Jill Biden successfully fooled the media and her own staff on an April Fool's Day flight
Apparently, we have an avid—and able—prankster in the White House.
First Lady Jill Biden visited California this week, meeting with farmworkers and support COVID vaccination efforts.
On the flight back to Washington, DC, members of the press and Jill Biden's staff were treated to Dove ice cream bars during the meal service. A flight attendant who was dressed in black with short black hair and a black mask handed out the bars. Her name tag read "Jasmine."
Little did passengers know that the hair was a wig, the name was a ruse, and they didn't recognize the fact that Jill Biden herself had handed them their frozen treats.
A few minutes after handing out the bars, Biden took off the wig, laughed, and said, "April Fool's!"
The First Lady loves a good prank. Once, during her husband's first term as Obama's vice president, she stuffed herself into an overhead before a flight on Air Force Two, surprising the first person to open the bin to stow their luggage.
Biden wrote about that prank in her 2019 memoir, "Where the Light Enters."
"I had arrived at Joint Base Andrews early, coming straight from teaching my classes, and was the first one there," she wrote, "As I boarded Air Force Two, I looked around and had an idea. The overhead bins were small, but I knew if I scrunched up enough, I could cram myself into one."
With the help of a chair, a table, and a Naval aide—as well as some ballet barre classes—she did just that.
"When the first person opened the bin to stow his roller bag, I popped halfway out and screamed, 'Boo!' — though it was hard to get it out through my laughter," Biden wrote.
"Still, my surprise had the intended effect: this poor soul let out a high-pitched shriek and stumbled backward into his seat, a look of utter shock on his face."
Biden grew up in a family of pranksters who reveled in April Fool's Day, so she comes by it naturally. Joe Biden himself has remarked on his wife's traditional celebration of the holiday. In a 2014 interview with Rachel Ray, Biden confessed, "What I worry about when I wake up on April Fool's Day is: 'What in the hell is Jill gonna do this time?' You think I'm joking. I am not joking."
Now she's brought some of that lighthearted fun into the White House as First Lady.
She wrote in her memoir that the White House is "a serious place, with serious people, doing serious work," and that if you aren't careful, all that seriousness can grind you down.
"I've always believed you've got to steal the joyful moments when you can," Biden wrote. "Life is difficult, and if you sit around waiting for fun to show up, you'll find yourself going without it more often than not."
Jill Biden seems determined to bring a special touch to various holidays in her new role, which seems quite befitting her identity as a teacher. On Valentine's Day, her White House lawn decor—oversized conversation hearts with inspiring words like KINDNESS, COURAGE, COMPASSION, and HEALING—and chat with reporters made headlines.
Laughter is healing, and after a year of tragedy and struggle for the nation and the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, we could all use some extra fun and laughter. Thank you, Dr. Biden, for reminding us that serious work doesn't mean we can't enjoy simple, silly joys with our friends and colleagues.
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- Redditors share the best April Fools' Day pranks - Upworthy ›
"Now your fishes will be warmed."
"To have one’s eyes lined with ham."
"To lay your head in water."
"Repetition teaches the donkey."
"I only understand train station."
"To speak directly from the liver."
"Horse horse, tiger tiger."
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Medusa image of giant squid in Gulf of Mexico off of Mississippi Gulf CoastPhoto credit: 
Sign warning against feeding alligators next to alligator in Mississippi marshlandsCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
Mississippi Gulf Coast beach in BiloxiCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
2009 photo of giant squid caught in Gulf of Mexico near Mississippi GulfPhoto credit: 
Thank goodness this story has a happy ending.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."