Cecily Strong, 'SNL' star, will host 2015 White House Correspondents' Dinner
NBC's "Saturday Night Live" comedian Cecily Strong will headline the 2015 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, Washington's annual mixer attended by members of the media, celebrities, and the U.S. president.
The association said on Wednesday that Strong, an Illinois native and relative newcomer to the popular improvisational comedy show, will be the main performer at the annual event, known for its ribbing of Washington power figures.
"I look forward to seeing her at our head table, where I plan to seat her next to some other well-known Chicagoans," association president Christi Parsons said, referring to President Barack Obama, who lived in the Midwestern city before his move to Washington.
Strong joined SNL's cast in 2012 after performing elsewhere in Chicago and has been featured in two films. Her father was also a longtime journalist with The Associated Press, according to the WHCA.
Strong recently left her spot as “Weekend Update” co-anchor with Colin Jost on “Saturday Night Live.” Strong, who debuted on the show in 2012, is still a cast member and was replaced by Michael Che, formerly of “The Daily Show.”
"Her political humor is sly and edgy, and it comes with a Chicago accent," said Parsons, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.
The dinner, which has been held for more than eight decades and also honors student scholarship recipients, will be held on April 25, 2015.
Strong will be just the fourth woman to headline the event, according to the association.
Past performers at the dinner include Jay Leno, Cedric the Entertainer, Conan O'Brien, Wanda Sykes, and, famously, Stephen Colbert. Monitor writer Dante Chinni wrote of Colbert’s appearance, “Colbert, love him or hate him, was exactly what you would expect at the... event. He used his mock Bill O'Reilly persona and his trademark 'truthiness' to beat-up on the president while pretending to be an ally. This is what he does Monday through Thursday at 11:30 p.m.”
