Vice President Kamala Harris recently became the presumptive Democratic nominee — and attention immediately turned to her Real Housewives stan status.
July 21 was a truly momentous date in American electoral politics, and on that day, President Joe Biden formally dropped out of the presidential race, shocking the entire world.
Biden's decision to drop out was reportedly sudden, and it had a knock-on effect on Vice President Harris — who abruptly had to shift gears from "veep" to "actively campaigning, potential future president."
On July 21, Americans genuinely felt as if they were witnessing history, but one viral tweet focused on an important, oft-ignored issue with new candidates ... like, where does she stand on reality television?
Kamala Harris Is A Real Housewives Of Atlanta Fan
When news broke that Biden was stepping down and endorsing Kamala Harris, the news was everywhere, and it was a gigantic deal.
Within hours, one Twitter/X user shared a very brief clip of Harris speaking with Bravo's Andy Cohen, and it was incredibly popular:
Clocking in at just 11 seconds, the clip was prefaced: "Iconic that our next president could be a Real Housewives stan."
In the short video, Andy Cohen and Vice President Harris engaged in a brief exchange about which show viewers might not expect her to follow:
[Andy Cohen]: "What reality show would we be surprised to hear that you watch?"
[Vice President Kamala Harris]: "Oh ... [pauses]. Maybe the [Real] Housewives Of Atlanta?"
After Harris answered, Andy pumped his fist, and the clip – which did not appear alongside any contextual information – ended.
Information on the video wasn't easy to come by, particularly without a date, and more so because Andy Cohen and Kamala Harris have "hung out" on other occasions, such as a 2023 visit to the LGBTQ landmark Stonewall Inn in Lower Manhattan:
It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that those who saw the clip would think that Harris was amping up her relatability to prepare for her presidential run, but the segment was actually several years old.
It was part of a much longer Watch What Happens Live segment, featuring Cohen, Harris, and Laverne Cox, filmed in June 2020 against the backdrop of widespread protests over the death of George Floyd.
Cohen, Cox, and Harris discussed policing, racial tensions, and then-ongoing unrest in America — and the segment was filmed before Harris was even chosen as Biden's running mate in 2020 (although she was a favored pick):
"[Cohen] then asked Harris if she had spoken to Biden about becoming his running mate against Republican incumbent President Donald Trump, [then] 74, and Vice President Mike Pence, [then] 61, in the [then] upcoming November [2020] general election.
"'In all candor and seriousness, this is truly what I mean. I want Joe Biden to win and I want him to pick whoever helps him win. I will do, in whatever capacity I'm in, everything in my power to help him win,' Harris said."
Harris also said her Housewives tagline would be: "I'll give you my opinion, but my beliefs are never up for debate."
Kamala Harris' Real Housewives Habit Isn't New
On August 11, 2020, Harris was formally named as Biden's VP pick, and the New York Times explained that she wasn't exactly a "shoo-in":
"[Kamala Harris] faced daunting obstacles [to the Vice Presidency], including an array of strong competitors, unease about her within the Biden family and bitter feuds from California and the 2020 primary season that exploded anew."
Two days later, Bravo picked up the news, and published "Kamala Harris Has a Strong Connection to RHOP (and a Housewives Tagline)."
That Bravo blog post barely touched on her recently professed love of the Real Housewives Of Atlanta, delving into an entirely different link, one between the future veep and another Housewives franchise:
"Joe Biden has chosen California senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. And although Harris is a native of Oakland, California, you may be surprised to learn that she has a special connection to The Real Housewives Of Potomac.
"In two separate Instagram posts shared shortly after Biden’s announcement, RHOP cast members Wendy Osefo and Gizelle Bryant both congratulated Harris, noting that all three women are members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated."
Harris' remarks to Andy back in June 2020 came up briefly, when Bravo noted that "technically, [Harris was] also the first VP candidate with a Real Housewives tagline," and on the day she was selected, the network shared a celebratory reel on Instagram:
Harris' name comes up alongside the Real Housewives franchise with surprising frequency, and a July 23 ABC News article about her sources of wealth made a brief mention of her husband Doug Emhoff's random connection with the show:
"Before she was married, the highest annual income reported by Harris was in 2010, when she reported earning $263,000. The next year, when she became attorney general, her reported income dropped to less than $160,000 a year in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
"After marrying Emhoff – whose clients have included retail giant Walmart and health care company Abbott Labs, as well as a Malibu real estate agent who found fame on 'The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills' – Harris' income went up significantly."
Harris also filmed a "get out the vote" segment on RuPaul's Drag Race, which aired on July 26th — suggesting that her love for reality television extends beyond the Real Housewives franchise.
