Abby Whelan? Is that you?
As President Joe Biden's press secretary made her grand entrance this week with her first White House briefings, Scandal fans felt like they were experiencing déjà vu.
Viewers of the ABC drama quickly noticed the remarkable resemblance between actual government employee Jen Psaki and the red-headed character Abby Whelan, played by actress Darby Stanchfield on Scandal. Abby likewise served as White House press secretary on the show, until she became the chief of staff to the fictional President Fitzgerald Grant.
As one Twitter user wrote, "Jen Psaki is giving me boring Abby Whelan vibes and I'm LOVING it." Another asked, "Did we get our real life Abby Whelan? Lol."
After all, Abby doesn't have some security clearance. She has all of it.
The cherry on top, however, was when Stanchfield actually responded (in character!) to the comments on Friday, Jan. 22, by offering a hilarious list of pro tips for Psaki, as she steps into her new role.
The 49-year-old actress started off her tweet with, "Dear @PressSec," before listing three major takeaways from the job: "#1- If your boss forgets your name, slap a name tag on. (Fitz called me 'Gabby' for WEEKS Weary face) #2- Don't get power hungry & try to get your friend killed. It won't go well. #3- No such thing as too much hairspray. Ever."
She signed the note, "Best, 'Red' aka Sassy Abby Whelan."
One fan assumed TV mastermind Shonda Rhimes was behind it, perhaps conspiring to have Biden hire Abby's lookalike and thereby allowing us to live in the world of Scandal IRL? The tweet read, "The new press secretary looking like Abby Whelan. I see you Shonda!" We're not so sure.
Rhimes and Kerry Washington (aka Olivia Pope) haven't commented on Twitter.
If you want to see more of Abby Whelan—ahem, we mean the star behind her—Stanchfield has moved on to appear in Locke & Key, Stargirl, Willie and Me and Mosquito.
And for all your Shondaland binge-watching needs, all you have to do is turn on Netflix and hit "play" on Bridgerton.