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Vice President Kamala Harris invites 10-year-old journalist as her plus one in space

Kid sports journalist Jeremiah Fennell spoke to the vice president on a recent episode of the "Jennifer Hudson Show."
Jeremiah Fennell, 10, interviews Vice President Kamala Harris on the Jennifer Hudson show on April 20.
Jeremiah Fennell, 10, interviews Vice President Kamala Harris on the Jennifer Hudson show on April 20.The Jennifer Hudson Show
/ Source: TODAY

The 10-year-old journalist Jeremiah Fennell pivoted from his usual sports beat to interview a special guest: Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Jeremiah had the opportunity to talk to Harris on the “Jennifer Hudson Show” April 20. Their four-minute-long interview spanned a range of topics, including her loyalty to the San Francisco 49ers, when she fell in love with the law and politics as a kid, and her response to misinformation around voting. 

During their conversation, Jeremiah also took the opportunity to ask Harris, who serves as Chair of the National Space Council, if she’d ever be interested in going to space and how long she’d be willing to stay there.

“Is that a request?” Harris said, jokingly. “I would go to space, if I could. There are people on my team who do know that, but sadly there are those that would prefer that I would stay on Earth for the time being.”

Jeremiah saw a chance to shoot his shot, asking the vice president, “But if you go and they let you have a plus one, can I be that plus one?"

Harris laughed, and as she applauded with the audience, said, "Yes!" Jeremiah then flashed a big smile while pumping his fist in the air.

For his final question, Jeremiah asked Harris what advice she would give to the kids out there who want to be president or vice president someday.

“Follow your passion, because all said and done, if you are fortunate enough, you’re going to work very hard,” Harris said. “And when you do the work that you enjoy doing, you do it well, and all the other things come.”

Jeremiah has become a frequent guest on Jennifer Hudson’s daytime talk show.

He made an appearance on the April 7 episode, gifting Hudson a mug featuring photos of the duo and talked about his appearance at the 2023 Super Bowl. Jeremiah made his first appearance on the show Feb. 10, telling Hudson about how he got involved with sports journalism.

“It all started when I was 4 years old because I was told through my parents that I might not be able to play contact sports because I have a brain defect and detached shoulder bone,” he explained. 

Jeremiah ultimately got to play basketball, football and tee-ball for one year after making a deal with his parents. It wasn’t until afterward that he made the decision to “hone his craft in journalism and broadcasting.”

He wanted to start his own YouTube channel where he commented on the Las Vegas Raiders, but his mom initially rejected the proposal because they were a California team at the time. Once the team moved to Las Vegas and Jeremiah retained his spot on the honor roll, he was finally allowed to start his YouTube channel in 2020.

“That’s what started it, but what’s really driving me is because I want to make my parents proud at a young age because my mom very much has health issues and my dad is a senior citizen,” he explained. “I want to make them proud at an early age.”