Thank God for the Laugh

Vice-President Kamala Harris appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars this week, alongside an assortment of our finest gay celebrities and allies: A silent Michelle Visage, a silent Jamal Simms, Leslie Jones, Cheyenne Jackson, and a silent Lance Bass. Harris begins the finale of All Stars season nine with a message to the gay public to get out and vote, clearly filmed before Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. Overall, the video comes across pretty stilted for most of its run time. Bass, in particular, just sits quietly and doesn’t appear to have anything behind the eyes while Harris monologues about the importance of going to vote.gov before November. It’s all just fine, made notable only because Harris recently came under review for a promotion. But then … the laugh.

The vote promo ends with Jones accidentally holding one of the vote signs the wrong way, which Harris sees and laughs at. Her famous laugh! Suddenly, the room is awash with warmth. She’s kooky Aunt Kamala who supports your gay lifestyle but doesn’t fully get it, instead of a stern prosecutor. The celebs start dancing (by awkwardly shaking their shoulders because they must stay seated). It’s pleasant enough. And on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, at the beginning of an episode in which a queen later balances a large cube on her mouth while wearing an electric-blue wig, we’ve gotta say it makes a perfect fit for the context in which the show lives and what came before it.

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