“Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus said she was “pleased” the political satire show was being revived after Vice President Harris became the leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, and said she thought the show would help her campaign.
“It was an incredible thing. The ratings went up 350 percent,” Louis-Dreyfus said. Entertainment Weekly“I’m very happy. I’m glad people are enjoying it. And I know Kamala Harris is a big deal.”
“Veep,” which aired on HBO from 2012 to 2019, starred Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the fictional, hilariously inept female vice president, Selina Meyer. In recent years, comparisons between the lead character and Harris have been hotly debated, with many viewers questioning the vice president’s “so-called “Word salad”“
The TV show saw a 353% increase in viewership for its first season on HBO Max, the day after President Biden dropped out of the race. according to Luminate streaming audience data.
The New York Times reports on Kamala Harris’ past word salad as a “celebration” during her candidacy
“Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus said she’s glad the political satire show is making a comeback after Vice President Harris announced she will run for president in 2024. (Getty Images)
Asked whether the show’s online popularity would help Harris’ campaign, Louis-Dreyfus replied, “I hope so. I urge everyone to vote.”
However, Veep series creator Armando Iannucci and executive producer David Mandel have denied any comparisons between Louis-Dreyfus’ character and Harris.
“Selina Meyer is not Kamala Harris,” Iannucci said. The Hollywood Reporter“we VeepI didn’t have anyone in particular in mind…it’s not really based on anyone.”
“That’s a good thing Veep “People are watching it again, and I don’t want people to think Kamala Harris is like Selina Meyer,” he added.
‘Veep’ producer slams ‘nasty people’ who liken Kamala Harris to hapless VP on show
US Vice President Kamala Harris is pictured in front of the White House. (Getty Images)
“Veep” executive producer David Mandel also told THR this week that he’s glad Harris is reportedly a fan of the show, but hates when “haters” use clips from “Veep” to “degrade her.”
“There are people who are really enjoying the moment when Selina tells her staff she’s running for president. There’s something fun and lovely and celebratory about that,” he added. “And then there are the idiots who are using it in a different way. What’s surprising is that Kamala is a woman of color and they seem to be using that as a simple way to insult her. So I don’t like that part.”
The Harris campaign has welcomed the influx of pop culture memes praising her campaign on social media, and Mandel said the HBO show would be open to supporting her campaign if requested.
” Veep The team is standing by and ready to play a role. I think there’s something generational going on. TikTok is so popular. We’ve moved beyond Twitter, we’re in the TikTok world. It’s so great. And with the coconut thing, if you enjoy that, that’s great.”
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Fox News’ Alexander Hall contributed to this report.
