As journalists mentally prepare themselves for a night of mingling and small talk with the Trump administration at the upcoming White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, “Full Frontal” host Samantha Bee has something else in mind.
According to The New York Times, Bee is planning a counter-event, also in Washington, at which like-minded comedians can make all the jokes about Donald Trump they want to. Bee’s gala ― “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” ― is to take place on April 29, the same night as the annual White House event.
“We’re not trying to supersede it,” Bee told The NY Times. “We just want to be there in case something happens — or doesn’t happen — and ensure that we get to properly roast the president.”
The idea to stage the event came to Bee and her producers after Trump’s election. Bee explained that they were wondering whether the event would be different under a Trump presidency, or if it would happen at all, given the president’s rocky relationship with the press.
“And then we thought, Why don’t we just do one, just to do it in the way that we would want it done if we were hosting it?” she said.
Details about Bee’s event are still being ironed out, but according to the Times, there’s a good chance we’ll get to see all the action play out in some form on TBS, the network that airs “Full Frontal.” The late-night host also said that proceeds from her dinner will be donated to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Since Trump’s election, Bee has not held back her criticisms of the former “Apprentice” host. She picked apart the president’s inauguration, did a deep dive into his “massive voter fraud” lie, ripped apart his transition and even united with Glenn Beck to fight “Trumpism.”
It doesn’t look like she’s backing down anytime soon.