Veep's campaign fundraiser has some special guests booked.
Join the cast and writers of HBO's iconic political comedy for a live reading event on Sunday Veep creator Armando Iannucci, along with Larry David, Jason Alexander and Kevin Smith.
“We are really excited to have Armando, the creator of Veepjoining us”, Veepshowrunner David Mandel tells it The Hollywood journalist. “And I'm so excited to have my old boss Larry David join Jason Alexander. It's a bit like a mini-Seinfeld meeting stuffed inside a Veep meeting. Like a creep.
From the director of classic franchises such as Jay and Bob silent AND MallratsMandel adds: “Kevin Smith is the greatest Veep fan I know and his movies have always been wonderfully disgusting Veepso it's a perfect combination to have it as part of our table read!”
Mandel, who was a writer Seinfeld for three seasons (and on Smith's Office Workers: The Animated Series for ABC), took over the role of showrunner on HBO Veep in the fifth season by Iannucci. The political comedy, which ended in 2019 after seven seasons, has become increasingly relevant in recent years.
After President Joe Biden dropped his 2024 reelection bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee this summer, Iannucci reached out to Mandel and star Julia Louis-Dreyfus to reconnect amid the Veep(The series' viewership was up 350% on Max, and clips of Louis-Dreyfus' formidable politician Selina Meyer were going viral.) Mandel and star Louis-Dreyfus were rallying the troops to brainstorm fundraising ideas for what would become Harris and Tim Walz's ticket, and Ianucci was on board.
The result of their brainstorming is Sunday's virtual reading, presented by the Wisconsin Democratic Party, of one of those viral episodes: Season 3's “Crate,” which aired in 2015, when then-Vice President Meyer (Louis-Dreyfus) discovers the current POTUS is resigning, elevating her to the Oval Office.
The live event, taking place at 8pm ET / 5pm PT, is hosted by Stephen Colbert and will feature the award-winning ensemble of Louis-Dreyfus, Tony Hale, Anna Chlumsky, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Sam Richardson, Matt Walsh, Gary Cole, Sarah Rutherland, Clea DuVall and Sufe Bradshaw. Tickets are available here.
“Larry David hates joining things and participating, so we are honored to have him join us and participate Veep Meeting for Wisconsin as a special guest,” adds Louis-Dreyfus, who also hosted a panel during the week of the Democratic National Convention with the country's eight Democratic governors. “I guess he'll never let me forget that I asked him to do it. And now I'm on the verge of asking him for some favor, which I'm already regretting.
For the 2020 elections, the Veep crew and WisDems hosted an entire cast reunion that raised more than $500,000, followed by a crossover event featuring The West Wing launched in 2022 for the high-stakes midterm elections.
“Our grassroots supporters fuel our organizing at the state level, and it's that organizing strength that helps us elect Democrats and chart a new path forward in Wisconsin,” said Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben WIkler, in a statement when it announced the 2024 table. “Events like this celebrate our longtime supporters and allow us to reach even further to the people who will fuel our work to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, Tammy Baldwin and the Democrats in all of Wisconsin this November.”