Mission:
The mission of the Funniest Celebrity in Washington Charitable
Fund, Inc. is to allow journalists, other media, politicians, athletes and
high profile individuals an opportunity to perform humorous material in front
of a live audience to benefit charitable causes.
WJLA-TV's Paul Berry, Winner of the 1st Funniest
Celebrity in Washington Contest
History:
The Funniest Celebrity in Washington Contest was founded by comedian, Richard
Siegel in 1987. Conceived as a fundraiser for area and national non-profits,
beneficiaries have included Make-A-Wish Foundation, Child Welfare League of
America, Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and FED. Each year, the contest
brings together ten celebrities from the worlds of politics, media and sports
to entertain the attendees while competing for the title of The Funniest Celebrity
in Washington.
The
contestant performances are interspersed with live music, a professional master
of ceremonies and a live auction to raise additional funds for the designated
beneficiary. Judged by a distinguished panel of their peers, the winner takes
home the trophy declaring him or her The Funniest Celebrity in Washington.
Past competitors have included Senator Joseph Lieberman, Oliver North, Pat Schroeder,
Senator Tom Daschle, Susan Molinari, Letitia Baldridge, Tim Russert, Arianna
Huffington, Chris Matthews, Senator Arlen Spector, and William Ginsburgh.
One of the most highly publicized events in Washington, The Funniest Celebrity
in Washington Contest has been covered by TIME Magazine, U.S. News and World
Report, CNN, The Larry King Show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, NBC, UPI, WTOP
and is broadcast annually on C-SPAN. Journalists are among the competitors and
judges at the contest, showing Washington that they like to laugh too. Best
of all, you see that some of our national politicians actually have a sense
of humor and are willing to admit it in public!
2008 marked San Francisco’s inagural competition and featured a wide range of local celebrities, politicians, media personalities, and other notable residents competing to be named the Funniest Celebrity in the Bay Area!
For more information, visit www.funniestcelebrity.org.