Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday night made a heartfelt-ish appeal to President Donald Trump, to serve as entertainer at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Kimmel’s interest in the gig was piqued after Trump announced that he would be attending this year’s WHCA dinner, after years of dodging it as POTUS.
“The White House Correspondents Association has asked me, very nicely, to be the Honoree at this year’s Dinner, a long and storied tradition since it began in 1924, under then President Calvin Coolidge,” Trump posted to Truth Social, inventing the “honoree” designation. “In honor of our Nation’s 250th Birthday, and the fact that these ‘Correspondents’ now admit that I am truly one of the Greatest Presidents in the History of our Country, the G.O.A.T., according to many, it will be my Honor to accept their invitation, and work to make it the GREATEST, HOTTEST, and MOST SPECTACULAR DINNER, OF ANY KIND, EVER!”
Kimmel acknowledged the turnabout during his Jimmy Kimmel Live! monologue, while noting that the entertainer for this year’s dinner, to be held April 25 in D.C., is not a comedian, journalist, nor commentator, but mentalist Oz Pearlman.
“I guess Trump didn’t want to be made fun of by comedians, so we’ll have a mentalist and a mental case on stage together,” Kimmel quipped.
Though Kimmel affirmed that Oz Pearlman “is an amazing performer”—”I’m sure he’ll be able to predict what Trump isn’t thinking”—” this feels like a copout to me.” As such, he turned to address the camera directly and more closely, and make his pitch to once again host the WHCA dinner, as he did in 2014.
“Mr. President, please let me host this dinner. I’ve never asked you for anything before,” Kimmel started. “Can you imagine? You, me, the commissioner of the FCC all at a table together? Think of the ratings.
“I’ll even throw in an award, you like awards,” he added. “I’ll give you a brand-new award—the Correspondy! The Dondy Correspondy! No one will ever get it besides you.”
In closing, Kimmel appealed to POTUS, “Give the people what they want for once. This is our destiny together, you and me. Think about it. Let make it the greatest, hottest, most spectacular dinner of any kind ever.”
Watch Kimmel’s appeal above.
