Billy Eichner Will Play Matt Drudge In “American Crime Story: Impeachment”

January 22, 2020 / Posted by:

The next installment of Ryan Murphy’s American Crime Story is all about the impeachment of Bill Clinton, and we learned last year that Beanie Feldstein will play Monica Lewinsky, Annaleigh Ashford is Paula Jones, Sarah Paulson is Linda Tripp, and Clive Owen is William Jefferson “Slick Willie” Clinton. Deadline is giving us one more name to add to that list, and it’s prolific street yeller Billy Eichner, who has landed the role of Matt Drudge, the first person to publish the news of the Lewinsky scandal.

On January 17, 1998, Matt Drudge’s website, The Drudge Report, published the first report of Bill Clinton’s misconduct with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky. His report was notable because, well – it was about a married president being gross with an intern – but also, because he accused Newsweek of already having the story and deliberately not publishing it. I always forget about Matt Drudge’s role in the Clinton-Lewinsky story. That’s maybe because my brain only has so much space dedicated to the Impeachment years, and most of that space is reserved for SNL sketches starring John Goodman and Molly Shannon. But obviously he’s a pivotal character in the series.

Billy has worked with Ryan Murphy twice before, which I believe automatically pushes you to the top of the list. But Billy and Matt both have brown hair, are originally from the east coast, are Jewish, and are gay men. The only thing that doesn’t really match up is their ages. Billy Eichner is 41 years old. Matt Drudge was 31 when he broke the news of Bill Clinton and Monica. I’m not sure it even matters, really. If Impeachment is anything like The People v. O. J. Simpson, we’re all going to be way too sidetracked by the wigs and the shoulder pads to care about an ten extra years. Plus, Billy can definitely pull off 1998 Matt Drudge, thanks to the fact that he also kind of looks like him. Here he is in 1998. I really hope Ryan Murphy keeps the hat, because that is a look and a half.

Billy confirmed the news himself earlier today. He was also got to drag Fox News for confusing him with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Joel Johnstone.

We all mostly know Billy for being funny, but he did do two seasons of American Horror Story, so he’ll no doubt be able to get serious for Impeachment. Although in my mind, I’m already picturing him running up to a random woman in Washington D.C., and yelling, “Miss! Miss! For a dollar – which current President should have more respect for dry clean only garments?

Pic: Wenn.com

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