Kamala Harris’s booming laugh has been applauded by the left and ridiculed by the right. Something as simple as a chuckle is now at the center of the political conversation—and prime fodder for comedians.
In the hallowed halls of the Rockefeller Center, Maya Rudolph pokes at Harris’s certain memeability on Saturday Night Live (“Mama needs a gif.”) Rudolph is now confirmed to return as Harris as the presidential race heats up, while the internet continues to speculate on just who will play Midwest princess Tim Walz. (No, not Steve Martin.)
And on TikTok, Allison Reese struck gold with her own Harris impression, screaming out, “It’s a Kamalanomenon!” Once a side character in the rom-com Bros, Reese now has her own Harris-themed podcast and sprawling newspaper spreads.
But there’s an underbelly of comedians, those making the stand-up rounds and bubbling up on social media, who are honing in on their Harris impressions. Here, they share their advice on just how to nail a good “coconut tree” bit, and explain why Harris’s candidacy has been so fruitful for the world of comedy.
When TikTok commenters first started telling Sydney Duncan that she looked like Harris, she was confused. The UCB-trained comedian wasn’t expecting the comparison, but, seeing an opportunity, she acted. Duncan first premiered her Harris impression during the 2020 election, finding a deep love of political satire.
“Sometimes I tell audiences if I’m doing a stand-up show, I’m like, ‘Here’s how to do the perfect Kamala impression: Never make any sense, and add a laugh,’” Duncan says. “How she phrases things is really fun for me. I really focus on her mannerisms and how she has these very broad political phrases that she loves to use.”
Duncan has now performed her Harris impression at a variety of stand-up events, tailoring the set to her audience. In New York, Duncan says that she loves the audience’s “cute little Brooklyn hipster faces” before bellowing out a toothy laugh. She then insists that the audience must know her stepdaughter, queen of Bushwick and avid knitter Ella Emhoff.
Replicating Harris’s famed town halls, Duncan also introduced a fully improvised Q&A version of her impression. The first show had her wracked with nerves: no plans, no set timing, only responding to the questions her onlookers asked. The show was a smash.
“It was one of my favorite shows to date,” Duncan says. “I love that show because it was the day I found out, this is what makes her fun. This is what makes her funny to me, but also what is resonating with most with audiences, which is her interaction with the American people.”
Tevin Davis had a similarly unexpected origin story for his Harris impression. Working at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, the cast would crack political jokes backstage. Donald Trump impressions were a favorite. When Davis tried his hand at Harris’s signature cadence, his castmates loved it. That’s when he knew he’d need to buy a wig and a Goodwill suit.
“I was a Survivor player, so I’m very observant about body language,” Davis says, referring to his stint on the 46th season of the CBS wilderness competition show, where he came in 10th. “The way she tilts her head, the way her hair moves, the way that her fingers interlace sometimes, the hand positions she makes, the way that she extends her palms flat out.”
Davis has now found an audience on TikTok and Instagram Reels, where he eats hot wings and stops for faux-reporter interviews. His impressions are slow and thoughtful, reveling in Harris’s ability to speak with gravitas. All, of course, are filled with the signature “mmkay,” a bit he first picked up on after Harris’ “coconut tree” clip went viral.
“I started to tune in and listen to other speeches, and I heard that ‘mmkay.’ I just kept hearing it,” Davis says. “It also helps me stay in the dialect. It allows me to stay in her voice, it locks me back in.”
It’s Harris’s laugh that has been the most hot-button amongst political commentators and comedians alike. Joy Behar said on The View that men fear women’s humor: “They’re afraid, if you laugh or make a joke, that maybe you’ll do that when they’re in bed with you.” Fox News host Greg Gutfeld called that a “pathetic opinion,” later saying that Harris’s voice sounded “tired and drunk.” For the comedians less enthused by Harris’ candidacy, like the purely mocking Estee Palti who’s appeared on both Gutfeld and Tucker Carlson’s shows, the laugh is now a flash point.
Still, Davis and Duncan glow over Harris’s laugh. Both express a deep respect for Harris, with Duncan specifically pointing out that “when we have more people of color in politics, we get these awesome opportunities to impersonate them as well.” Harris’ laugh, alongside her coconut-tree-falling, Venn-diagram-loving, paper-straw-hating sense of humor, is crucial to their opportunities. She’s a certified big sister general to a new generation of comedians.
“A lot of people don’t like [Harris’s laugh], or they trash it, but I think that it’s beautiful,” Davis says. “It has to be high, and it has to be from the belly. It has a little bit of air that exists between it, too.”
“That’s your tension breaker,” Duncan says. “It’s a punchline in itself, because after you say something serious and then end it with the cackle, it’s really funny.”
