In “Parks and Recreation,” Leslie Knope has a crush on Joe Biden. The joke appears in the season-two episode “The Set Up,” when Leslie describes her ideal man as having George Clooney’s brains and Joe Biden’s body. Biden was then serving as vice president of the United States, making the line an especially recognizable piece of political celebrity humor.
The gag fits Leslie’s character. She is intensely interested in government, civic history and national politics, and she treats public officials with the enthusiasm many people reserve for movie stars. Her admiration for Biden is played as a comic exaggeration rather than a serious romance plot.
Biden later appeared as himself in season five, including the episode “Ms. Knope Goes to Washington.” Leslie’s excitement during that appearance turns the earlier joke into a recurring character detail and gives the series a chance to contrast her polished political ambitions with her very obvious fan behavior.
A common mix-up is Mark Brendanawicz, who is Leslie’s early romantic interest within the story. Mark is a fictional character and an actual relationship possibility; Biden is the political figure connected to Leslie’s humorous celebrity crush.