Tara McCauley January 22nd, 2021 - 1:05 PM
On Wednesday January 20, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, and social media chimed in on the proceedings. Of the numerous cultural and political figures attending the event, a fictional character from Parks & Recreation became included prominently in online conversation. Amy Poehler’s (Saturday Night Live, Inside Out) Leslie Knope, protagonist of the NBC sitcom about small-town politics, became a trending topic due to her obsession with Joe Biden.
Leslie Knope knew pic.twitter.com/lZZ0WUWDDa
— Nerdist (@nerdist) January 20, 2021
“When it comes to Leslie, she loves Joe Biden so much that it just makes sense that we’re all thinking back to the NBC comedy,” The Mary Sue reported of Wednesday’s phenomena. Knope had such an all-encompassing crush on Biden in the series that her fiancé Ben Wyatt, played by Adam Scott (Big Little Lies, Step Brothers), pulled strings so that she could meet the then-Vice President as an engagement gift. This marked one of two cameos that President Biden made on Parks & Recreation.
President Biden and First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, appeared in Parks & Recreation’s series’ finale, three years after the politician’s initial cameo on the show. On Inauguration Day, many Parks & Recreation fans jokingly pointed out that President Biden is the first “actor” from the series to serve as President of the United States, via Twitter.
Joe Biden is the first actor from Parks and Recreation to become the President of the United States.
— out of context parks & rec (@nocontextpawnee) January 20, 2021
Buzzfeed collected their favorite Leslie Knope related memes that emerged as a result of Biden’s Inauguration, and many fans were worried about the fictional politician’s ability to handle the day’s events. The official Parks & Recreation Twitter account stepped in to clear the air and let everyone know that Leslie was “doing great”.
Leslie Knope is doing great. Thanks for asking! pic.twitter.com/kqI0p0gOZG
— Parks and Recreation (@parksandrec) January 20, 2021
Members of Parks & Recreations ensemble cast also chimed in with their reactions. Scott and Retta (Good Girls) both shared celebratory gifs from Parks & Recreation on their Twitter pages. Aubrey Plaza (Legion, Ingrid Goes West), who hails from Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, shared a gallery of photos from the President’s appearance on the show, including a behind-the-scenes photo with him and the cast. “HAPPY JOE BIDEN LESLIE KNOPES DREAMS COME TRUE DAY” the actress exclaimed in her all-caps Instagram caption.
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While this week was momentous from the Bidens, Parks & Recreation fans know how equally exciting Wednesday must have been for the fictional Knope-Wyatt household. However, President Biden better watch out, because Leslie Knope has political ambitions of her own.
