Colin Jost headlines White House Correspondents' Dinner with cocaine, O.J. Simpson jokes
Live from Washington D.C., it was the White House Correspondents' Dinner — with Colin Jost (and President Joe Biden).
The "Weekend Update" host from NBC weekly sketch program "Saturday Night Live" brought his punchy brand of comedy — and wife Scarlett Johansson — to the yearly roast of the President of the United States. Jost roasted everyone from Biden to former President Donald Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders.
"It's not always easy following President Biden ... like it's not always easy following what he's saying," Jost joked. He also said, "I hope tonight will be a night to remember ... for most of us," in reference to voter response to Biden's age.
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Colin Jost touches on President Biden's biggest controversies, 2024 campaign
During the dinner, Jost touched on some of the biggest controversies from a dip in President Biden's approval among Black voters to a controversy about cocaine found at the White House last summer.
“Like many of you here tonight, I pretend to do news on TV. My 'Weekend Update' co-anchor Michael Che was going to join me here tonight but in solidarity with President Biden, I decided to lose all my Black support,” he said, referring to his “Weekend Update” co-host and close friend Che.
"I love Washington. Last time I was here I left my cocaine at the White House. Luckily President Biden was able to make good use of it at his State of the Union," Jost added.
Jost also touched on recent headlines, joking that Columbia University is among the "world's dangerous geopolitical hotspots" following student protests about the Israel-Hamas war. He also quipped that “Obama got Bin Laden, you got O.J.”
“And by the way, now that O.J.’s dead, who’s the new front runner for Trump’s VP. Is it Diddy?” Jost added.
'I'm also used to being the Second Gentleman,' Colin Jost says about wife Scarlett Johansson
Jost had a lucky charm in the audience during his set: his spouse, two-time Academy Award nominee Scarlett Johansson.
"Doug, as you can tell by all the comments about my wife, I'm also used to being the Second Gentleman," Jost said about Emhoff, who is married to Vice President Kamala Harris.
"I want to thank my wife for enduring lots of jokes and agreeing to individually meet every person in this room after the ceremony," he said later, which elicited a laugh from the "Her" actress.
The night's end took a serious turn when Jost paid homage to his late grandfather, who the comedian said voted for Biden. He also called Biden a "decent man."
“My grandpa voted for decency, and decency is why we’re all here tonight. Decency is how we’re able to be here tonight,” Jost said.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colin Jost hosts White House Correspondents Dinner
