Although the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was cut short due to a shooter, guests still walked the red carpet at the annual event on Saturday night. The Daily Show sent Triumph the Insult Comic Dog as their correspondent and Robert Smigel-voiced character used the opportunity to roast everyone from Pete Hegseth to Robert Kennedy Jr. to Karoline Leavitt.
In the clip, aired on The Daily Show last night, Triumph takes aim at the guests and the event itself, which he describes as “an annual gathering of the press, or in tonight’s case fondly remembers, free speech.”
Triumph first speaks to a few actual news correspondents, including CNN’s Sara Sidner and Fox News’ Peter Doocy. “What a night, no comedians,” Triumph says to Doocy. “We don’t need comedians. We have a mentalist. And do you think Trump’s going to tell some jokes, like how he won the Iran war and how gas prices are going down?”
Most of the people Triumph chats with don’t actual respond to his jokes, including Sean Duffy and Cheryl Hines. “Cheryl, what’s special about this night other than it’s the only celebrity party you’re invited to anymore?” Triumph asks a horrified Hines. Her husband RFK Jr. refuses to acknowledge Triumph as he shouts, “Bobby, please Bobby! Can I see my brother one last time? He’s in your freezer.”
Triumph also jokes about Hegseth’s drinking problem, Leavitt no longer having a soul, and Kash Patel doing cocaine. “You can tell that some of the most powerful people in Washington are here tonight because all of the escort services have switched to surge pricing,” Triumph quips.
On Monday night, Triumph appeared on The Daily Show to recount his experience at the event, which was cancelled when it was interrupted by a shooter. Donald and Melania Trump were rushed off the stage inside the Washington Hilton ballroom and evacuated, and many journalists shared their experiences ducking and hiding.
“Were you worried about getting killed?” Jon Stewart asked Triumph on Monday. “Yes,” Triumph replied. “But mostly because I didn’t want RFK Jr. to eat my carcass. It’s not the way you want to go, Jon.”
Matthew Rhys in ‘Widow’s Bay.’Apple TV+
