White House Correspondents' Dinner taps mentalist Oz Pearlman as host

The White House Correspondents' Dinner is announcing a headliner.

The annual event, which usually selects a comic to serve as the master of ceremonies, is taking a different approach for 2026. In the spot once held by comedians like Seth Meyers and Trevor Noah, this year, mentalist Oz Pearlman will preside over the collection of journalists and politicians usually in attendance.

"As the world's most celebrated mentalist, Oz Pearlman will offer a fascinating glimpse into what's truly on the minds of Washington's newsmakers," Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents Association, said in a statement. "We look forward to an exciting, fresh, and interactive evening as we celebrate the First Amendment and Washington news coverage together."

Pearlman, an Emmy Award winner and New York Times best-selling author, signaled his excitement to take on the event, previewing a show tilted more toward the magic that grounds his act than the typical acerbic humor which has become the dinner's hallmark.

"I am thrilled to be the featured entertainer at this year's WHCA dinner and join the ranks of Frank Sinatra, Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien, among many other legends," Pearlman said in a statement alongside the announcement. "This is a rare opportunity to gather so many accomplished, perceptive people in one place and invite them to share moments of wonder, surprise and awe."

Pearlman is one of the world's best-known mentalists. He practices a performance art that claims to see inside people's brains, drawing on a seemingly divine intuition that can supposedly draw out an individual's true thoughts.

The dinner arrives this year amid a different tenor in Washington. While the so-called "nerd prom" was once a site of communal political jabbing, President Donald Trump's renowned dislike for a televised insult has upped the stakes. His willingness to go to war with popular late-night hosts, including Noah, following a quip during his gig hosting the Grammys, may make the once-coveted spot less appealing to comedians.

In years past, the president had attended the event and performed jokes of his own. President Trump has regularly skipped the dinner since his first term.