Larry Wilmore had a tough act to follow at last night's White House Correspondence Dinner. Just prior to his nearly 24 minute act, Obama gave the definitive speech, ending with an epic mic drop where he said "Obama OUT" and dropped an actual mic.
He hit a few high notes and got lots of laughter from Obama and himself, but the reception from the audience was not as warm.
Making fun of other journalists, he described himself as “a black man who replaced a white man who pretended to be a TV newscaster,so yeah, in that way Lester Holt and I have a lot in common." About CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, he said, “Hey, Wolf, I'm ready to project tonight's winner: Anyone who isn't watching The Situation Room.” Yikes.
Going into unacceptable territory, because let's be real, Obama is just as handsome and suave as the day he stepped into office, Wilmore said:
“Your hair is so white, it tried to punch me at a Trump rally. The president's hair is so white it keeps saying ‘All Lives Matter. All I’m saying is that in less than eight years, Mr. President, you've busted two time-honored stereotypes, black does crack, and apparently once you go black, it looks like we are going back. Thanks, Ben Carson.”
At the end, Wilmore drifted into territory that set off a firestorm of criticism that was fueled by his poor choice of using the "N word" when referencing the President. Here is the quote:
“Words alone do me no justice, So, Mr. President, if I'm going to keep it 100, Yo, Barry, you did it, my nigga!”
And with that poorly worded ending, the act fell flat.
Mic drop.
