Viewers at home weren’t the only people who saw a large fly land on Vice President Mike Pence‘s head during his October 5 debate with Kamala Harris. Senator Harris absolutely noticed it while they were in the middle of debating, she confirmed in a hilarious interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. At the end of their October 15 conversation, Maddow had to know what Harris thought about the instantly viral moment.
Rachel Maddow: We could see [the fly on Mike Pence's head] at home. Could you see it next to him?
Sen. Kamala Harris: … pic.twitter.com/Iu0LwOGPfL— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) October 15, 2020
Maddow barely got an answer out of the senator, who couldn’t stop laughing. Harris burst into giggles after being asked if she noticed the fly, which made a home in Pence’s stark white hair for literal minutes. “I think it’s kind of important for us to find a way to move on,” Harris said, gasping for breath. “And kind of fly away from this subject on to something else.”
Harris’ appearance on The Rachel Maddow Show came nine days after she and Pence debated for the first, and only time, of election season. Harris was busier during the event dealing with Pence, rather than the fly on his head. Though their debate was much calmer than the September 29 disaster between their respective running mates, former Vice President Joe Biden and current President Donald Trump, Harris still had to defend herself repeatedly from disrespect.
Pence continuously interrupted Harris while she was speaking throughout the debate, to the point that she had to tell him, “I’m speaking” multiple times. The phrase “I’m speaking” trended on Twitter after women watching the debate spoke about how they’re silenced by men, too. Celebrities like Cardi B and Kerry Washington were among those women. Cardi posted videos of herself watching the debate and decried Pence for “violating” the rules.
“She said to shut the f**k up!” Cardi exclaimed in one of the videos. “Like, she’s trying to talk and he’s taking an extra 15 more seconds. Thank you, Vice President. Can you please stop talking?” Kerry tweeted, “I am #prochoice. It’s my body. It’s my life. @VP You think Americans have a right to make informed decisions about their masks? I think Americans have a right to make a decision about our uteruses. #VPDebate.”