George Takei Jokes About Running for Congress on April Fools' Day

10:23 PM PDT 3/31/2017 by Patrick Shanley

George Takei - Getty - H 2016
Getty Images

The actor tweeted that he will be running for a seat in Congress before posting another tweet hours later indicating that it was just a joke.

Actor George Takei, best known for his role as Mr. Sulu on the original Star Trek television series, got in on the April Fools' Day action early, posting on Twitter late Friday night Pacific Time (but after midnight on the East Coast) that he was running for Congress.

"Well, the cat's out of the bag it seems. Let's do this! #Takei2018," wrote Takei. He then linked to a Daily Buzz article, which claimed Takei had spoken with the outlet.

Hours later, Takei indicated it was all a joke, posting another tweet of himself holding up a "Gotcha" sign. Still, Takei urged those who were fooled by his tweet to support Jon Ossoff in his congressional bid.

The timing of Takei's announcement, in which he declared he was taking on embattled House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, raised red flags, as dubious fans and friends of Takei were unsure whether the announcement was an April Fools' Day joke or an actual declaration of the actor's foray into politics. "Really? Honestly?" Nancy Sinatra replied to Takei's tweet, while Mark Ruffalo deemed it "great news."

April 1, 6:55 a.m. This story has been updated with Takei's tweet indicating his earlier announcement was a joke.