After a century of comedians roasting presidents, this year’s event promises unity, wonder, and jaws dropping.
The White House Correspondents’ Association will host its annual dinner Saturday night at the Washington Hilton, where the Correspondents’ Dinner mentalist will replace the traditional comedian. It is the first time in the event’s century-long history that the headline entertainer will be someone whose job is to guess what powerful people are thinking rather than say it.
“As the world’s most celebrated mentalist, Oz Pearlman will offer a fascinating glimpse into what’s truly on the minds of Washington’s newsmakers,” WHCA president Weijia Jiang of CBS News said when announcing the booking. The organization promised an exciting, fresh, and interactive evening that would celebrate the First Amendment.
Unity, Not Accountability
Pearlman has told multiple outlets he was not hired to roast the president. “My job is not to come in and roast,” he told ABC News. He has described his intended role instead as bringing the room together through shared moments of wonder and amazement.
The Correspondents’ Dinner mentalist has also signaled preparation specifically for Saturday’s guest of honor. “I think I finally figured out how the president thinks,” he said Tuesday on Fox Business.
President Trump will attend the dinner for the first time in either of his terms in office. Pearlman said on ABC’s “This Week” that he had predicted the president’s attendance from the first phone call about the booking, noting that prediction is his profession.
Last Year’s Comedian
The association’s 2025 headliner, comedian Amber Ruffin, was disinvited after she described members of the administration on a podcast as essentially a group of murderers. Trump boycotted that year’s dinner regardless. This year’s format change, which the organization framed as making the evening more interactive, has coincided with the president’s decision to appear.
The booking arrives amid a broader shift in the administration’s engagement with the press. The Federal Communications Commission has threatened broadcasters over their war coverage, the Defense Department has twice been ruled to have unconstitutionally restricted press access, and the White House has reportedly intervened in the pending sale of CNN’s parent company. Several of the dinner’s corporate sponsors have regulatory matters currently before administration agencies.
A Reconfigured Format
The Correspondents’ Association has hosted the dinner annually since 1920, traditionally inviting a high-profile comedian to deliver a roast of both the administration and the press corps. Past headliners include Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien, and Jay Leno. Saturday’s format replaces the roast with what organizers have described as an interactive entertainment experience.
Tickets for this year’s event are priced at several hundred dollars per seat, with corporate tables selling for significantly more. Table sponsors include major broadcast networks, streaming platforms, and technology companies, several of which have current business matters pending before the Federal Trade Commission or the Department of Justice.
The Career-Defining Correspondents’ Dinner Mentalist
Pearlman is a New York Times bestselling author whose most recent book is titled Read Your Mind: Proven Habits for Success from the World’s Greatest Mentalist. He has previously performed for Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes, and presidents Clinton and Obama. His 2015 appearance on America’s Got Talent finished in third place, and he recently announced a Netflix special set to debut later this year. The New York Times has profiled him as a figure with a substantial online following among male audiences.
Dinner proceeds support the association’s scholarship fund and programs about the value of the First Amendment and a free press, according to its website. CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter, in a published defense of his decision to attend, described the event as an opportunity for source development and networking.
Pearlman has promised audiences twenty-five minutes of applause, laughter, and jaws dropping.
He declined to say what the president would be thinking at the time.
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