On Saturday night, Roy Wood Jr., the host of the 2023 White House Correspondents' Dinner, made fun of Tucker Carlson's departure from Fox News and Don Lemon's departure from CNN.
In his remarks, the Daily Show comedian did not hold back, telling the crowd at the Washington Hilton that "scandal" had recently been a unifying element. "Scandals have been devouring careers this year," Wood explained.
"The untouchable Tucker Carlson has been fired." Some people celebrate it, but I want Tucker's staff to know that I understand how they feel. "I work at The Daily Show, so I, too, was taken aback by the abrupt departure of the host of a fake news programme," he joked.
Wood went on to compare Carlson's departure to the separation of Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix when he was exposed having an affair with their costar Raquel Leviss.
"Tucker caught up." "I got caught up like that Vanderpump Rules guy," Wood joked. "I'm not sure what Vanderpump Rules is about; I've watched it a few times." My buddies described it as "BMF for white people." Isn't that Succession? No, for white people, succession means power. No, Tucker Carlson represents White Power. No, that's white supremacy — never mind."
"We've got to get Tucker Carlson back on the air, Mr. President, because millions of Americans don't even know why they hate you right now," Wood concluded.
Wood did see one silver side to Carlson's departure. "I think we should give credit where credit is due," he jokingly suggested. "Tucker Carlson is the first Fox News host to be fired for something that is only partially about how he treats women." That is advancement! He broke the a----- ceiling!"
That's when Wood flipped on Lemon, calling him a "a------" as well.
"Don Lemon issued a statement saying he was fired from CNN, and then CNN issued a statement saying they offered Don a meeting," Wood explained. "They had to part ways because Don Lemon can't even accurately report a story about Don Lemon!"
"I still believe Don deserved more, CNN." "That's not how you fire someone," Wood remarked. "How ironic that you work in the news and then watch on the news how you were fired from the news?" Don Lemon is officially the most obnoxious person in CNN history, which is not fair! "Even Jeffrey Toobin looked at Don Lemon as if to say, 'Ooh, he rubbed me the wrong way.'"
"Letting Don go was the wrong move," Wood added. "You should not have let him go so soon... After the first few of controversies, you don't fire your host. The controversies had to pile up. You have to acquire the ratings. Yes, Don Lemon was a diva, and he claimed that a couple of women had raggedy faces. But at Fox News, that's a promotion!"
Saturday's meal came just days after Carlson and Lemon, two of cable news' most prominent players, were fired on Monday morning.
Both departures were announced less than an hour apart. Carlson abruptly quit Fox News without even saying goodbye, while Lemon was fired from CNN.
Shortly after the startling media shakeups were revealed, Wood quipped on Twitter that he would have to revise his comedy performance for the high-profile dinner.
"Pretty sure @roywoodjr is updating his remarks/roast for the White House Correspondents' Dinner this coming Saturday," MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan tweeted Monday, to which Wood, 44, responded, "'Updating?'" "Man, I have to throw out the entire script."
Wood was named the event's host in February, saying, "It's an honour to be a part of a long-running tradition of celebrating those members of the media who work so hard to uncover the truth and hold our government accountable." It will be a memorable night that will either go down in history or not, depending on where you live."
The annual correspondent's dinner dates back to 1921 and has traditionally been attended by association members as well as high-ranking government officials such as the president and first lady.
Meanwhile, Wood wasn't the only one on Saturday to make fun of Carlson and Lemon. President Biden's speech also featured punches at the two, though he directed much of his jokes inward, making fun of long-standing accusations about his age.
"I am a believer in the First Amendment," he stated. "Not just because Jimmy Madison, my good friend, wrote it."
