Rick and Morty's new spinoff already had to scrap a Trump joke because it was too real

“How did we know the president was going to depress people?” The Rick and Morty spinoff President Curtis launches on Adult Swim on July 26, and showrunners Dan Harmon and James Siciliano admit it’s a bit awkward to be releasing a show about the President of the United States at a time when the real POTUS is experiencing record low approval ratings. “We might have done a show about a pope if we had foresight,” Harmon said during a Q&A following a screening of the pilot at Annecy Festival. “Maybe we've made a bad topic for the show. How did we know the president was going to depress people four years ago? What warning signs did we have?” Harmon and Siciliano first began considering making President Curtis after President Andre Curtis and Rick Sanchez went toe to toe in the 2021 Rick and Morty season 5 episode “Rick & Morty's Thanksploitation Spectacular." “We didn't start this show in a long-forgotten Camelot,” Harmon said. “We thought we were already operating in crazy times.” President Andre Curtis (Keith David) is meant to be an idealized version of the president with the passion for public service of Leslie Knope on Parks & Recreation and Batman’s penchant for using high-tech toy