Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Watch: Aubrey Plaza has the best celebrity Donald Trump story

Constance Grady
Constance Grady is a senior correspondent on the Culture team for Vox, where since 2016 she has covered books, publishing, gender, celebrity analysis, and theater.

These days, every celebrity on the planet has a Donald Trump story to tell. That’s hardly surprising, because we can only assume meeting celebrities is one of Trump’s favorite things — how else will he assure us all later that they’re very good friends of his? — but Aubrey Plaza’s Trump tale might be my new favorite.

As you can see in the photo above, it involves Plaza trapped within the head of a grinning (and terrifying) putty-colored elf puppet, a red-faced Trump, and a traumatized little boy.

On The Late Show Tuesday night, Plaza explained the story to host Stephen Colbert. One of her first jobs was to entertain at New York City children’s parties as Noddy the Elf, of the Canadian TV show Noddy. Per Wikipedia, one of Noddy’s catchphrases is “What in tarnation?!” so I encourage you to imagine Audrey Plaza repeating that line with great feeling.

During a party at F.A.O. Schwarz, Plaza’s boss informed her that she had to get a picture with Donald Trump or she would be fired. (Unexplained: why Trump was at a children’s party at F.A.O. Schwarz. Also: why Plaza’s boss needed this picture so badly. My working theory is that an elaborate blackmail scheme was involved.)

“I kept trying to get in there with him,” Plaza said. “He kept shooing me away. He didn’t want the picture.” (Because of the blackmail scheme?)

At last she resorted to the time-honored strategy beloved by every off-brand costumed character in Times Square: force. “I just forced my creepy elf arm around him and got that picture,” she said.

While I’m glad that Aubrey Plaza’s boss got his photo in the end, I would humbly suggest that now is the time to use it in whatever blackmailing capacity he can. There’s still time to get Trump out of the race before election night!


The political science that predicted Trump’s rise

More in Culture

Good Medicine
The alcohol crisis quietly hitting high-stress, “high-status” workersThe alcohol crisis quietly hitting high-stress, “high-status” workers
Good Medicine

What The Pitt can teach us about addiction.

By Dylan Scott
Advice
What trainers actually think about the 12-3-30 workoutWhat trainers actually think about the 12-3-30 workout
Advice

Have we finally unlocked exercise’s biggest secret? Or is this yet another lie perpetrated Big Treadmill?

By Alex Abad-Santos
Technology
The case for AI realismThe case for AI realism
Technology

AI isn’t going to be the end of the world — no matter what this documentary sometimes argues.

By Shayna Korol
Podcasts
How fan fiction went mainstreamHow fan fiction went mainstream
Podcast
Podcasts

The community that underpins Heated Rivalry, explained.

By Danielle Hewitt and Noel King
Culture
Why Easter never became a big secular holiday like ChristmasWhy Easter never became a big secular holiday like Christmas
Culture

Hint: The Puritans were involved.

By Tara Isabella Burton
Culture
The sticky, sugary history of PeepsThe sticky, sugary history of Peeps
Culture

A few things you might not know about Easter’s favorite candy.

By Tanya Pai