- Cast members from "Vanderpump Rules" attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
- One attendee has been at the center of a cheating scandal that has dominated the Bravo universe.
Some of the buzziest reality TV stars of the moment attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner Saturday, and the event's host, comedian Roy Wood Jr., took advantage in his act as host.
Three cast members from the Bravo show "Vanderpump Rules" were invited to the event: Lisa Vanderpump and Ariana Madix, who were invited by the Daily Mail, and Lala Kent, who attended with the Los Angeles Times.
(Kent was quoted in an investigation into Hollywood producer Randall Emmett, to whom she was previously engaged, published by the newspaper in June 2022.)
Madix has been at the center of a dramatic scandal that unfolded in recent months, after her partner of almost a decade and "Vanderpump Rules" costar Tom Sandoval was revealed to have been having a months-long affair with Rachel (a.k.a. "Raquel") Leviss. Leviss is also a cast member and was portrayed as being close friends with Madix.
While cheating scandals are not uncommon on the show — its earlier seasons were often centered around them — this particular revelation, now dubbed "scandoval," caused shockwaves among viewers and cast, in part due to the level of betrayal involved, and in part due to fans' ability to watch it play out in weekly episodes.
The hero of the drama was undoubtedly Madix, who has been showered with support. Since the news, Madix has secured partnerships with sex-toy brand Bellesa and department store Bloomingdales, starred in a Lifetime movie, and was announced as part of the upcoming season of "Dancing With The Stars." Even employees of the bar owned by her former boyfriend are on her side.
Her relationship drama also became a topic of conversation during this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner.
The annual event features a comedy set made up of topical jokes by a different performer each year. Wood's set included various references to the "Vanderpump Rules" crowd, most notably comparing Sandoval to Tucker Carlson, who was recently let go from Fox News.
"Scandals have been devouring careers this year," Wood said, before referencing Carlson's departure from the network.
"Tucker got caught up. Got caught up like that dude from 'Vanderpump Rules.' Text message stuff," he continued.
C-SPAN's video feed panned to Madix, who could be seen covering her mouth and looking around, appearing to laugh.
Wood went on to say that he doesn't know "what 'Vanderpump Rules' is about" although he's "watched it a couple of times."
"My friends tell me it's like 'BMF,' but for white people," he joked, referencing the crime drama that follows a mafia family.
Aside from his jabs at Carlson and mentions of reality TV, Wood focused most of his set on jokes about political figures, including scandal-plagued New York Representative George Santos ("George couldn't be here tonight, he's auditioning for 'RuPaul's Drag Race.'"), President Joe Biden ("Real quick Mr President, I think you left some of your classified documents up here"), and Donald Trump ("Keeping up with Trump scandals is like watching 'Star Wars' movies: you gotta watch the third one to understand the first one, then you can't miss the second one because it's got Easter eggs for the fifth one.")
The Daily Mail revealed that Madix and Vanderpump would be attending the event the week prior, surprising some fans. "I don't know what's more complicated, reality television or politics — I guess I'll find out on Saturday evening," Vanderpump told the outlet.
Madix was also quoted as saying she was "so thrilled and honored," adding, "I watch the dinner on TV every year and have always dreamed of being there in person."
A number of celebrities were invited to the event, including Julia Fox and John Legend.
Also in attendance at the event were basketball player Brittney Griner, was released from prison in Russia in December, Debra Tice, whose son has been held in captivity for over 10 years in Syria where he was working as a journalist. Also present were the family of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been jailed in Russia since March 29.