White House Correspondents Dinner: Jimmy Kimmel and Barack Obama Bring the Funny
Traditionally, the White House Correspondents Dinner is an opportunity for the President of the United States to let his guard down and become an entertainer for evening, performing a comedy routine for the crowd before taking his seat and being playfully roasted by a comedian. This year, President Barack Obama was joined by late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. Since this is the internet, both of their routines are online for you to see!
Neither of the routines are particularly brief, so you better grab a can of soda and a bag of chips. First up is President Obama’s routine, which opens with him offstage, his mic “left on,” letting the entire audience listen to him complain about being forced to entertain a Kardashian and the cast of ‘Glee‘ while pondering whether or not he needs to dye the gray ouf of his hair. If Obama has one thing in abundance, it’s charisma and his willingness to be humorously self-deprecating leads to plenty of funny bits.
When the President finished, Jimmy Kimmel took the stage to roast the commander-in-chief, finding just as many opportunities to poke fun at recent, er, problems with the Secret Service as he did Obama. He opens with some easy jokes (Obama’s ears are big! Some people still think he’s a Muslim!), but he also gets plenty of political jabs in, particularly at Obama’s frequent clashing and failed compromises with the Republican party.
What do you think? Did the President and Kimmel perform well? Did you laugh? Most importantly, what was your favorite part? Yes, reaction shots of hilariously solemn, disapproving faces in the crowd does count as an answer!