NBC’s Seth Meyers welcomed one of his Late Night writers, Amber Ruffin, to join him on Monday’s show to attack the White House Correspondents Association for canceling Ruffin’s comedy routine at this year’s dinner. Ruffin made the mistake of saying the quiet part out loud when she claimed she would not use the occasion to roast all sides because the Trump Administration is similar to a “bunch of murderers.” Meyers and Ruffin reacted to the news of her cancellation by comparing Trump to a Nazi and an arsonist, while Ruffin claimed the WHCA believes that the First Amendment is about being “nice to Republicans at fancy dinners.”
Towards the end of his monologue, Meyers pretended to be solemn about the whole thing, “Hey, also, before we wrap up the monologue tonight, the White House Correspondents’ Association announced on Saturday they're canceling their plan to feature comedian Amber Ruffin at this year's correspondents’ dinner. The organization said that in this political climate, they don't want to focus on the politics of division. I just want to take a moment to say, I'm a big fan of Amber Ruffin, and I would have loved to hear what she had to say.”
Pretending to move on, he added, “And, finally, tonight, a bodega was robbed in Brooklyn this week. The burglar shattered the store's front door, emptied the cash register, and set fire to the ATM. When asked why he—”
The bodega in question is a metaphor for America under Trump as Ruffin interrupted, “Seth, Seth, I'm going to stop you right there… Honestly, I'm concerned with how you're going to end that joke.”
In the fake argument, Meyers claimed he would just “make a punchline, make fun of the guy who robbed the bodega.”
Ruffin claimed, “Seth, the problem is that's divisive. Take it from me. If there's one thing I learned from this weekend, it's you have to be fair to both sides.”
That led to the following exchange:
MEYERS: But that doesn't make sense in this case. You know, there's an innocent bodega owner, there's a burglar.
RUFFIN: Or hear me out, there are very fine people on both sides.
MEYERS: Yeah, but he shattered the front door of a bodega.
RUFFIN: Did he or did he provide an innovative ventilation system?
MEYERS: Yeah, but he stole the cash out of the register.
RUFFIN: He received a microloan.
MEYERS: He set fire to the ATM.
RUFFIN: He bravely fought inflation. Thank you for your service.
Meyers lamented, “Yeah, I just—Amber, when people are objectively terrible, we should be able to point it out on television.”
Ruffin then pulled out the Nazi card:
RUFFIN: I thought that too, on Friday. But today is Monday, and Monday's Amber Ruffin knows that when bad people do bad things, you have to treat them fairly and respectfully. When you watch The Sound of Music, you have to root for the singing children and the other people.
MEYERS: You mean the Nazis.
RUFFIN: Calling them that is so one-sided.
Meyers told her that “the whole reason we have free press is so we can report stories, you know, as they actually happen.”
Ruffin fake-corrected him, “No, we have a free press so that we can be nice to Republicans at fancy dinners. That's what it says in the First Amendment.”
She further claimed, “I thought when people take away your rights, erase your history, and deport your friends, you're supposed to call it out. But I was wrong. Glad to find that out now because if they had let me give that speech, ooh, baby. I would have been so terrifically mean.”
Ruffin concluded by claiming she had to leave in order “I have to return the dress I was gonna wear to the correspondents’ dinner. I already took the tags off, but I'm gonna just say they blew off in the wind.”
Meyers continued to pretend to admonish her, “Yeah, but that's — That's lying, Amber. That's wrong.”
With one last sarcastic jab at the WHCA, Ruffin replied “Aah, aah, aah, you can't say that. That's journalism.”
There is a difference between roasting someone and just viciously attacking them. Ruffin clearly doesn’t know the difference. The only question is, does WHCA President Eugene Daniels really expect people to take him seriously when he originally claimed that Ruffin would roast both sides?
Here is a transcript for the March 31-taped show:
NBC Late Night with Seth Meyers
4/1/2025
12:40 AM ET
SETH MEYERS: Hey, also, before we wrap up the monologue tonight, the White House Correspondents’ Association announced on Saturday they're canceling their plan to feature comedian Amber Ruffin at this year's correspondents’ dinner. The organization said that in this political climate, they don't want to focus on the politics of division. I just want to take a moment to say, I'm a big fan of Amber Ruffin, and I would have loved to hear what she had to say.
And, finally, tonight, a bodega was robbed in Brooklyn this week. The burglar shattered the store's front door, emptied the cash register, and set fire to the ATM. When asked why he –
AMBER RUFFIN: Seth, Seth, I'm going to stop you right there.
MEYERS: Oh, hey, everybody. That's Amber. The very same Amber Ruffin, everybody.
RUFFIN: — look at me. Honestly, I'm concerned with how you're going to end that joke.
MEYERS: You're concerned with how I'm gonna end that — I mean, well, obviously I'm going to make a punchline, make fun of the guy who robbed the bodega.
RUFFIN: See Seth, the problem is that's divisive. Take it from me. If there's one thing I learned from this weekend, it's you have to be fair to both sides.
MEYERS: But that doesn't make sense in this case. You know, there's an innocent bodega owner, there's a burglar.
RUFFIN: Or hear me out, there are very fine people on both sides.
MEYERS: Yeah, but he shattered the front door of a bodega.
RUFFIN: Did he or did he provide an innovative ventilation system?
MEYERS: Yeah, but he stole the cash out of the register.
RUFFIN: He received a microloan.
MEYERS: He set fire to the ATM.
RUFFIN: He bravely fought inflation. Thank you for your service.
MEYERS: Yeah, I just — Amber, when people are objectively terrible, we should be able to point it out on television.
RUFFIN: I thought that too, on Friday. But today is Monday, and Monday's Amber Ruffin knows that when bad people do bad things, you have to treat them fairly and respectfully. When you watch The Sound of Music, you have to root for the singing children and the other people.
MEYERS: You mean the Nazis.
RUFFIN: Calling them that is so one-sided.
MEYERS: Don't you think you're exaggerating?
RUFFIN: For now.
MEYERS: I mean, it's just the whole reason we have free press is so we can report stories, you know, as they actually happen.
RUFFIN: No, we have a free press so that we can be nice to Republicans at fancy dinners. That's what it says in the First Amendment.
MEYERS: It does?
RUFFIN: I think so. I can't read it. They wrote it in that loopy cursive. But — The point is that you're sowing the seeds of discord. And I used to be the same way.
I thought when people take away your rights, erase your history, and deport your friends, you're supposed to call it out. But I was wrong. Glad to find that out now because if they had let me give that speech, ooh, baby. I would have been so terrifically mean.
MEYERS: Just burning everyone?
RUFFIN: You know I would have been on one. Any who, don't have time to teach you all this. I've got to go.
MEYERS: Yeah, where are you going?
RUFFIN: I have to return the dress I was gonna wear to the correspondents’ dinner. I already took the tags off, but I'm gonna just say they blew off in the wind.
MEYERS: Yeah, but that's — That's lying, Amber. That's wrong.
RUFFIN: Aah, aah, aah, you can't say that. That's journalism.
