David Mandel, the showrunner for the latter seasons of HBO's "Veep" expressed joy that the show is regaining popularity, but lamented that some are using it to mock VP Harris.
The executive producer for a political sitcom about a female vice president lashed out at some "a--hole" viewers who have been making unfavorable comparisons between the main character and Vice President Harris.
"Veep" aired on HBO from 2012 to 2019 and starred Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a comically inept fictional female vice president, Selina Meyer. In recent years, comparisons between the titular character and Harris made headlines from detractors calling out the VP's so-called "word salads."
"Veep" showrunner David Mandel spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the show’s resurgence of popularity amid Harris’ rise to be the presumptive Democratic nominee.
"So I think it’s a delight that she’s a fan. I love anything that’s positive," he said. "But I get driven crazy when people try to use ‘Veep’ to diminish her. I hate that."
"But there are two types of people doing ‘Veep’ memes right now: There are people really enjoying Selina’s moment of telling her staff that she’s running for president; there’s a joy there that’s fun and nice and celebratory," he added. "And then there are a--holes who are using it differently. Surprise, surprise, Kamala is a woman of color, and it seems like those people are using it as a simple way of insulting her. So I don’t like that part."
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While there are two different audiences watching "Veep" amid Harris’ rise, Mandel, who ran the show from 2016 to its finale in 2019, argued that nothing will bridge America’s divide between them anytime soon, expressing no desire to the news outlet to make amends himself.
"I’m not sure we’re going to fix the great divide that’s going on in this country right now. If I meet a Trump supporter, I no longer can agree to disagree. And the flipside is more than mutual. I’m not quite sure she or anyone is going to heal the great divide. However, I am just so excited by the energy right now. It does feel like a new generation in a new, wonderful way. I’m enjoying her; I’m enjoying the second gentleman, Doug. And there is nothing funnier than watching Trump sputter out of control and complain about the money he spent on the first debate."
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He then offered advice to Harris’ team on precisely how she could grill Trump in a presidential debate.
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"If I am Kamala Harris’ team, I would challenge him to four debates," Mandel said. "She’s raised so much money in the past few days, she should agree to pay for them. And say: Don’t worry Donald, you just show up and answer our questions about the judges you appointed who overturned Roe v. Wade — tell us what you really think about a woman’s choice and a woman’s body."
