Podcast Summary: Pablo Torre Finds Out

Episode: How 'Veep' Predicted the Election, with the Real-Life Jonah Ryan
Host: Pablo Torre
Guest: Timothy Simons (Actor, “Jonah Ryan” on Veep)
Date: November 5, 2024

Overview

On this thought-provoking Election Day episode, Pablo Torre sits down with Timothy Simons, the actor who played the scheming and unforgettable Jonah Ryan on HBO’s “Veep.” They dive into how the satirical show forecasted the absurdities of contemporary American politics, the real-life echoes in today’s political climate, and the blurring lines between television satire and reality. The conversation is rich with behind-the-scenes revelations, memorable "Veep" moments, reflections on career, and astute cultural commentary—delivered with the sharp wit and warmth characteristic of both Torre and Simons.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Veep as Real-Life Political Prophecy

Timestamps: 04:07–06:51

Pablo sets the stage by highlighting Simons's dual pop-cultural credentials (“Draft Day” and “Veep”), then pivots to Veep and how its storylines eerily parallel real events—including a vice president ascending due to a resignation (mirroring the Biden-Harris ticket situation in 2024).
Simons shares how the show’s satire became “predictive,” especially as U.S. politics grew more absurd—“I don’t know that I actually ever thought that some of the season seven stuff would actually be predictive, but we’re kind of fully there.” (08:13)
Discussion of the “J.D. Vance at the donut shop” viral moment and how Veep essentially forecasted politicians cosplaying common-man authenticity.

2. Writing & Performing the Character of Jonah Ryan

Timestamps: 07:46–14:20

Simons relays how Veep’s writing adapted to the post-Obama, Trump-era “beyond satire” political climate—“Satire…tends to be a scalpel, and we kind of had to turn into a sledgehammer…” (07:46)
In-depth breakdown of Jonah’s infamous congressional testimony and the glossary of “Jonad” insults (e.g., Chizzy Gillespie, 60-Foot Virgin, Cloud Botherer).
Simons describes the personal experience of becoming the butt of the writers’ jokes, noting, “You’ll just see a writer walk in, look you up and down, and then…come back with alts, and it’s like, you motherf****r, you just came in here and figured that one out.” (12:43)

3. Auditioning and Becoming Jonah Ryan

Timestamps: 14:34–16:22

Anecdote about landing the role: Simons wasn’t what the creators envisioned—“It was written for, like, a short, fat, bearded guy…never thought I would get it, and kind of just kept making it through.” (15:11)
Early on, Simons intentionally tries to distance himself from Jonah physically and stylistically (hair, clothes).
The visual and power dynamic with Julia Louis Dreyfus (Selina Meyer) is a constant comedic centerpiece.

4. The Appeal (and Peril) of Playing Awful People

Timestamps: 16:40–18:19

Simons reflects on the catharsis and freedom of playing “bad people”—“They can go into a room and say the worst thing and not worry about it…there's a certain wish fulfillment,” he notes. (16:40)
Pablo asks how much Simons has to clarify in real life that he isn’t actually Jonah Ryan; Simons shares Julia Louis Dreyfus’s advice: "If someone calls you by your character's name, don’t respond—because that’s not your name." (17:50)
Simons recounts being insulted by fans imitating the show (“jolly green face!” in the grocery store; 18:36), and managing those boundaries.

5. Behind the Scenes: Creative Process and Writing

Timestamps: 19:21–20:49

Simons celebrates Julia Louis Dreyfus’s improvisational genius, e.g., the unscripted “croissant dildo” line—“That wasn’t scripted. That was something she just threw in…the volcanic anger underneath is incredibly funny and was kind of found in the moment.” (19:51–20:26)
The show excelled at merging “surgery and sledgehammer” satire. (14:24–14:34)

6. When Veep and Reality Collide

Timestamps: 21:19–24:17

Simons and Torre note how Trump-era and post–Tea Party politics made Veep’s dark, power-hungry characters and themes look tame—or even prescient.
“At one point, it became the naked pursuit of power,” Simons says, describing Selina Meyer's transition, and shares how aspects of Trump, especially “xenophobia and anti-vax stuff,” were split between Selena and Jonah in later seasons. (22:42)
The infamous “Stop the count” refrain appears both in Veep and in the real world (2020); “You got to stop the count!” (23:32)

7. Veep’s Political Satires in 2024

Torre reads examples from a viral quiz: “Who said it, Jonah Ryan or J.D. Vance?” Simons admits he got some wrong because their rhetoric is now indistinguishable. (31:06–31:54)
Extended riff on how “outsider insiders” like Jonah and real-life politicians (Trump Jr., J.D. Vance) cosplay as working-class for PR—“It’s the same…you were president for four years and you’re still saying you’re an outsider? […] Do something or leave.” (27:10–27:55)
The “No More Math” speech as a perfect example of escalating, shameless political pandering. (28:17–29:07)

8. Power, Futility, and Ambition in Washington

Timestamps: 35:01–37:20

Simons reflects on Jonah’s “failing upwards” arc: from White House messenger to congressman to VP candidate—paralleling real-life political absurdities and third-party threats in 2024 (RFK Jr. referenced).
The thematic core of Veep: power is ultimately pathetic. “What you think is power is actually pathetic in a nutshell.” (35:46)
Pablo: “You maybe aspire as a kid…to make a difference…what you’re actually signing up for is to be in an office full of actual psychopaths.” (35:58–36:14)

9. Election Day Anxiety and Media Diets

Timestamps: 37:55–39:54

Torre and Simons compare plans for enduring Election Day stress. Simons shares he will dissociate: “Most of the day is going to be spent in some sense of clinical detachment or dissociation…there is no solving [the anxiety] except for it being done.” (38:11)
Simons hasn’t been on Twitter for two years (“It’s so much better…The people that make you mad…they don’t matter if you’re not there.”; 38:53)
Simons’s family will likely watch some returns together at night.

10. Politics and Personal Values

Timestamps: 39:54–41:26

Torre weighs whether he would ever encourage his daughter to enter politics—a Catch-22: “The only way to get those people [bad politicians] not to do that is to get people who I’d actually want to save our country to do the job.”
Simons responds: “I don’t know that we set up like the right system here…It’s not going great.” (40:29–40:44)
The episode ends echoing the comforting (if naive) simplicity of “Draft Day”—“You know what was simple in Draft Day? Vontae Mack, no matter what.” (40:52–41:09)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Satire vs. Reality:
“Satire…tends to be a scalpel, and we kind of had to turn into a sledgehammer.”—Timothy Simons (07:46)
On Jonah’s Insults:
"There is so much going on there... he's one of those people that cannot have an ego death."—Timothy Simons (11:13)
On Casting as Jonah:
“It was written for…a short, fat, bearded guy…never thought I would get it.” —Timothy Simons (15:11)
Jonah’s Pathologies:
“There is a palpable shamelessness... that, again, feels kind of familiar.” —Pablo Torre (11:30)
On Audience Confusion:
“If someone calls you by your character's name in public, don't respond. That’s not your name.” —Advice from Julia Louis Dreyfus to Simons (17:50)
Political Performance:
“The idea of being the outsider’s insider…it's the same... you were president for four years and you’re still saying that you’re part of, like, Marjorie Taylor Greene?” —Timothy Simons (27:10)
On American Political Desperation:
“What you think is power is actually pathetic in a nutshell.” —Pablo Torre (35:46)
Therapy for Election Day:
“Most of the day is going to be spent in some sense of clinical detachment or dissociation.” —Timothy Simons (38:11)

Useful Timestamps

[04:40] – Introduction to Jonah Ryan and “Veep”
[07:46] – Parallels between Veep and Trump-era politics
[09:52] – The Jonad Files: congressional scene and insults
[15:11] – Simons’s unexpected casting
[19:49] – Julia Louis Dreyfus’s improvisational genius (“croissant dildo”)
[22:31] – “Naked pursuit of power”—when characters abandon all principle
[23:32] – “Stop the count!” and Veep/real-life parallels
[28:17–29:07] – “No more math!” campaign speech
[31:06–31:54] – “Jonah Ryan or J.D. Vance?” quiz confusion
[35:46] – Summary: "What you think is power is actually pathetic"
[38:11] – Coping strategies for Election Day

Concluding Thoughts

This episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out is equal parts hilarious and sobering, offering a rare inside look at how art anticipated reality, and how reality these days often seems stranger than satire. Timothy Simons’s reflections are generous, self-deprecating, and insightful on comedy, fame, and the dark thrill of embodying society’s grotesques. For anyone watching the farcical sideshow of U.S. politics unfold, this conversation is equal parts therapy and ammunition.

Final Send-Off:
“You know what was simple in Draft Day? Vontae Mack, no matter what.”
—Pablo Torre & Timothy Simons (40:52–41:14)