Tom Brokaw Bashes Lindsay Lohan; Won't Attend White House Correspondents' Dinner (VIDEO)
Tom Brokaw has singled out Lindsay Lohan and Donald Trump as to why this weekend's White House Correspondent's Dinner has no credibility.
In an interview with Politico, the veteran journalist said that invitations extended to the Hollywood actress and those like her cheapen the event. She was a guest of Fox News' Greta Van Susteren. Her participation at the event was just too much for him.
"The breaking point for me was Lindsay Lohan. She became a big star at the White House Correspondents' Dinner - give me a break," he said.
"There is more dignity at my daughter's junior prom than there is what I'm seeing on C-SPAN here."
However, Brokaw did not take exception to all celebrities. He simply has a distaste for those of a certain reputation being a part of the evening.
"Why do we think to have a successful evening, you have to have Donald Trump as your guest of honor, for example, or Lindsay Lohan?" he asked.
Brokaw cited who he did find acceptable among the Hollywood elite.
"Claire Danes is not someone I'm talking about. She's a big deal. And you can bring in George Clooney, he loves to come there," he said.
"He's a serious guy in Hollywood. But it's gone down-market, in my judgment, in too many ways."
This is the second year in a row that Brokaw has panned the event he used to frequent. He took the position that it was time to rethink the affair last year.
"As I've gone around the country, a lot of people say to me, 'What's happened with the press? What's happened with political coverage in America. We don't feel connected to it,'" Brokaw said.
"If there's ever an event that separates the press from the people that they're supposed to serve, symbolically, it is that one,"
He also said that the appearance of celebrities put a strain on the WCD's prestige. He felt the growing inclusion of politicians and celebrities had gone too far.
"I think George Clooney is a great guy. I'd like to meet Charlize Theron. But I don't think a big press event in Washington should be that kind of a glittering event where the whole talk is about Cristal champagne, taking over the Italian embassy, who had the best party, who got to meet the most people," he said.
The WCD begun in 1920 and was originally for politicians and press. However, by the 1970's, stars such as Chevy Chase were becoming fixtures. In recent years, Kim Kardashian has also been seen on its red carpet. Brokaw said he had received praise and backlash for speaking out about the event he will no longer attend.
"People about my age said, 'Thank God you finally spoke out on that. We've felt that way for some time.' Others were defensive, including the officers [of the WHCA] about the money they raised for scholarships," he said.
"Look, I don't believe in just eating your spinach. I want to have a good time, too. I've worked in Washington. I still spend a lot of time down there. I know the value of having a dinner and having a productive social evening with somebody who's a contact of some kind."
