By Mark Gray
4:15am PST, Jan 9, 2023
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It's official: In the wee hours of Jan. 7 — following 15 rounds of voting over the course of five days — Kevin McCarthy finally secured enough votes to become House speaker of the 118th Congress. It was a rough road to victory for the Republican representative from California: While Democrats were united in putting forth Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, although it was well known that he wouldn't secure the required 218 votes, Republicans fought an internal war over whether or not McCarthy should lead.
Hollywood kept a watchful eye on D.C. as the drama played out, openly mocking McCarthy and the GOP on social media. Even prominent Republican celebrities voiced their opinions on the process. As McCarthy was losing on his ninth try, for example, Mark Cuban tweeted, "Is there a better commercial for Rank Choice Voting than what is going on with the Speaker's vote in the House? The current system, from primary to generals to speaker voting, empowers the extremes to the expense of constituents. Time to change."
Click through to see how other stars reacted…
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"Kevin McCarthy should be Speaker. Subtle, but I am beginning to suspect opinions differ on this matter … If not McCarthy, then seriously who?" Elon Musk tweeted, although many of this followers vehemently disagreed with him, and they didn't hide their feelings.
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"If we don't win an Emmy for this episode of @veephbo, I'm leaving the TV Academy" –Emmy-winning "Veep" star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, alongside a photo of Kevin McCarthy huddling with other lawmakers
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"I hope my conservative friends in the House work out the best deal possible with @GOPLeader. Dems want things to implode so they can work w/ never-Trumpers to install a pro-amnesty 'unity Speaker.'" –Donald Trump Jr.
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Meghan McCain called the situation a "circus" in her DailyMail.com column. "McCarthy's deranged detractors offer no viable alternatives. They're only solution is to burn it all down and dance in the ashes, except this kamikaze mission brings everyone else down with them," she wrote. "The only solace that one can take from this disaster is that [former President Donald Trump's] personal influence has also been diminished by this whole ordeal."
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"Kevin McCarthy is the McConnell of the House," John Rich tweeted. "One of the main probs Conservatives have with the Repub establishment, is they SPEND TONS of money in primaries choosing who they want, instead of who voters want. McCarthy/McConnell/McDaniel all do this, and McCarthy won't agree to stop it. This is part of the hold up right now."
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"This is the best season of cspan…ever." –Jon Stewart
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"Americans are sick of RINO's like Kevin McCarthy and what they stand for." –Kevin Sorbo
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"Poor ol' #KevinMcCarthy. Doesn't look good, Kev. Shoulda shown some spine. Or Honor. But it must infuriate you! I mean, look at the scum standing against you…UGH!" –Bette Midler
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"I've seen enough. Kevin McCarthy has now lost the 4th round of voting. I never thought anybody could embarrass him more than he has embarrassed himself. But alas, the Republican Misfits have done just that," Ana Navarro-Cardenas tweeted. "I know this isn't good for Congress or the country. But damn. I can't help but relish the humiliation of McCarthy. He 's such a sniveling accomplice. And frankly, a Speaker who denies 1/6 & is beholden to Trump & a bunch of kooks, ain't good for Congress or the country, either."
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"What we're seeing in the US House of Representatives is the result of what Donald Trump has done to the Republican Party. He's taken what used to be the unspoken Fascist Christian Nationalism faction and put it front and center for all to see. It's a loser and so is he," Rob Reiner tweeted. "Mr. Trump, you know you're power is wasting away when, on the House floor, Lauren Boebert tells you to stuff it."
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"Good riddance, Kevin" –Morgan Fairchild
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"Watching @CSPAN right now is basically @Shudder with gavels." –Patton Oswalt
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"I guess some Republican members were more upset about the election than McCarthy was." –Al Franken
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"All these white dudes clapping because they chose a black dude to be the face of their next attempt to subvert our Democracy is rich! Now the @GOP is trying to make this a civil rights moment? Whoo! They are TRASH!" Yvette Nicole Brown tweeted. "Wait, so the @gop is pro-Black now and think the House should be a diverse, representative body? Didn't have that on my 2023 Bingo card."
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".@GOPLeader hey even I can get 218 with @GOP and @TheDemocrats! Lessons learned? Is not about being right or left about democrats or republicans but about empathy, truth, goodwill; about bringing people together, longer tables, you see what happens when you build a wall?" –José Andrés
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"How much longer can Kevin McCarthy put up with this embarrassment? @GOPLeader is now on his 6th losing vote," Lou Dobbs tweeted. He added, "When will [Kevin McCarthy] ditch the ego? He's now lost on a 7th ballot."
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#KevinMcCarthy thinks he can wear down the Freedom Caucus…a group of people with no legislative agenda who ran on an 'obstinate a******' platform. 'Kay..," Hal Sparks tweeted. "#KevinMcCarthy's bid for #Speakerofthehouse is going so bad, they just found 800 more votes for @JoeBiden."
