Hollywood satire is colliding with real politics, but this time, the joke isn’t landing the way Lisa Kudrow might have hoped.
A resurfaced Netflix parody starring the Friends actress is suddenly being used to mock White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and conservatives say it’s yet another example of entertainment elites taking aim at a woman who, supporters argue, has more than proven she can handle the job.
From Sitcom Star to Political Parody
Back in 2020, Kudrow played a fictional “unofficial spokesperson” in the Netflix mockumentary Death to 2020. The character, over-the-top and deliberately absurd, dismissed impeachments as “baseless,” denied pandemic remarks, insisted “there’s no such place as Ukraine,” and even joked, “Who’s Trump?” when confronted with contradictions.
It was typical Hollywood satire aimed squarely at conservatives. But now, four years later, critics are recycling the clip and insisting Kudrow’s character is a dead ringer for Karoline Leavitt.
What once passed as satire now feels more like a stale rerun, recycled by critics desperate for material.
Unfair Comparisons
The internet didn’t stop at the script. Some users on X leaned into personal digs, saying Kudrow’s parody captured Leavitt “right down to the long blond hair and vapid smile.” But the parody predated Leavitt’s tenure by years, making the comparison strained at best.
Supporters of the press secretary see the resurfacing as proof of a broader entertainment-world bias: Kudrow can rely on scripts and laugh tracks, while Leavitt now stands at the podium representing President Trump before a tough press corps.
Hollywood vs. the Briefing Room
For conservatives, the contrast couldn’t be sharper. Kudrow’s old skit is partisan comedy, written to play up stereotypes. Leavitt’s job, on the other hand, is unscripted and high stakes, tackling questions on foreign policy, domestic challenges, and everything in between.
Few press secretaries in modern history have faced such relentless scrutiny, but Leavitt’s composure under fire has made her one of the breakout figures of President Trump’s second term.
Supporters say she’s not just holding her own. She’s redefining what it means to be a modern press secretary.
Karoline in the Spotlight
At just 27, Leavitt made history as the youngest press secretary ever and she’s quickly become a standout figure in President Trump’s second administration. While Kudrow is trending online for jokes that feel dated, Leavitt is shaping the daily conversation from the White House podium.
And in true Washington-meets-Hollywood fashion, the contrast is almost cinematic: on one side, a sitcom star recycling partisan satire; on the other, a young press secretary shaping the voice of the presidency itself.