Amber Ruffin would have been 'terrifically mean' at White House Correspondents' Dinner

Amber Ruffin has spoken out against the organisers of the 2025 White House Correspondents' Dinner after they abruptly cancelled her planned gig.

Even though the comedian-writer had booked the show in February, White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) president Eugene Daniels announced in an email to members sent over the weekend that her hosting duties had been called off as officials wanted to "ensure the focus is not on the politics of division" but "entirely on awarding our colleagues".

Addressing the decision during a surprise appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Monday evening, Ruffin and Meyers jokingly took part in a bit about a burglary in a bodega or store.

"See, Seth. The problem is that's divisive. Take it from me. If there's one thing I learned from this weekend, it's, you have to be fair to both sides," she quipped, while Meyers insisted: "Amber, when people are objectively terrible, we should be able to point it out on television."

Ruffin went on to make a reference to the plot of the iconic 1965 musical movie, The Sound of Music.

"I thought that too... on Friday," the 46-year-old commented. "But today is Monday, and Monday's Amber Ruffin knows that when bad people do bad things, you have to treat them fairly and respectfully. When you watch The Sound of Music, you have to root for the singing children and the other people."

"You mean the Nazis," Meyers queried, to which Ruffin replied, "Calling them that is so one-sided."

Elsewhere in the conversation, the comedian admitted she would have been "terrifically mean" in her speech had she been granted the opportunity.

"We have a free press so that we can be nice to Republicans at fancy dinners. That's what it says in the First Amendment," she joked. "But the point is that you're sowing the seeds of discord. And I used to be the same way. I thought when people take away your rights, erase your history, and deport your friends, you're supposed to call it out. But I was wrong. Glad to find that out now, because if they had let me give that speech, ooooh baby, I would have been so terrifically mean."

The White House Correspondents' Dinner is set to be held on 26 April. A replacement host has not yet been announced.