‘Tonight Is For You’: Samantha Bee Salutes the Press at the Not the White House Correspondents Dinner
TBS’s Samantha Bee pulled no punches on Saturday night when she held the “Not the White House Correspondents Dinner” as a satirical alternative to the real deal.
“There are hundreds of journalists from the ‘failing’ New York Times to the failing ‘pile of garbage’ Buzzfeed, plus the failing what the f*ck is ProPublica,” Bee said in her opening remarks. “It sounds Mexican. I will go to Mexico and get them to pay for all your drinks.”
Bee dedicated her monologue to talking about the societal value of the free media. Though the Full Frontal host ripped the press for being more attracted to spectacle than substance, Bee offered them praise for their ongoing work in spite of the current climate of anger and mistrust towards reporters:
“Much as I might love poking fun at the media, and as much as you kind of deserve it, I know your job has never been harder… You dig up misdeeds and fraud by the powerful. You expose injustice against the weak and continue to fact-check the president as if he might some day get embarrassed… So tonight is for you.”
Bee held the event at DAR Constitution Hall, where the audience was treated to a mix of sketches, mockumentaries, and an alternative timeline where Hillary Clinton became president. Bee previously told reporters that she was going to be more pro-media than anti-Donald Trump tonight, but she did take plenty of shots at the administration, cable news, and just about everything else.
Bee got help from several celebrities along the way, and there were cameos from Steve Buscemi, Allison Janney, Billy Eichner, and Patton Oswalt. Will Ferrell had a particularly prominent appearance when he took the opportunity to revive his critically-acclaimed impression of former president George W. Bush.
Watch above, via TBS.
[Image via screengrab]
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