While the government and the media don't always see eye-to-eye, for one night every year, they put all of that aside to wine, dine and have some laughs at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner.
The White House Correspondents' Dinner dates back to May 7, 1921 when 50 men gathered at the Arlington Hotel in Washington, D.C. to introduce and inaugurate the new White House Correspondents' Association officers for the coming year. A similar dinner was held in 1915 that brought White House correspondents and staffers together, but it was apparently not as fun of a party as the 1921 dinner, according to a history of the dinner on the White House Correspondents' Association website.
Fast-forward 94 years, and the White House Correspondents' Dinner, now lovingly known as "Nerd Prom," is a big national event with 2,600 guests and enjoyed by all Americans, not just the ones lucky enough to attend. Saturday Night Live cast member Cecily Strong will be emcee-ing this year's event Saturday night, which boasts a guest list of journalists, celebrities and politicians. Everyone from Katie Couric to Bradley Cooper to Nancy Pelosi is scheduled to attend this year's dinner. Oh, and President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will also be in attendance.
Though the White House Correspondents' Dinner serves as a fundraiser for the White House Correspondetns' Association scholarships and a way to honor the recipients of the organization's journalism awards, with a red carpet, always hilarious monologues from the host and President Obama and tons of events leading up to and following the dinner in Washington, D.C., "Nerd Prom" is like on big party, and one you're not going to want to miss a second of. Here's how you can watch the White House Correspondents' Dinner live or catch the highlights later.
On TV
The White House Correspondents' Dinner is basically the Oscars of politics. Like any major awards show or TV event, it will be airing live on C-SPAN starting at 6 p.m. EST with the red carpet arrivals, and the actual ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. EST. If you still think you're too cool to be watching C-SPAN, you can also check out the White House Correspondents' Dinner on CNN at 7 p.m. EST, although there is no red carpet coverage on this network.
Online
Just because this tradition is about 100 years old doesn't mean you have to watch it the old-fashioned way. If your mantra is "streaming or bust," then you can livestream the White House Correspondents' Dinner online too. You can watch all of C-SPAN and CNN's programming online live. However, cord cutters need not apply because you have to have your cable provider log-in handy if you'd like to do so. But, MSNBC has a page set up for a livestream of this year's event already, so you should be able to watch the whole ceremony live online there.
On Your Phone
You can still watch C-SPAN on your mobile device, although there is currently no separate C-SPAN app. CNN has a mobile app that lets you watch its programming live while you're on the go. But again, you'll need to log in with your cable provider credentials if you want to watch it this way.
Watch It Later
Since the White House Correspondents' Dinner is on a Saturday night, you might not want to waste the night away inside. I get that. In case you don't have a DVR, you should be able to watch highlights from this year's dinner, including the host's monologue and President Obama's remarks on YouTube. You should also be able to stream the ceremony through C-SPAN's video library, which doesn't require a cable log-in.
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