Iconic Stars Who Have Performed for U.S. Presidents at the White House Correspondents' Dinner
Iconic Stars Who Have Performed for U.S. Presidents at the White House Correspondents' Dinner
Staff AuthorSat, April 25, 2026 at 9:49 PM UTC
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Aretha Franklin sings in front of Bill and Hillary Clinton at the 1999 White House Correspondents' DinnerCredit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo
The White House Correspondents' Dinner is a century-old tradition that brings together government officials and the journalists who cover them for an evening of celebrating the First Amendment and raising money for journalism scholarships.
Though it's best-known today as a place where the president willingly goes to get roasted, the tradition of having a comedian host only picked up steam in the 1980s. Before then, the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) often lined up a cabaret-style list of performers that featured some of the biggest names in entertainment.
From Barbra Streisand's starstruck moment with JFK to the stacked Frank Sinatra-led lineup in 1945, here's a non-exhaustive list of some of the most iconic singers to grace the Correspondents' Dinner stage.
Related: 4 Other Times the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Skipped a Comedy Roast, as Mentalist Oz Pearlman Prepares to Entertain Trump
01 of 07
Frank Sinatra (1945)
Frank Sinatra onstage in 1945, the year he performed at the WHCDCredit: Screen Archives/Getty
U.S. President: Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democrat)
WHCA President: Merriman Smith (United Press Associations)
Not yet 30 years old, Frank Sinatra was one of the earliest documented entertainers at the Correspondents' Dinner, singing just one month before FDR died in office. As if Sinatra weren't enough, the WHCA lined up five other performers to keep guests engaged that night.
02 of 07
Fanny Brice (1945)
Fanny Brice (center) in 1945, the year she performed at the WHCDCredit: Keystone-France\Gamma-Rapho via Getty
U.S. President: Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democrat)
WHCA President: Merriman Smith (United Press Associations)
Frank Sinatra wasn't the only star power at the 1945 dinner: the multi-talented funny woman Fanny Brice also took a turn on stage, in addition to Danny Thomas, Jimmy Durante, Danny Kaye and Garry Moore.
Related: Revisiting the Most Jaw-Dropping and Ruthless Jokes Ever Told at the White House Correspondents' Dinner as Trump Finally Attends
03 of 07
Duke Ellington (1955 & 1964)
Duke Ellington onstage in 1955, the first year he performed at the WHCDCredit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
U.S. Presidents: Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican); Lyndon B. Johnson (Democrat)
WHCA Presidents: Anthony H. Leviero (The New York Times); Merriman Smith (United Press International)
Duke Ellington was a two-time Correspondents' Dinner performer, first in 1955 under a Republican administration, where singer Tennessee Ernie Ford and magician Channing Pollock also performed. He returned less than a decade later for the first dinner after JFK's assassination, performing alongside The Smothers Brothers for Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson.
04 of 07
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Nat King Cole (1956)
Nat King Cole performing months after his WHCD appearanceCredit: Hulton Archive/Getty
U.S. President: Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican)
WHCA President: Laurence H. Burd (Chicago Tribune)
On a year when actor James Cagney emceed, a 37-year-old Nat King Cole led the musical lineup alongside Patti Page and Dizzy Gillespie.
Related: Why Does Trump Hate the White House Correspondents' Dinner? His Sour History with the Event Goes Way Back
05 of 07
Barbra Streisand (1963)
Barbra Streisand speaks with President John F. Kennedy at the 1963 WHCDCredit: National Archive/Newsmakers
U.S. President: John F. Kennedy (Democrat)
WHCA President: Robert Roth (Philadelphia Bulletin)
At just 21 years old, Barbra Streisand was asked to sing for JFK at the Correspondents' Dinner — an experience she described in her memoir as "exciting, even for me." She concluded her set with "Happy Days Are Here Again," and after the performance, the president signed a card from the dinner for Streisand's mother.
Related: Barbra Streisand Reveals Her Cheeky Quip to JFK When They Met in 1963: 'It Just Slipped Out'
06 of 07
Aretha Franklin (1999)
Aretha Franklin at the 1999 WHCDCredit: Ron Sachs/CNP/Getty
U.S. President: Bill Clinton (Democrat)
WHCA President: Stewart Powell (Hearst Newspapers)
In the immediate aftermath of President Clinton's historic impeachment trial related to his sex scandal with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, the WHCA thought it best to avoid a comedy roast, instead bringing in the legendary Aretha Franklin to host a miniature concert that featured the songs "Respect," "Chain of Fools," "My Love Is Like a Red Red Rose," "Nessun Dorma," "Freeway of Love" and "Old Landmark."
07 of 07
Ray Charles (2003)
Ray Charles at the 2003 WHCDCredit: MANNY CENETA/AFP/Getty
U.S. President: George W. Bush (Republican)
WHCA President: Bob Deans (Cox Newspapers)
With the U.S. invasion of Iraq fresh on people's minds, the WHCA decided to forgo comedy again in 2003 and instead let soul artist Ray Charles serenade the room, just one year before his death.
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