As an alternate Samantha Bee is going to be hosting her own version of a Donald Trump roast on TBS on the night of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Bee has seen the profile of her TBS show Full Frontal increase quite a bit during the 2016 campaign cycle. Formerly best known for her work on The Daily Show, she’s carved out a nightly niche, and as one of the few (only?) female voices on late-night television, Bee certainly offers a refreshing perspective.
And that might increase further, given the decision to host the Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this April.
Via The New York Times:
This alternative gala, which is being called “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” and was announced on Monday, will be at the Willard Hotel. Ms. Bee said that it was not an attempt to comment on or compete with that other, better-known banquet, but a night to include jokes about Mr. Trump that she and like-minded comedians want to make.
“We’re not trying to supersede it,” she said in a telephone interview. “We just want to be there in case something happens — or doesn’t happen — and ensure that we get to properly roast the president.”
It’s fair to wonder, as the Times does, what a Trump version of the Correspondents’ Dinner would even look like. A fair bit of his strategy has been sowing distrust in and distaste for the entire establishment, after all. Bee’s special will be shown in some capacity on TBS:
.@iamsambee says her alternative to the @WHCA press dinner WILL be televised on @TBSNetwork – details still being worked out
— Brian Steinberg (@bristei) January 30, 2017
The Correspondents’ Dinner has produced a few memorable moments throughout the years, perhaps most notably Stephen Colbert’s star-making turn in character as “Stephen Colbert” back in 2006.
But regardless of the future of the actual Correspondents’ Dinner, Bee’s special is a big step for her, and a signal that TBS is a strong believer in her talent going forward.
[NYT]
