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Rachel Maddow's hilarious lesbian joke derails MSNBC panel into laughter

Rachel Maddow happy joyful expression
Eugene Gologursky/Variety via Getty Images

The out lesbian MSNBC host couldn't resist the opportunity during a Sunday panel discussing a new poll out of Iowa.

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Rachel Maddow just couldn't resist the opportunity to make a joke about her sexual orientation.

Related: LIVE: Election Day 2024 coverage of LGBTQ+ issues

The out lesbian MSNBC host hilariously interjected during a Sunday panel discussing a new poll out of Iowa that suggested Vice President Kamala Harris has a notable lead in the typically-conservative state.

Conducted by highly regarded pollster J. Ann Selzer, the poll shows Harris leading over former president Donald Trump by three points in the state he previously won twice. One of the reasons cited behind the shift is young men not turning out as heavily in favor of the GOP as expected.

Co-anchor Nicolle Wallace noted how Selzer's results essentially said "don’t sleep on men," prompting Maddow to chime in.

"I’ve been saying that my whole life," she said.

The other hosts erupted in laughter, with Wallace joking in response, "We're done, that's a wrap," and Joy Reid adding, "Best line of the night. No one's topping that."

More 2024 Election Coverage from The Advocate:
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- Kamala Harris's 'first priority' as president
- Where does Donald Trump stand on LGBTQ+ rights?
- Kamala Harris: Our One-on-One With the Vice President

The panel then returned to the topic of the Selzer poll, which has become a beacon among other polls showing a deadlocked race between Trump and Harris. In an interview with Selzer the same night, Maddow referred to the researcher as "a gold standard pollster who appears to be unaffected by larger dynamics that are making everybody whine about the polls," noting that her polls are known for their "uncanny predictive accuracy."

"If this is accurate — and if anybody is accurate, it's likely to be Ann Selzer and the Iowa poll — this implies that Harris might be winning Iowa," Maddow explained, though she noted that the implications of a conservative state seemingly shifting left could have bigger implications in other areas, such as swing states.

"The poll's internal numbers show dynamics in terms of women voters, particularly older women voters, that — again, if they hold — could have major implications beyond Iowa," she said, adding, "We have a very different race on our hands than we thought we did. If that dynamic is really happening in Iowa, there's no reason to think it might not be happening in other states as well."

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Ryan Adamczeski

Ryan is a reporter at The Advocate, and a graduate of New York University Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing and comedy. She first became a published author at the age of 15 with her YA novel "Someone Else's Stars," and is now a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics, and the IRE, the society of Investigative Reporters and Editors. In her free time, Ryan likes watching New York Rangers hockey, listening to the Beach Boys, and practicing witchcraft.
Ryan is a reporter at The Advocate, and a graduate of New York University Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing and comedy. She first became a published author at the age of 15 with her YA novel "Someone Else's Stars," and is now a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics, and the IRE, the society of Investigative Reporters and Editors. In her free time, Ryan likes watching New York Rangers hockey, listening to the Beach Boys, and practicing witchcraft.