As host of President Obama’s final White House Correspondents Dinner, comedian Larry Wilmore didn’t pull any punches on Saturday night, chiding everyone from Donald Trump to CNN’s Don Lemon.
“Some of America’s finest black journalists are here tonight. Don Lemon’s here too,” he joked.
Lemon extended his middle finger to Wilmore from the CNN table.
Wilmore also blasted CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, comparing him to a “drone.”
“Ask a follow up question!” he yelled to the news anchor.
Wilmore, host of Comedy Central’s “The Nightly Show,” did attack Trump (“He looks like a rich dad on ‘Law & Order’ who’s frat boy son just strangled a hooker.”) but he mostly put the blame on the media, similarly to Obama’s statements, for being so soft on the GOP candidate.
Wilmore also devoted much of his 23-minute delivery to the outgoing President.
Joking how Obama’s physical appearance has deteriorated over his 8-year term, Wilmore said: “Your hair is so white it tried to punch me at a Trump rally.”
He took a few swings at the President, who sat rather uncomfortably nearby, for bombing innocent civilians in the Middle East and failing to close Guantanamo Bay in a timely manner.
His assault on the 44th President, however, turned to admiration by night’s end for making African American history in the White House.
“When I was a kid I lived in a country where people couldn’t accept a black quarterback,” Wilmore said. “But now, we live in a time when a black man can lead the entire free world.”
He ended his speech with a shoutout to Obama, calling him “my n—a.”
This year’s other presidential candidates didn’t escape criticism, either.
“Everybody hates Ted Cruz. Even OJ Simpson’s like ‘Man, that guy is hard to like.'”
Bernie Sanders, who was in attendance at the Washington Hilton, smiled and nodded as Wilmore ripped his age.
“Bernie’s so old his first campaign slogan was fire.”
Chris Christie was another popular target.
“Chris Christie, who isn’t here, RSVP’d for three: himself, his wife and Donald Trump’s dry cleaning.”
He also knocked MSNBC, which he said stood for “Missing Significant Number of Black Commentators.”
“‘Morning Joe’ has their head so far up Donald Trump’s ass they bumped into Chris Christie.”
