Jon Lovett, 'Pod Save America' host and former Obama speechwriter, joins 'Survivor'
Jon Lovett is going from the cutthroat world of American politics to the cutthroat world of "Survivor."
Lovett, co-host of the political podcast "Pod Save America" and former speechwriter for former President Barack Obama, will appear as a contestant on "Survivor" next season. A teaser for the competition show's 47th season featured Lovett, 41, noting that he is out of his element.
"I have no outdoor skills," he says in the footage. "What am I doing here? I went camping as a cub scout. I threw up and went home."
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Lovett for comment. A representative for CBS confirmed Lovett's casting to USA TODAY.
Lovett discusses U.S. politics on "Pod Save America," which launched the month of former President Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017, alongside fellow Obama alums Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor and Dan Pfeiffer. He also hosts the "Lovett or Leave It" podcast and co-founded the media company Crooked Media.
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Favreau confirmed Lovett is a contestant in "Survivor" Season 47 by sharing the teaser clip on X and writing, "What did I tell you? Eat Pray Lovett."
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Writer Evan Ross Katz reacted to the news on X by writing that "this is Mike White-level casting," referring to the fact that the "White Lotus" creator was a contestant on "Survivor: David vs. Goliath." Chris Geidner, author of the Law Dork newsletter, also joked on X, "Some people *say* they want to take some time away before the presidential campaign season heats up. Other people *do* something about it."
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According to Entertainment Weekly, Season 47 of "Survivor" started filming about a week ago in Fiji. It's expected to debut in the fall.
"We are very excited to bring our fans another season of 'Survivor' featuring 18 new faces who are ready to take on the 'Survivor' adventure," host Jeff Probst told EW. "One of the most enjoyable parts of making 'Survivor' is that you spend nearly a year looking for new players and then day 1 arrives and you turn the entire show over to them!"