White House Correspondents announce historian will host annual dinner not comedian

The latest announcement breaks with tradition, but has been forced by the president refusing to attend the last two years

Author Ron Chernow, who consulted for Lin-Manuel Miranda on the "Hamilton" musical, is set to host the 2019 White House Correspondents Association dinner. (Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for National Archives Foundation)

The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) has announced it will not have a comedian host its next annual dinner - but rather a historian.

Ron Chernow, a historian and author of presidential biographies, will host the Washington, DC, event also known as “nerd prom”.

The event usually serves as a light-hearted “roast” of the president and staff but has taken a turn under Donald Trump’s presidency.

Mr Trump, vocally opposed to the media except for Fox News, has not attended the event the last two years and became the first president not to do so, save for Ronald Reagan when he was shot in 1981.

WHCA president Olivier Knox said in a statement: "I'm delighted that Ron will share his lively, deeply researched perspectives on American politics and history at the 2019 White House Correspondents' Dinner. As we celebrate the importance of a free and independent news media to the health of the republic, I look forward to hearing Ron place this unusual moment in the context of American history."

Mr Chernow served as a consultant for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash Broadway musical Hamilton and has written books on not just Alexander Hamilton, but George Washington, JP Morgan, Ulysses S Grant, and John D Rockefeller.

Mr Chernow, who was given the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama, said he was asked to speak about the First Amendment.

“I am happy to oblige...Freedom of the press is always a timely subject and this seems like the perfect moment to go back to basics. My major worry these days is that we Americans will forget who we are as a people, and historians should serve as our chief custodians in preserving that rich storehouse of memory. While I have never been mistaken for a stand-up comedian, I promise that my history lesson won't be dry,” he said.

Last year’s host comedian Michelle Wolf was hailed by many but criticised by the White House, particularly for her jokes about press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Previous hosts included Hasan Minhaj, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and Conan O’Brien.

Usually, the sitting president also gives a speech, taking digs at political opponents or poking fun at themselves.

Ms Wolf called the WHCA “cowards” and they were "complicit" with the White House in a tweet about the announcement.

The event is set to take place on 27 April 2019.