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Meet Biden’s biggest fictional fan: ‘Parks and Rec’s’ Leslie Knope
‘Parks and Recreation’ stars say coronavirus was ‘only circumstance’ for reunion
Amy Poehler's "Parks and Recreation" character had a deep love for Joe Biden, who was announced as the presumed winner of the 2020 presidential race on Saturday.
Just add a side of waffles, and Joe Biden winning the election would be the greatest day of Leslie Knope’s life.
Amy Poehler’s “Parks and Recreation” character had a deep love for Joe Biden, who was announced as the presumed winner of the 2020 presidential race on Saturday.
Biden appeared twice on the sitcom, which ran on NBC from 2009 to 2015.
On the show, Knope called Biden “the only other man who’s as sexy” as her on-screen husband Ben Wyatt, played by Adam Scott. She had described her ideal man as having “the brains of George Clooney in the body of Joe Biden.”
“Do you know Joe Biden? He’s on my celebrity sex list. He is my celebrity sex list,” she said.
In one 2012 episode, Knope meets Biden, 77, an introduction made by Wyatt as an engagement gift.
“I’m told you’ve done such a great job with your town and in the state of Indiana and I just want to say congratulations on your public service,” the now-president-elect tells Knope, holding her hands.
“I just want to say thank you,” Knope replies, grabbing his face, trying to lean in to kiss him. “You’re very handsome.”
Biden also appeared in the “Parks and Rec” finale episode. Leslie and Ben move to Washington D.C., and become friends with Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden. The Knope-Wyatt couple is invited to the Biden house for dinner parties and games of charades, much to the former Vice President’s dismay.
“Meeting Vice President Biden was a thrill for me and for Leslie,” Poehler said in a statement in 2012, according to The Huffington Post. “He was a good sport and a great improviser. The Vice President maintained his composure while I harassed him and invaded his personal space. The nation of ‘Parks and Rec’ will be forever grateful.”
Showrunner Mike Schurr agreed.
“Vice President Biden is both Leslie’s political hero and her number-one celebrity crush, so meeting him is obviously a huge moment for her. We looked at a number of actors to OK the role of ‘Vice President Joe Biden,’ and ultimately, Joe Biden himself gave the best audition.”
Over the course of the show, Sen. John McCain, Sen. Madeline Albright and former First Lady Michelle Obama also made appearances.
