The Best, The Worst and All the Drama From the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Party Circuit

SNL star Colin Jost and NBCU chief Cesar Conde conspire at NBC’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner After Party. Photo by: Paul Morigi/NBC News/MSNBC.

The grand crescendo of White House Correspondents’ Dinner weekend came on Saturday night, a short time after President Joe Biden and SNL veteran Colin Jost spoke at the annual black tie dinner: NBC’s after party, hosted at the very large home of French Ambassador Laurent Bili, which rocked into the early hours of Sunday morning.

NBC’s top stars were out in force, from NBCU News Group Chairman Cesar Conde and MSNBC chief Rashida Jones to on-air talent like Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Ari Melber, Lawrence O’Donnell and José Díaz-Balart. Cable news hosts from other networks also joined, including Jim Acosta.

Chris Pine, looking dapper in a white tuxedo jacket, entertained fans. Jost and his wife Scarlett Johansson caused a minor scene when they arrived at the stately Kalorama manse post-dinner. A gag “Weekend Update” set was erected to commemorate the occasion of Jost’s turn hosting the night, and the after party was attended by SNL creator Lorne Michaels and his current Trump impersonator, James Austin Johnson, who was informed by Mediaite’s party correspondent that his impression of the former president is the all time best. NBC comms exec Rich Hudock looked dapper in a Prada bolo tie. Tony P, the social media influencer recently famous for posting absurdly earnest videos of his “daily routine” as a boring 20-something guy, posed for selfies with fans. (Tony P was, impossibly, invited to almost every party of the weekend, including the dinner, where he was a guest of Bloomberg.)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and a slew of elected leaders made the rounds at the event, which closed up some time after 1 a.m. when the bartenders informed well-served attendees they could no longer accommodate them.

One reporter who attended the competing Saturday night afterparty, a bash thrown by Time at the Swiss ambassador’s residence, said it was worth missing. “Big room, too loud, and impossible to get a drink,” was the verdict.

Those with the steel to survive the festivities of the night before – or the wisdom to enjoy them responsibly – turned out for the final event of the weekend, CNN’s famed hangover brunch, which was hosted this year at the home and expansive garden of British Ambassador Karen Pierce. The event was distinctly British in flavor, a nod perhaps to CNN’s new chief Mark Thompson, a native of London, with Pimm’s served alongside small bites. The sun ensured the festivities were drenched in an abnormal amount of sweat for the typically rainy weekend, and CNN’s biggest stars, from Wolf Blitzer to Pamela Brown and Kaitlan Collins, spent the afternoon mingling with reporters, executives like Matthias Dopfner and politicos – including Trump senior adviser Jason Miller.

One particular spotting at the brunch raised Mediaite’s eyebrows: ex-CNN host Brian Stelter, who has been appearing on his old network an awful lot lately, deep in conversation with Mark Thompson.

The weekend kicked off with a pair of events on Thursday night: first up, there was Politico’s party, which like CNN’s affair was hosted at the British Ambassador’s residence and overseen by Politico CEO Goli Sheikoleslami. Eugene Daniels, the star Politico reporter just announced as the next president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, waded through a crowd of friends and fans before landing on colleague Ryan Lizza.

Jonathan Greenberger, who recently decamped from ABC News to join Politico as executive vice president, spoke with CAA power agent Mark McGrath. Kara Swisher chatted with her wife, Washington Post journo Amanda Katz.

A phalanx of what appeared to be Airmail staffers (“you can tell they’re Airmail because one is entirely clad in Thom Browne,” said one onlooker) lingered near the snack bar. Boiled eggs and deep fried fish were served (this is the British embassy, after all).

Meanwhile, over at the Riggs hotel a few blocks from the White House, Puck and WME hosted their opening reception. The top floor lounge was packed – John Heilemann, Puck’s new chief political columnist, was warmly received by new colleague Dylan Byers and others.

WME agent Bradley Singer was the master of ceremonies at the event, a celebration of sorts for the talent agency opening a D.C. office. The night featured a live interview with Aaron Sorkin, which made news but was somewhat derailed in the room by the crowd of tipsy journalists who couldn’t keep quiet.

Peter Baker and Susan Glasser made their way through the crowd. On the way out, a remarkably tan John Boehner entertained a packed elevator.

The dinner itself is pre-gamed by several receptions in the various event spaces of the Washington Hilton. It’s an efficient system: in the two hours before the event, black tie-clad attendees can mingle, take photos, and have a drink before popping downstairs for the show.

Outside the hotel, however, the scene was less chummy. Journalists and politicos entering the hotel through the front were greeted by a large crowd of protestors objecting to Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza. They chanted “shame” at attendees, and wore press vests with the names of the around 100 Palestinian journalists killed by Israel in the war so far. The juxtaposition was an awkward one for journalists who spend the weekend back-slapping and gossiping over glasses of champagne.

The protests were the talk of the dinner pre-parties — and the journalists killed in Gaza were commemorated by NBC News White House reporter Kelly O’Donnell, the current president of the correspondents’ association, in her speech at the dinner. “Our profession can be perilous,” she said. “Since October, about 100 journalists have been killed, most of those deaths in Gaza.”

Mediaite’s correspondent attended the reception hosted by Politico and CBS News, where Wolf Blitzer and Kaitlan Collins hovered around the back bar. Gayle King made her way through the packed room. John Fetterman, the polarizing senator from Pennsylvania, showed up to the black tie dinner wearing sneakers, shorts, and a Carhartt hoodie screen-printed with a tuxedo. He even affixed cuff links to the sleeves of his hoodie, prompting one on-looker to point out he put more effort into his “slob fit” than those who just dressed up in black tie.

The UTA party on Friday night was, as usual, one of the best of the weekend. Hosted at Fiola Mare, a seafood restaurant in Georgetown, and overseen by UTA power agent Jay Sures, the event drew the biggest names in news and a few celebrities to boot. Matt Friend, the political impressionist and a favorite of cable news hosts, towered over other guests (he’s tall). Pamela Brown, newly returned from maternity leave, was glowing. Brian Stelter chatted with Andrew Ross Sorkin, while Mediaite’s Colby Hall was spotted chatting at length with David Cross and Ted Lasso star Brendan Hunt about Arsenal’s dream season (Mediaite’s party correspondent was forced to remind Hall on Monday that Arsenal’s “dream season” looks set to end in tragedy).

It was a tentpole of a marathon weekend that saw Washington’s A-listers mingle alongside celebrities and Hollywood stars. It could be the last one attended by a president for some time: after all, during the Trump administration, the media-bashing 45th president boycotted the chummy Washington ritual. Polls show Trump is the favorite to return to the White House next year, a subject mentioned in hushed tones by reporters and politicos over the last few days as they Ubered from one cocktail party to the next.