Samantha Bee Says Her 'Not the White House Correspondents' Dinner' Is Not Antagonistic
"We never intended this to take away from the other event," she said.
— -- Samantha Bee maintains that her upcoming event "Not the White House Correspondents' Dinner" is not meant to be antagonistic.
The "Full Frontal" host announced this morning that she was hosting the event in Washington, D.C., on April 29, the same day the White House Correspondents' Dinner will take place. Shortly thereafter, she told reporters in a conference call that it is merely meant to be a "prom for the nerds not invited to the nerd prom."
She also said that proceeds will benefit the Committee to Protect Journalists, and that she's looking forward to "raising money for a good cause."
"This is completely separate [from the White House Correspondents' Dinner]. We're not trying to damage them in any way," she insisted. "I will say we thought maybe we could provide a little bit of overflow."
Bee, 47, has been critical of President Donald Trump for some time. While her TBS show focuses on a number of political issues, women's rights are a priority for the host, and earlier this month, she attended the Women's March on Washington, which she celebrated on last week's episode. The "Not the White House Correspondents' Dinner," she told reporters, is another event for her to look forward to.
"We are really doing our own thing. We never intended to take away from the other event. We were just concerned, worried, thinking, 'What form would it take?'" she said, referencing Trump's rocky relationship with the press. "[We thought], 'Let's just do our own thing and do it however we would want to execute it. Have some joys for ourselves.' We're trying to capture something for ourselves that we need."
The Washington Post reached White House Correspondents’ Association President Jeff Mason to ask about Bee's event. Though he did not reference the "Not the White House Correspondents' Dinner" specifically, he did say that the White House was planning to move forward with its event.
“The WHCA looks forward to hosting our annual dinner this year as we do every year to celebrate the First Amendment, reward some of the finest reporting of the past year and recognize promising young student journalists,” his statement read.
Bee said that the event is in its "embryonic" stage, and no firm plans have been made. She declined to name anybody who would be invited to perform or attend, though she did note that she hopes it will be "a great big party" for "unsung heroes" of journalism and fans of "Full Frontal." When asked if journalists' attendance could lead to the perception of bias, Bee said, "I wish I could say we've thought it through to that level, but we haven't."
"Everyone will have to be guided by their own inner voice," she added.
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