‘Veep’ Surges In Popularity Amid Kamala Harris’s Presidential Campaign

Topline

HBO’s political satire series “Veep” is surging in popularity once again after Vice President Kamala Harris launched her presidential campaign, with plenty of clips going viral on social media as users point to apparent similarities between Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s character, Selina Meyer, and Harris.

Viewership of HBO’s “Veep” surged this week. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP) (Photo by KAMIL … [+] KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

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Key Facts

“Veep,” which aired on HBO between 2012 and 2019, follows Louis-Dreyfus’ character Meyer, who begins the series as vice president and eventually rises to the presidency once the president resigns and declines to seek reelection.

The series has gone viral on social media this week following the launch of Harris’ own presidential campaign after President Joe Biden made the unprecedented decision to suspend his reelection bid—with many considering Harris’ sudden candidacy similar to the “Veep” plot.

Several clips and stills of the show have gone viral—including one in which Meyer learns the president will resign and joyfully whispers, “I’m going to be president”—and another in which Meyer says she wants to distance herself from the prior “one and done administration.”

“No context ‘Veep,’” an X account that posts clips and quotes from the series, has gone viral for posting well-timed moments from the show, including a still of Meyer and her team celebrating that the president will resign—posted less than 30 minutes after Biden announced he would drop out.

The Meyer and Harris comparisons predate her 2024 campaign: In 2022, the Daily Show aired a segment juxtaposing several verbose and awkwardly phrased Meyer and Harris quotes, stating that the “‘Veep’ reboot looks amazing.”

What Have The “veep” Cast And Crew Said?

“Veep” creator Armando Iannucci responded to fans on social media this week who claimed the series had predicted reality, joking he’s “still working on the ending.” Showrunner David Mandel told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday morning he enjoyed the memes of fans using Meyer to celebrate Harris’ candidacy, while criticizing those who use the show as a “simple way of insulting her.” Mandel joked on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he is glad “Veep” is surging in popularity, but said “the real question is are we beating Hillbilly Elegy’s VHS sales??” referring to Republican vice presidential candidate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance’s memoir-turned-film. Mandel told Vanity Fair earlier in July, prior to Harris’ presidential candidacy, that he feels comparisons between Harris and Meyer are “too simplistic” and mean-spirited, though he acknowledged why fans would draw comparisons between Meyer’s awkward speeches with moments like Harris’ viral “coconut tree” quote. Louis-Dreyfus has shared several articles to her Instagram story comparing Meyer with Harris, and has previously praised Harris, posting upon her 2020 election that “‘Madame Vice President’ is no longer a fictional character.” Harris told Stephen Colbert in 2023 that she “loves” the show.

Big Number

353%. That’s how much viewership of “Veep” season 1 surged between Sunday—when Biden dropped out and Harris launched her campaign—and Monday, Deadline reported.

Surprising Fact

The cast and crew of “Veep” had once made frequent comparisons between Meyer and former President Donald Trump, because both were known to make bizarre statements and were perceived by some as either incompetent or chaotic. In her acceptance speech at the 2015 Emmy Awards, Louis-Dreyfus made references to Trump. “I think it would be appropriate at this moment to quote our political satire, ‘Veep:’ ‘What a great honor it must be for you to honor me tonight.’ Oh, wait, oh no, I’m so sorry. Donald Trump said that,” Louis-Dreyfus said, referring to a quote Trump said at his 2011 Comedy Central roast. She said Trump, who was then campaigning for his first presidential term, had made it harder to satirize politics. Mandel told Variety in 2019 “Veep” would be a “completely different show” had they begun developing it during the Trump presidency because he is “sort of his own punchline.” He also told MSNBC in 2019 that Meyer, like Trump, is “horrific and despicable in many similar ways, and sort of holds grudges, and has a very sort of a hair-trigger temper.”

Tangent

After Harris launched her presidential campaign, social media exploded with various memes inspired by her candidacy and quotes she has said, including her now-famous quote: “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” The seemingly bizarre phrase, which Harris said in 2023 to make a point about how not all students come from communities with the same amount of resources, has become an ironic rallying cry for her campaign. Politicians including Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo., and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, used coconut imagery in their endorsements of Harris this week, and many Harris supporters are using coconut emojis to demonstrate support for her campaign. Other Harris quotes, including one she had used repeatedly—”What can be, unburdened by what has been”—and another in which she declared her love for Venn diagrams have gone viral. Harris has also drawn comparisons to British singer Charli XCX’s new album, “Brat,” which her campaign X account @KamalaHQ has embraced by updating its header to match the album’s neon-green cover. “kamala IS brat,” Charli XCX tweeted Sunday night, hours after Harris announced her candidacy.