Vice President-elect Kamala Harris becomes first VP to receive Time Person of the Year honor

George Back
·Producer, Yahoo Entertainment
Updated ·2 min read

There were two firsts during the Time Person of the Year special, which aired Thursday night on NBC. It was the first time the magazine has ever broadcast the announcement on television, and more importantly, it was the first time a vice president has ever received the honor.

Legendary musician Bruce Springsteen announced President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the recipients. Then Time’s Editor-in-Chief Edward Felsenthal explained why the pair were chosen over finalists like outgoing-President Donald Trump and infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci.

“Person of the Year is not just about the year that was, but about where we're headed,” Felsenthal said. “And the next four years are going to be an enormous test of them, and all of us, to see whether they can bring about the unity they've promised.”

“I don't think there's ever been a president and vice president to take office in a moment like this where we don't just disagree on issues,” he continued. “We disagree on basic facts. What happens to the American experiment in this kind of chaos?”

In pre-taped interviews, the two recipients thanked Time for the honor. And while their singular goal is unifying the U.S. and creating a better country for future generations, being named Time’s Person of the Year is probably pretty rewarding.

Time Person of the Year special aired Thursday at 10 p.m. on NBC.

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