‘Last Man Standing’ Joke About Democrats Goes Viral Amid Election Season

As Americans await the results of the 2020 presidential election, a past joke that aired on Last Man Standing is gaining steam. Taking place in the opening minutes of Season 5, Episode 7, “The Dad Hat,” when the Tim Allen-led series was still enjoying its run on ABC, the scene found Baxter family patriarch Mike Baxter instilling some knowledge about Democrats on his grandson, Boyd.

As Mike teaches Boyd how to make a fishing lure, the moment turned into political banter when Mike asked, “What do we call people that go willy-nilly through life, just doing things because it feels good?” Boyd immediately responds, “Democrats.” The joke, which originally aired back in 2015, was resurfaced by an Instagram account in late October in the days leading up to Election Day and has continued to garner attention now that Americans have cast their votes and the waiting game for a winner to be declared drags on.

In response to the clip, one person wrote that they were “literally just thinking about this show and how perfect it would have been if it were still airing new episodes right now!!” Somebody else demanded that the series “show re-runs” amid the election cycle. Another simply quipped, “[Laughing my a— off].”

Of course, this is far from the only example of Last Man Standing poking fun at politics and making jokes about Democrats. In one episode, as noted by PEOPLE, Allen’s character gives a speech in which he said, “To quote future Nobel Prize winner Lee Greenwood, ‘I’m proud to be an American.’ Not just because I have the right to speak my mind or carry an awesome gun, but because it’s the land of opportunity. Some whiny babies might not think so, but in America, if you work hard, anyone can be successful.” In another moment, the show proclaimed former President Barack Obama’s first job was that of the president, with Mike stating, “If you’re a young person who’s not exactly sure where life is taking you, that’s okay. You know, we can’t all be Barack Obama and have our first job be president.”

Those jokes led many viewers to believe they were the reason for ABC’s cancellation of the series, though the network denied accusations that it had given the show the ax due to its political incorrectness and espousal of “conservative views.” When the series was picked up by Fox, it continued with those political jokes. Fox announced in October that the series will be ending after Season 9.