No, Hannah Montana star Jason Earles isn’t Kamala Harris’ running mate

Disney Channel star Jason Earles has not been selected as Kamala Harris’s running mate, despite a series of viral TikToks claim otherwise.

With vice president Kamala Harris’ campaign to be selected as the Democratic presidential election nominee well underway after Joe Biden pulled out of the race, rumours over who will be Harris’ own running mate and VP pick are at fever pitch ahead of an expected announced on Tuesday (6 August).

While politicians like gay transport secretary Pete Buttiegieg, Josh Shapiro, Mark Kelly and Tim Walz are near the top of people’s lists, an unlikely challenger seems to have entered the political arena – or not, as the case may be.

Prompted by a spate of TikToks from fan account for Disney Channel actor Jason Earles named ‘jasonearlesisfreakinghawt‘, a series of photoshopped images claiming that Harris has selected the star as her running mate have gone viral.

“Kamala Harris will announce Disney Star Jason Earles asVP in next six, seven days,” reads a headline doctored to appear as though it had been reported by British newspaper The Guardian.

“BREAKING NEWS: Kamala Harris has announced Jason Earles, former Disney Star, as presidential running mate,” reads another fake screenshot from the same TikTok, with over 3.2 million views.

The account has posted five further TikToks at the time of reporting, with a combined 5.7 million views on the fake news.

The further posts feature Earles, who is best known for playing Miley Cyrus’s on-screen older brother Jackson in Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana, in fake images and news articles indicating that he has turned his career to politics – and been successful enough to be selected as Harris’s running mate.

The account also claims that Earles “achieved a law degree from the University of Chicago in 2016 and has been involved in politics since.” He has not done either of these things.

TL;DR – no, Jason Earles has not been selected as Kamala Harris’s running mate.

In the land of truth, vice president Kamala Harris is expected to announce her actual running partner shortly, with Forbes reporting that Pennsyvlania Gov. Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Walz are the frontrunners for the No. 2 spot.

According to the same article, Buttigieg, Arizona Sen. Kelly, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker have also been interviewed by Harris’s team.

Jason Earles, meanwhile, last appeared in a public facing role during meta-Disney Channel spinoff High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, in 2023.

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