Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ comedy as Democratic National Convention host stirs debate

Joe Biden made history when he chose Kamala Harris as his running mate. USA TODAY

Comedy and politics are sometimes a difficult mix.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the Emmy-award winning star of “Veep,” opened a spirited debate on social media Thursday during the final night of the Democratic National Convention with a series of jokes that stung and at times seemed inconsistent with the emotion party organizers were hoping to convey. 

“Moving moment on Biden’s faith blown,” tweeted Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. “Shtick will play fine with the most partisan Dems. But purpose of the show is to establish narrative for the ticket. Right now JLD is reinforcing Dems’ condescending elite image.”

“Cringe” was a word that came up frequently on social media. 

Read our live coverage: Joe Biden to accept nomination at Democratic National Convention

Louis-Dreyfus, at one point, joked that Joe Biden “goes to church so regularly that he doesn’t even need tear gas and a bunch of federalized troops to get him get there,” a reference to President Donald Trump’s photo-op at a church near the White House in June that had been cleared of peaceful protesters. 

Introducing the evening, Louis-Dreyfus said she can’t wait to see Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris debate current Vice President Mike Pence – except she pretended she didn’t know how to pronounce his name.

“Meeka Pints? Or is it Paints?” she asked former presidential candidate Andrew Yang.

“It’s pronounced ‘Pahnce,’ I believe,” Yang responded. “Or some kind of weird foreign name.”

“Yeah, not very American sounding,” Louis-Dreyfus said, before using a phrase liked by Trump. “That’s what people are saying, strongly.”

The back-and-forth was an apparent jab at those who mispronounce Harris’ first name, as Trump sometimes does. Fox News host Tucker Carlson came under fire for mispronouncing her name and saying “So what?” when corrected.

The convention also featured a segment from Sarah Cooper, a comedian known for lip syncs of Trump. 

Others admonished the Twitter critics to lighten up. 

“Anyone complaining about Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ jokes is wrong,” tweeted journalist Ben Adler. “Mockery and humor are great weapons in politics, especially against Trump.”

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