[HOLD] ‘Veep’ Showrunner Reacts To Recent Bump In Viewership After Kamala Harris Becomes Presumptive Nominee

“Veep” showrunner Dave Mandel reacted to the increased viewership of the HBO political satire series after clips went viral following President Joe Biden’s announcement he was out of the race and endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Mandel — who took over as showrunner in Season 5 of “Veep” — said he was thrilled to see the clips of the Emmy-winning series recently circulating after Biden’s announcement as fans compare the “Veep” fictional character Selina Meyer (played actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus) to Harris.

“Today, there may be more people checking out ‘Veep,’ and I can’t think of anything better,” Mandel said. “I hope they are enjoying. The crazier politics gets, the more Veep holds up!”

“Politics seem fun again,” he added. “I don’t wake up dreading looking at the news. I wake up wondering what’s going on. How much money has Kamala Harris raised so far? All of a sudden, things seem enjoyable.”

And as far as people comparing Meyer and Harris, Mandel said, “Yes, they are both women. Yes, they are both VPs being elevated.”

‘Veep’ Is Going Viral (Again): David Mandel Talks Kamala Harris and If He’d Revisit the Series https://t.co/EOTZtebS1Z

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 24, 2024

“Selina was elevated into office; Kamala is being elevated to head of the ticket,” the showrunner explained. “There are some simple comparisons. 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…and then there are a**holes who are using it differently.”

Over the last few years, Harris has become well-known for her word salads and nonsensical phrases. One such example happened last month when a clip of her speaking about culture at the Essence Magazine “Festival of Culture” in New Orleans went viral.

“Culture is — it is a reflection of our moment and our time, right? And present culture is the way we express how we’re feeling about the moment and we should always find times to express how we feel about the moment,” Harris said. “That is a reflection of joy. ‘Cause you know…it comes in the morning.”

WATCH BEN SHAPIRO’S ‘SCAMALA: KAMALA HARRIS UNMASKED’ ON DAILYWIRE+

The show — which wrapped up after seven seasons in 2019 — has seen renewed interest with viewership increased by 353% on Monday compared to the previous day, as previously reported. It happened 24 hours after Biden said he would no longer seek reelection. Viewers watched 2.2 million total minutes of the series on MAX Monday compared to 486,000 total minutes the day before.

In the show, which ran from 2012 until 2019, the president resigns, leaving Meyer to ascend the office herself and later launch her own campaign.

Amanda Harding contributed to this piece.

Related: ‘Veep’ Viewership Increases 350% After Harris Enters Presidential Race