Jimmy Kimmel has urged Donald Trump to let him host the next White House Correspondents’ Dinner, after the President confirmed he plans to attend the event later this year.
The 58-year-old late-night presenter made the pitch on Tuesday night’s show, just one day after Trump shared news of his appearance publicly.
“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 wrote in a Truth Social post. “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!”
Trump’s statement set the stage for Kimmel to make his own case for taking the microphone—an assignment that has traditionally gone to a comedian.
“The dinner is traditionally hosted by a comedian,” he explained. “Al Franken hosted it. Ray Romano, Seth Meyers, Jon Stewart, Conan [O’Brien], Wanda Sykes. I googled it this morning — turns out I even hosted it back in 2012,” began Kimmel on his late night talk show.
Kimmel then pointed out that this year’s dinner will depart from the usual format, with author and mentalist Oz Pearlman set to serve as emcee—a change Kimmel suggested may be designed to avoid the kind of comedian-led roasting the event is known for.
“This year, I guess Trump didn’t want to be made fun of by a comedian, so the host is a mentalist,” he continue. “We’ll have a mentalist and a mental case onstage together.”
Although he called Pearlman an “amazing” performer, Kimmel joked that the mentalist would have an easy time reading one thing in particular, and he argued that the switch still felt like a way to dodge the usual tradition.
Rather than leave it there, Kimmel leaned into the bit and addressed Trump directly, even sweetening the proposal with a tongue-in-cheek “deal.”
Mr. President, please let me host this dinner,” he said. “I’ve never asked you for anything, but can you imagine you, me, the commissioner of the FCC, all at a table together? Think of the ratings!”
He continued by teasing Trump’s fondness for trophies and ceremonies with an offer of an exclusive new prize.
Poking fun even further, Kimmel continued: “I’ll even throw in an award. You like awards — I’ll give you a brand-new award! The Correspondy! The Dondy Correspondy! No one will ever get it besides you.”
“Please, give the people what they want for once. This is our destiny together. You and me. Think about it. Let’s make it the greatest, hottest, most spectacular dinner of any kind ever!”
While Kimmel is known for quick, off-the-cuff jabs that play well to an audience, it’s less clear Trump would welcome that kind of spotlight—particularly given their history of public back-and-forth.
What began as a fairly typical late-night-versus-politician dynamic escalated into a more personal feud in 2024, after Kimmel made political comments while hosting the Oscars. Trump later criticised him online as the ‘worst host’, and Kimmel responded by reading the post aloud on stage and quipping: “Isn’t it past your jail time?”
In September 2025, ABC briefly suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! after Kimmel faced backlash for remarks about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Trump applauded the move publicly, calling it ‘great news for America’ and describing Kimmel as ‘ratings-challenged’ and ‘untalented.’
Kimmel also said this week he wasn’t convinced Trump would ever sign off on him hosting, suggesting the President might be concerned he’d mock “his blotches,” referencing a skin issue that drew attention during a recent appearance.