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You never know who might show up at San Diego Comic Con. The 4-day convention (5 if you count preview night) regularly features surprise appearances from some of the most famous people on the planet. Usually, this means entertainers, but after SDCC 2024, we can add politicians to the list.

During a Saturday panel for The Simpsons, creator Matt Groening played a clip for the audience, saying it was from a “superfan.” Attendees then saw a video of Kamala Harris reciting an iconic line from the 1996 episode Treehouse of Horror VII. “We must move forward, not backward; upward, not forward; and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom,” Harris said. For context, the original line was said by the alien Kodos while he was disguised as President Bill Clinton.

Groening didn’t give any further context to the clip, so some attendees may have assumed that Vice President Harris (who is currently running for President) recorded it specifically for Comic Con. However, the clip was recorded in 2013 by a group of college students who wanted a politician to recite the famous line. It’s possible that Harris doesn’t even remember it.

As of this writing, we don’t know if Groening reached out to Vice President Harris before playing the clip. Heck, we don’t even know if Vice President Harris is aware that the clip was played at Comic Con! Imagine making a legendary appearance at San Diego Comic Con and being unaware of it.

Either way, San Diego Comic Con is always full of surprises.

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