Dunham will appear tonight at the annual National Press Club Dinner in Washington, D.C., where he’ll deliver an address to top political and cultural figures, including President Obama.
The gig places the quirky comedian and his zany cast of characters in good company. Recent speakers invited to address the National Press Club, the world’s largest professional organization for journalists, include Sen. John Kerry, Congressmen Barney Frank and John Conyers, Nobel Prize-winning New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and singers Toby Keith and Billy Joel.
While there’s no telling which of Dunham’s alters – Walter, Bubba J, Achmed the Dead Terrorist, Peanut or Jose Jalapeno on a Stick – will show up, it’s a safe bet it’ll be an entertaining, and possibly controversial, evening.
The NPC speaking engagement comes amidst a month of activity for the personality-fractured comic, with the premier of “The Jeff Dunham Show” on Oct. 22 and a guest shot on “30 Rock” on Oct. 29.
The new Comedy Central series is something of a departure from his normal act. For the show, Dunham and his partners in comedy crime will leave the comfort of the stage and interact with people in various locations, with the (presumably) hilarious results recorded for posterity.
And coming next year, fans will be able to get a peek at what goes on inside Dunham’s head when his autobiography, “All By My Selves: Walter, Peanut, Achmed and Me,” hits bookshelves.