The Best White House Correspondents Dinner Jokes Of All Time

It's a weird year for the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, which is usually a pretty buzzy affair. For what is essentially journalism prom meets a roast of D.C., all the Washington correspondents gather in one venue (usually The Hilton), and one comedian tries their hardest to make some humor out of the situation. There are usually more than a few uncomfortable laughs as the host takes aim at Washington's power players, namely the commander-in-chief. These are the things we can expect at the W.H.C.D. Usually.

As you may have heard, things are...different in Washington this year, and the event is no exception. For starters, the president himself will not attend the dinner, which will be held April 29. Most presidents probably have a conflicted relationship with the press. Donald Trump, as you also may have noticed, hates the press. Instead of attending the dinner, the president will host a BIG rally in Pennsylvania. (His words, not ours.) So there will be a huge (yuge) reality star-shaped hole at this year's Correspondents Dinner. The cat, so to speak, will be away.

So should we expect an event overflowing with unbridled comedic genius due the president's absence? Well, given that 2017 has already been particularly conducive to politically minded comedy, probably not. Ideally, though, host Hasan Minhaj will gift us with more than your average late-night comedy routine.

In honor of the total uncertainty surrounding this year's event, we've collected the best jokes from years past for inspiration. Ahead, find the zingers that tickled our fancy from hosts like Larry Wilmore, Joel McHale, and Stephen Colbert — effectively a hall of fame for political humor.