People Loved Samantha Bee’s Raunchy ‘Not The White House Correspondents Dinner’

Samantha Bee took destiny into her own hands by hosting her own vitriol-filled roast of President Donald Trump at her Not the White House Correspondents Dinner, and the internet absolutely loved it. While the “real” White House Correspondents Dinner tiptoed around the current administration (to a degree), Bee hit it over the head with a hammer.

The wisecracks were dense, with nearly every part of the show a dig at Trump and the White House. As attendees trickled in, they showed off a sadly appropriate cocktail list goofing on Trump’s many “quotable” moments over the last few years. Then, the show started and Bee’s rapid-fire delivery of cutting one-liners was unleashed, and wouldn’t let up — ever.

“We are living in a Golden Age of journalism. Unfortunately, that’s partly due to a golden president who’s rumored to enjoy golden showers!

“As I promised you in the invitation, at a later date, I will date Mexico to pay for all your drinks.”

Bee’s constant flow of jokes was almost impossible to keep up with, and Trump wasn’t the only one getting roasted. “Fake News” was an important theme of the show (and the White House Correspondents Dinner), but Bee didn’t go easy on the press. Not at all.

“It’s certainly undeniable that CNN treats politics like sport, right down to sending players on the field despite their evident brain damage.

I watch cable news all day and I can tell you, CNN employs some of the most talented journalists out there, please set them free to use their journalistic skills more!”

Between the jokes, the symbolism wasn’t lost on viewers who were eating it up. Bee envisioned an alternate reality in which Hillary Clinton was president, Lemonade won album of the year and the Patriots lost the Super Bowl. This, according to Twitter, broke everyone’s heart:

https://twitter.com/SarahLerner/status/858518288531300353

https://twitter.com/mightbegavin/status/858530497751863296

https://twitter.com/moriahmaney/status/858531149051826176

And while The Daily Show‘s Hasan Minhaj did his best to take down ‘the elephant not in the room,’ Bee went all-in with her raunchy style:

https://twitter.com/Parker9_/status/858513864505294848

https://twitter.com/TrumpNum/status/858534825573011456

Even the “concept of facts” came up with Steve Buscemi doing his best to clarify just what it was that facts were. It was weird, and factual.

https://twitter.com/darbgs64/status/858528232894853120
Near the end of the show, Will Ferrell’s Bush (“how do you like me now?“) brought down the house with by far the loudest ovation of the night:

Ultimately, it wasn’t all about jokes. Samantha Bee was able to raise over $200K in proceeds, which she donated to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Even the post-show mixer tried to make a difference:

https://twitter.com/ezwrites/status/858466096944381952