"It's humiliating" — Award-winning journalist April Ryan addresses WHCA cancelling comedian Amber Ruffin’s performance
MSNBC analyst April Ryan has issued an apology to comedian Amber Ruffin after Ruffin's scheduled performance at the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner was canceled.
In February, WHCA President Eugene Daniels announced that Amber would headline the event on April 26, stating, "unique talents are the ideal fit for this current political and cultural climate."
However, on March 29, Eugene Daniel reversed the decision, stating:
"The WHCA board has unanimously decided we are no longer featuring a comedic performance this year."
Following the announcement, April Ryan, who also serves as a White House correspondent for TheGrio, addressed Amber Ruffin in an Instagram post on Saturday:
"This message is specifically for Amber Ruffin. From one Black woman to another. I'm outraged. You were lifted up publicly as the entertainment for the WHCA dinner in three weeks. And publicly this weekend, you were canceled."
April Ryan, who was honored with the Journalist of the Year Award by the National Association of Black Journalists in 2017, continued:
"I'm outraged. It's humiliating. From one Black woman to another. I wasn't on the board. I didn't have any decision-making. But from one Black woman to another, I understand and it's not okay."
The 57-year-old journalist concluded:
"It's unfortunate that you got caught in the middle of this WHCA fight with the Trump White House. I am here to tell you I'm sorry. I apologize."
WHCA scraps Amber Ruffin as a host at upcoming dinner after criticism from the White House
The WHCA dinner is a fundraising event that supports journalism students with scholarships and mentorship. The organization's president, Eugene Daniels, wrote in an email to the press:
"For the past couple of weeks, I have been planning a re-envisioning of our dinner tradition for this year. As the date nears, I will share more details of the plans in place to honor journalistic excellence and a robust, independent media covering the most powerful office in the world."
Daniels did not disclose an immediate reason for removing Amber Ruffin as the upcoming WHCA dinner's host.
The White House reportedly disapproved of the association's initial decision to have Amber Ruffin host the April dinner. There were disagreements over a few other matters, including the decision to bar Associated Press from attending some events.
Amber, an Emmy-nominated writer who has been contributing to Late Night with Seth Meyers since 2014, revealed on The Daily Beast podcast posted on YouTube on March 27 that the WHCA asked her to be "equal":
"Make sure that...that you give it to both sides."
However, Amber said she refused to adhere to their instructions:
"There's no way I'm gonna be fr*aking doing that dude. Under no circumstances."
Amber said the WHCA received reviews from people in the past who pointed out the comedy performances at the association's previous annual dinners were "uneven."
The 46-year-old writer is also a part of CNN's comedy-news show Have I Got News For You, where she is often critical of Donald Trump. Many speculate that Amber Ruffin's performance was likely canceled due to her opinions about Trump.
Despite this, the Daily Beast podcast hosts pointed out that the comedy performances at the WHCA dinner are meant to aim the jokes at whoever is the current president.