‘Parks and Rec’s’ Aubrey Plaza Got a Stern Warning for Desk Prank at White House

Aubrey Plaza recently shared a funny story about her time visiting the White House while filming Parks and Recreation, revealing she once took some notes from then-Vice President Joe Biden’s desk.

Plaza recounted the story on her former co-star Amy Poehler’s podcast, Good Hang, where the pair reminisced about touring the West Wing after Biden appeared on the show.

In a move that seemed straight out of her Parks character April Ludgate, Plaza admitted she grabbed a small notebook on Biden’s desk.

“I saw a little, like, vice president-monogrammed notebook piece of paper that said, like, ‘Aubrey Plaza’ and then, like, three facts about me,” Plaza explained. One of the notes mentioned that she and Biden share a hometown in Wilmington, Delaware.

Plaza’s prank, however, did not go unnoticed. Showrunner Michael Schur scolded her for taking the notebook, reminding her, “You cannot steal from the vice president’s desk.” Plaza laughed about the moment, saying, “I was like, ‘Oh, shut up, Mike.’ And he was like, ‘We’re literally in the White House.’ And I was like, ‘We are?’”

Poehler chimed in with her observations about the White House, noting it was surprisingly low on security and somewhat underwhelming in its setup.

“It is weird how janky the White House actually is,” she said, adding a humorous touch to the story. Despite the reprimand, Plaza did not face any real consequences, and the friends shared a laugh over the visit.

The visit came after Biden had appeared on Parks and Recreation, marking one of two times he made cameos on the show. The first was during season five, and the second was in the series finale. Plaza and Poehler also reflected on the unusual feeling of walking through the West Wing, describing it as both exciting and surprisingly ordinary.

Plaza’s antics and her playful storytelling have fans laughing, while also giving a rare glimpse behind the scenes of a presidential visit. The episode of Good Hang offers more stories from Plaza’s career and her experiences on Parks and Recreation.

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