It’s time for the 2025 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. This year’s so-called “Nerd Prom” won’t see a viral monologue like it’s seen from Colin Jost and Michelle Wolf in past years, as previously announced headliner Amber Ruffin was cut from the evening’s lineup back in March. Neither President Trump nor Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt plans to be in attendance. However, you can still tune in to the annual event intended to celebrate the First Amendment and outstanding members of the press via C-SPAN and MSNBC. Here’s how to watch the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2025.
How to watch the 2025 White House Correspondents’ Dinner:
Date: Saturday, April 26
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Location: Washington Hilton, Washington, D.C.
TV channel: C-SPAN
Streaming: DirecTV
When is the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2025?
This year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner will be held on Saturday, April 26. The reception kicks off at 6 p.m. ET.
Will President Trump attend the 2025 White House Correspondents’ Dinner?
No. Neither Trump, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt nor anyone else in his administration will attend this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Every president since Calvin Coolidge in 1924 has attended at least once during their time in office, except for Trump. (However, Trump once attended the dinner as a private citizen, back in 2011.)
How to watch the White House Correspondents’ Dinner:
C-SPAN has covered the White House Correspondents’ Dinner since 1988.
The easiest way to watch C-SPAN’s coverage is via a traditional cable subscription. If you subscribe to an eligible TV provider, you can also tune in free on C-SPAN.org. The list of eligible TV providers excludes most live TV streaming services, and most streamers don’t provide access to C-SPAN. But if you don’t have access to a cable package, DirecTV does include C-SPAN in its Live TV streaming packages — and you can try it out for free. MSNBC will also be covering the event.
Most major news networks will likely provide some coverage of the dinner, so you could tune into CBS News, ABC News, NBC News, CNN and others to find out what’s happening at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Who is headlining the 2025 White House Correspondents’ Dinner?
Comedian Amber Ruffin was previously announced as the headliner for the 2025 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. However, following critical comments the comedian made about President Trump, Ruffin was removed from the evening’s lineup.
This year, the White House Correspondents’ Association has decided to hold the dinner without the traditional headlining speech from a comedian. Past White House Correspondents’ Dinner headliners have included Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost, Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert and Michelle Wolf.
What is the White House Correspondents’ Dinner?
Often referred to as “Nerd Prom,” the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is an annual fundraising event held by the White House Correspondents’ Association. Typically, the event is attended by members of the press and politicians, including the president (some years). The dinner serves as the group’s main source of revenue. Beyond fundraising, the focus of the dinner is to honor award-winners, scholarship recipients and celebrate the press.
This year, the White House Correspondents’ Association has removed the comedy portion of the evening and put more focus on freedom of the press.
