Fresh off his speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Vice President Joe Biden has booked an appearance on the long-running NBC police procedural Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, where he’ll play himself in an upcoming episode of the show’s 18th season, Entertainment Weekly has confirmed.
In the episode, Biden celebrates the work that the special victims unit has done to put a stop to the national backlog of rape kits in a ceremony that’s put on by Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), the fictional lieutenant on the show.
Time Magazine reported that Biden will travel to New York City, where the show is filmed, on July 29 in order to tape the episode.
Biden’s episode will be one of the first episodes of the new season to air, as filming for season 18 started earlier in July, with Hargitay tweeting that it was her first day back on set on July 12.
#BensonsBack #DayOne #VacationsOverForOlivia #HolidaysUpHandsUp #SVU18 #LieutenantLivReadyForLightsCameraAction pic.twitter.com/6VN5EjvMUD
— Mariska Hargitay (@Mariska) July 12, 2016
The episode of the show is sure to reflect real life, as Biden is known for fighting for sexual assault victims rights and Hargitay has started her own charity called the Joyful Heart Foundation. Biden was even given an award by the charity in May of 2015 for his work in helping victims of domestic violence.
In September 2015, Biden and Attorney General Loretta Lynch also announced that the Department of Justice would be setting aside $41 million to test rape kits that had yet to be tested as a way to end the national backlog, NBC News reported. The testing of rape kits will help police identify who the rapists are if their DNA has been recorded in the national database.
Biden and Hargitay are no strangers, as she narrated a video about him before his speech at the DNC and tweeted her praise of him after his speech from Tuesday night.
.@VP Biden u have done so much 4 women, 4 survivors, 4 this movement 2 end violence #ThankU. An honor to intro u tonight #ChangingTheCulture
— Mariska Hargitay (@Mariska) July 28, 2016
The episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit will mark Biden’s return to scripted NBC programming, as he was a guest star on Parks and Recreation for a few episodes during its original run.
The 18th season of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit returns to NBC on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 9 p.m. Biden’s episode date has yet to be announced.