Anyone who missed Scandal’s President Fitzgerald Grant was in for a real treat on night one of the 2024 Democratic National Convention when Tony Goldwyn stepped into the role of host, impressing more than just the tens of thousands of people in attendance.
The four-day convention, held this year at Chicago’s United Center, will feature a different celebrity host every night, with Goldwyn having the honor of kicking off the week’s festivities Aug. 19. Following in his footsteps are View co-host and political commentator Ana Navarro (Aug. 20), The Office‘s Mindy Kaling (Aug. 21), and Goldwyn’s Scandal co-star Kerry Washington (Aug. 22). Goldwyn had only positive things to say about Vice President Kamala Harris during his opening night speech, highlighting not only her life in public service and Democrats’ “choice between two very different candidates,” but also one between “two very different futures.” This, of course, was in reference to MAGA Republicans’ Project 2025 agenda, as heralded by GOP candidate Donald Trump, the former one-term, twice-impeached president and now convicted felon.
Goldwyn’s presence at the DNC impressed not only the attendees, but also innumerable people on the internet familiar with his iconic Scandal role ⏤ and at least one who had no idea who he was. X user Sassington, M.C. shared that, following Goldwyn’s appearance, her 84-year-old aunt called to ask who the “fine white man” presenting at the DNC was. She also noted that “he could’ve been good for America,” a comment that led to perhaps the best Scandal prank ever.
The user saw that she had an opportunity to exploit her Scandal knowledge, and boy did she take it. She explained to her aunt that the man’s name is Fitzgerald Grant ⏤ aka Goldwyn’s character on the show ⏤ and that he was the 44th President of the United States. Referencing Fitz’s journey across Scandal’s seven seasons, she noted how “black women loved him” ⏤ a nod to the romance between Fitz and Olivia Pope, played by Washington ⏤ and also observed that someone once tried to kill him, something her aunt took at face value.
“I don’t know if she’ll ever find out, but I haven’t laughed that hard in months after she hung up,” the X user quipped. “I know I’m wrong. But, I did it for US. I did it for the United States of America.”
Aside from his role as POTUS in Scandal, there’s a reason why Goldwyn’s presence is so imposing. The actor/director stands at a commanding 6’1″ and comes from a powerful family in the entertainment industry. His paternal grandparents were Samuel Goldwyn and actress Frances Howard, and his maternal grandparents were playwright Sidney Howard and actress Clare Earnes. If at least one of those names sounds familiar, it’s because Samuel Goldwyn produced Hollywood’s first big motion picture and founded Goldwyn Pictures in 1916, which eventually became the major media company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Although Samuel’s grandson Tony is not a president in real life, his work on Scandal was nothing if not presidential, marking his legacy in entertainment truly patriotic and his presence at the DNC most appropriate.