‘Veep’ Creator Armando Iannucci Is The Latest To Blame Trump For The Death Of Political Satire

Armando Iannucci’s departure from Veep after season four was a surprise at the time, especially considering how the show continued being great after his departure. That’s likely unfair to say, but now with Veep coming to an end and The Death Of Stalin prepared to enter theaters, Iannucci has a chance to reflect publicly on his exit and give his view. As it turns out, he’s happy he left and he’s not going to break it by coming back for the finale. That’s not out of some distaste for the show, but more thanks to Donald Trump’s presidency.

While presenting The Death Of Stalin at the Toronto International Film Festival, Iannucci’s take on the current president has ruined his entire view on political satire and actually has him relieved that he left the show when he did according to Indiewire:

“What can you do and say that hasn’t already been said and done by him? Personally, I just find it difficult to be funny about him,” Iannucci said. “I can only be frustrated and flabbergasted by him. Outraged.”

Apart from the rise of Trump, Iannucci is content with how he left Veep and the unknown quality the series has for him going into its final season. He has no plans for a special return according to Indiewire, having given full control over to David Mandel with the assumption that everybody will “die in some big hurricane that hits D.C.” in the finale:

“When I handed it over everyone knew David was in charge and I decided not to stay on as an executive producer,” Iannucci said. “Once I made the decision it was made and I feel it was right. I’m happy that I left it in a good place and I don’t want to tamper with it.”

After The Death Of Stalin, Iannucci is working on a David Copperfield project and then returning for another series with HBO that’s far away from politics, a topic he tells Indiewire he finds “ungraspable” and exhausting. That said, he’s clearly left his mark and finds it out every time he visits D.C. according to Indiewire:

“Whenever I go to some Senator’s office, someone comes up and says, ‘Hi, I’m the Dan of this office,’ and they all know a Jonah, but nobody says they are the Jonah”

Nobody wants to be the Jonah.

(Via Indiewire)

×