mystery guest at the Organization of American States.

The fourth power : WME and Puck host a reception and conversation with Aaron Sorkin at the Riggs Hotel.

Friday April 26

Disparities in digital access breakfast: Washington Post Live features FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

TGAIFriday lunch: The Washington AI Network is hosting a lunch conversation with Joelle Pineau, vice president of AI research at Meta.

Twisted media drinks. Pod Save America is hosting a reception.

MPA-NBCU reception: The Motion Picture Association and NBCUniversal are hosting a reception at the MPA in honor of Kelly O’Donnell, this year’s WHCA president.

Launch dinner. Coco Rocha is the special guest at a launch event at the Watergate Hotel.

Creative Coalition Dinner: The arts organization, led by Tim Daly, hosts its annual Right to Bear Arts Gala Dinner.

Washington Post Dinner: The media is organizing a dinner to kick off the weekend.

Semafor’s “no agenda” WHCD party: CEO Justin Smith is hosting an event at his home.

WHCD launch party: CAA toasts Jost at a launch party at La Grande Boucherie.

Celebrating American Journalists: UTA organizes its annual party at Fiola Mare.

Saturday April 27

The diplomat: Deadline, Netflix and the Irish Ambassador host a breakfast at the Ambassador’s residence, featuring a conversation with stars Russell, Sewell, producer Cahn and Ambassador Byrne Nason. moderated by Deadline DC Bureau Chief Ted Johnson and introduced by Editor-in-Chief Dominic Patten

Trust and transparency in 2024: THE Washington Post organizes a breakfast before dinner.

Garden brunch: Tammy Haddad hosts the annual WHCA Brunch at the Beall-Washington House, along with Ruth Porat, Kevin Sheekey, Mark and Sally Ein, Symone Sanders-Townsend, Jon Banner, Craig Minassian and Franco Nuschese.

White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner: About 3,000 guests are expected for the dinner, with a red carpet and coverage of the dinner on C-SPAN and cable networks, including CNN airing Biden and Jost’s remarks. Media also hosts pre-receptions throughout the Washington Hilton.

With POTUS, the First Lady, VPOTUS and Second Gentleman in the ballroom, the event raises money for journalism scholarships, as well as presenting awards for news coverage of the White House and Washington.

Private VIP tour. A Hard Rock Café viewing party to attend the WHCA dinner.

After Party of the new Comcast-NBCUniversal group: NBCU is hosting an event at the residence of French Ambassador Laurent Bili, highlighting the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Time-Amazon MGM Studios After Party: Jacques Pitteloud, the Swiss ambassador, and Madame Angélique Gakoko Pitteloud organize an afterparty for Time and Amazon MGM Studios.

Sunday September 28

Political brunch. Elena and Robert Albritton and Politico host a brunch at the Albritton residence.

CNN final reception. The network and British Ambassador Karen Pierce are hosting an afternoon reception at her residence to close the weekend.

Dominic Patten contributed to this report.