The 2024 Democratic National Convention will look more like a typical Hollywood awards show than a political event when things kick off this week in Chicago.
Convention organizers have confirmed to CNN that a different celebrity will kick off each of the four nights at the DNC, where the featured star will give remarks and reappear on stage throughout the evening, starting on Monday night with “Scandal” star Tony Goldwyn.
Tuesday night, CNN contributor and host of “The View” Ana Navarro will emcee the evening. Wednesday night TV star Mindy Kaling will host followed by actress Kerry Washington on Thursday, who will emcee the evening on the same night that Vice President Kamala Harris will officially accept the Democratic party’s nomination.
And they will not be the only ones, as dozens of Hollywood stars flock to the Windy City for events and concerts planned around the DNC, as previously reported.
John Legend, an outspoken supporter of the Democratic Party and past contenders for the White House, will hold a concert for Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, the Hollywood Reporter noted.
Kerry Washington, Mindy Kaling, Tony Goldwyn and Ana Navarro will serve as hosts at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, which kicks off Monday in Chicago. https://t.co/76YaPCaNK7
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 19, 2024
Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” will have Jon Stewart and its “all-star news team” on hand during the week to film the show, with Stewart hosting a live show on Thursday night,
Late-night host Stephen Colbert is taking his show on the road for the first time with guest appearances that include Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Chance the Rapper, among others THR noted.
Singer Joan Jet, actress Octavia Spencer, Billy Porter, DJ-D Nice, and Lil Jon, along with several stars of the reality series “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” are also named as being at the convention. The advocacy group The Creative Coalition has confirmed that it booked stars like Uma Thurman, Uzo Aduba, Busy Phillips, Jon Cryer, David Cross, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and more for a series of events during the week.
Connie Britton is also expected to make the trip, THR noted. Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Murphy are expected at the convention, too, with a source telling THR that Don Cheadle may be there as well.
There is even supposed to be a Hollywood premiere-style look at the DNC with a “blue” carpet for the arrival of the bigger-named attendees, Deadline reported.
At the time of this publication, Thurman’s rep said the actress won’t be there due to work commitments and Ralph will not be there until Thursday night, THR noted.
“Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus will host a panel with female Democratic governors from across the country at the convention, as previously reported.
The convention being a star-studded event comes as sources with direct knowledge of the Harris campaign reportedly have said that she didn’t want the convention to look like a “Hollywood liberal elite” event, TMZ noted.
The DNC runs from Monday, Aug. 19-Thursday, Aug. 22.
