Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, Mindy Kaling and Ana Navarro have been draft to act as celebrity hosts during the Democratic National Convention this week, CNN reports, citing DNC officials. Their roles will be similar to award show hosts, providing opening remarks before continuing to appear throughout the evening.
“Scandal” alum Goldwyn will serve as the Monday night host, Navarro on Tuesday, Kaling on Wednesday and Goldwyn’s former costar Washington on Thursday. Her appearance comes just days after Washington shared a TikToker comparing Democratic nominee Kamala Harris to Washington’s own Olivia Pope from “Scandal.”
Washington hosts the night Harris is set to formally accept the Democratic presidential candidate nomination. She previously appeared at the 2020 DNC to open the convention’s third night, as well as speaking at the event in 2012.
The star, who played political fixer Olivia Pope on “Scandal,” is one of the most politically active celebrities in Hollywood, CNN notes. She also runs her own political nonprofit, Influence Change, recruiting other artists to promote civic engagement.
Goldwyn played the president on “Scandal.” He’s also an advocate and previously supported both Hillary Clinton and Biden in their presidential runs. Goldwyn’s character and Washington’s were also involved in a complicated romantic relationship.
Kaling has an established history with Harris, with a 2019 cooking video they appeared in together making the rounds. The video has drawn controversy from Republican candidate Donald Trump pointing to Harris emphasizing her Indian ancestry over her Black ancestry, but others have been quick to note that Kaling and Harris were cooking Indian food in the clip and the emphasis made sense in that context. Harris is known to be a big fan of cooking.
While “The View” cohost Navarro has identified as a Republican, she’s frequently supported Democratic candidates over the past decade and has previously revealed that she voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 — her first vote for a Democrat in her life. She has also voiced support for Harris.
