The Legend of Diamond Joe

From 2009 to 2019 The Onion satirized then-Vice President Joe Biden by recasting him as the shady character Diamond Joe, taking readers on a comedic joy ride that involved a Trans Am, lying low in Mexico and a guy named Worm.

Since 2009 The Onion has written approximately 109 stories lampooning Biden as both vice president and president, 75 of which starred his Diamond Joe persona. Although Diamond Joe was a radical departure from the low-key real-life Biden, the character exaggerated Biden’s worst foibles. Generally, these characteristics fell into four categories or joke areas that were manually created and tagged: Creepiness, gaffe, childishness, and rebellious. Rebellious and gaffe stories dominated the Diamond Joe portfolio, at 30 and 29 percent respectively.

Although rebellious may be a stretch for a man who describes himself as a fan of ice cream and trains, The Onion writers picked up on Biden’s tendency to go off-script and operate how he pleased during formal events. At times this rebelliousness bordered on creepiness, such as when Biden appeared to give ex-secretary of defense Ash Carter’s wife Stephanie a shoulder rub. Predictably, the majority of Diamond Joe stories were published during the Obama administration, with 69 of 75 stories being published between 2009 and 2016. The longest headlines were also published during this administration.