SNL star Cecily Strong will be the host this year's White House Correspondent Association Dinner, the WHCA announced last week. The Chicago native will be only the fifth female host in the history of the annual event - but who came before her? Take a trip down memory lane with us as we celebrate the female comics that have previously headlined the dinner: Paula Poundstone, Elayne Boosler, Aretha Franklin, and Wanda Sykes.
The WHCA annual dinner began in 1920, and has since evolved into a Washington DC tradition attracting journalists, politicians, and entertainers. It wasn't until 1962 that the dinner was opened up to include women, despite significant female membership to the WHCA. It took another 30 years for a female host to be invited as the host of the event. In 1992, Paula Poundstone became the first solo female host of the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, ushering in a new era of women MCs.
In the lead up to Cecily Strong's hosting duties in April, here's a reminder of how the female hosts before her performed at the job. While no video recording of Poundstone's WHCA dinner hostess gig exists on the internet, we will present you with two replacement videos that might help give you an idea of what her speech was about.
1. Paula Poundstone - 1992
2. Elayne Boosler - 1993
3. Aretha Franklin - 1999 (Performance begins around 1 hour mark)
4. Wanda Sykes - 2009.
How will Cecily Strong compare to previous female and male hosts of the infamous WHCA annual dinner?
Previously a co-anchor on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, Cecily Strong definitely has the chops to perform well at the political function. With wit and sarcasm, she's sure to get the audience in stitches during her set at the 2015 WHCA dinner.
"Her political humor is sly and edgy, and it comes with a Chicago accent," announced White House Correspondents' Association President Christie Parsons in a statement. "Cecily grew up in suburban Oak Park, Ill. and got her start in Chicago's comedy scene with stints at iO and Second City."
Do you think Cecily Strong will give her predecessors a run for their money? Who takes the title of your favorite host in recent history? Sound off in the comments section below!
