Samantha Bee Hosts ‘Not The White House Correspondents’ Dinner’; Will Ferrell Appears As George W. Bush [VIDEO]

Samantha Bee threw her own Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner complete with jokes and celebrities.

The dinner was taped in Washington D.C. and aired Sunday as an special episode of TBS’s Full Frontal With Samantha Bee. Bee brought together a bunch of celebrities, including Allison Janney and Will Ferrell, and musicians like Elvis Costello and Tegan and Sara.

The comedian roasted Donald Trump, calling him a “geriatric orangutan.” Bee’s stand-up routine covered many topics like journalism, and Trump’s tax returns. Bee spent more than an hour paying homage to a free and functional press.

Ferrell appeared dressed as George W. Bush. “How do you like me now?” he drawled to the roaring audience. “The prodigal son has returned. I don’t know what that means, but I know it’s positive. It’s very prodigal.”

Bee and her producers also used the event to take aim at media excess, attacking CNN and Fox News Channel. Bee criticized CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker  for what she said were programs that turned news into sports shows. She urged Zucker to let anchors  like Anderson Cooper do harder-hitting work. “Please, Jeff, set them free!” she said.

Bee continued, “we are living in a Golden Age of journalism. Unfortunately, that’s partly due to a golden president who’s rumored to enjoy golden showers.”

You can see Bee’s cold open here: