The White House Correspondents’ Association named mentalist Oz Pearlman as its headliner for its 2026 dinner, its second consecutive year of bucking a traditional comedian after it canceled Amber Ruffin’s appearance last year following White House criticism.
“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 said in a statement. “We look forward to an exciting, fresh, and interactive evening as we celebrate the First Amendment and Washington news coverage together.”
Pearlman has performed across several media programs, breaking out on “America’s Got Talent” before appearing on “60 Minutes,” “The Joe Rogan Experience,” “Sunday Night Football,” “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” and more. His appearance on “The View” last year saw him read Sara Haines’ ATM PIN number live on air.
“I am thrilled to be the featured entertainer at this year’s WHCA dinner and join the ranks of Frank Sinatra, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien, among many other legends,” Pearlman said in a statement. “This is a rare opportunity to gather so many accomplished, perceptive people in one place and invite them to share moments of wonder, surprise and awe.”
The annual dinner serves as a convivial fundraiser for the correspondents’ association and for its select journalism scholarships while journalists and government officials mingle in the crowd. While a comedian traditionally serves as the dinner’s entertainer, the organization has strayed away from comedians during both Trump administrations amid the government’s animosity toward journalists assigned to cover the president. Donald Trump has never attended the dinner as president.
Weeks after Ruffin was announced as last year’s comedian, then-WHCA president Eugene Daniels canceled her appearance hours after a White House spokesperson complained that she would headline a “hate-filled and violence-inspiring event.”
Daniels said in a statement at the time that the association wanted to ensure the dinner’s “focus is not on the politics of division” but on honoring its group of journalists and scholarship winners. Last year’s event, which came as the WHCA battled the White House over press access for its journalists, had no comedic act.
The presence of comedy at the event has been a fraught subject during the Trump presidencies. After comedian Michelle Wolf tore into Trump and his press aides during the 2018 dinner, the president blasted her set as “an embarrassment to our great Country.” The organization also said her set was “not in the spirit” of its work honoring journalists and set historian Ron Chernow as its 2019 entertainer.
After two years with no dinners due to the COVID-19 pandemic, comedians Trevor Noah, Roy Wood Jr. and Colin Jost attended the dinner during the Joe Biden presidency.
