The Entertainer-in-Chief: How Gerald Ford and Saturday Night Live Remade the American Presidency

A Ford Presidential Library Event

Gerald Ford became President at an unprecedented time of intensifying media scrutiny and growing public cynicism. To build back public trust in the presidency, he reluctantly turned to entertainment television, like the new late-night show, Saturday Night Live. Join Dr. Kathryn Cramer Brownell to explore Ford's embrace of humor which ultimately elevated expectations for presidents to entertain audiences and inadvertently changed what it meant to be “presidential” in the United States.

A dessert reception will follow the event.

Unable to attend in person? We will record and upload the video to YouTube after the event.

Details on Attending

Where

Ford Presidential Library
1000 Beal Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109

When

Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Program: 6:30 p.m.