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If you work in politics and you need a job done efficiently and quietly, then there’s really only one person to call: Olivia Pope. Unfortunately, she is unavailable, due to her not being a real person, so the Democratic National Convention is turning toward the next best thing. Kerry Washington, who famously played Pope on Scandal, will be the final entertainment host for the DNC on August 22, per NBC News Chicago. Kicking off the event on August 19 is fellow Scandal alum Tony Goldwyn, who even more famously played her onscreen-affair partner (who was also, in fact, the president). Shonda Rhimes, you will always be famous. Here’s everything we know about the DNC happening this week, including what songs were played during roll call, who’s performing, and when Barack Obama is speaking.
With Goldwyn taking up the reins on Monday and Washington finishing off the duties on Thursday, that leaves two non-Scandal-related entertainment host slots on Tuesday and Wednesday. They will be filled by Ana Navarro, who is normally a Republican but really likes Kamala Harris, on Tuesday, August 20, and Mindy Kaling on Wednesday, August 21. President Joe Biden, Hillary and Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and a bunch of other Democrats are set to speak. The keynote speeches begin at 6:30 p.m. ET daily out of Chicago. We expect far less fan edits of the non-Scandal speakers, hosts, and performers.
You betcha! THR reported that Patti LaBelle and Common would take the stage on Tuesday night. Mickey Guyton and Jason Isbell sang on Monday night (and James Taylor, who was seen rehearsing that day, has since explained in an Instagram statement that his scheduled performance was cut for time). Additional performers are expected to be announced.
Harris has already been confirmed as the nominee, which means that the states casting their votes was ceremonial, allowing the event to essentially end up becoming a sing-along full of celeb cameos. Spike Lee was part of the New York delegation, which was naturally introduced with “Empire State of Mind,” while Lil Jon showed up to perform “Turn Down for What” for Georgia. (And if you’re interested, yes, there’s already a Spotify playlist of all the songs curated by DJ Cassidy to intro each state.)
Which Obama? Both Barack and Michelle were booked for speeches at the DNC. Barack took the stage at around 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday to close out the night’s speaker lineup, shortly after Michelle also addressed the arena of attendees. If you need a shot of Obamacore, you can always catch a replay.
You can watch the livestream on YouTube here or live on C-SPAN.
