George Takei Jokes About Running for Congress on April Fools' Day

The actor tweeted that he will be running for a seat in Congress before posting another tweet hours later indicating that it was just a joke.

Actor George Takei, best known for his role as Mr. Sulu on the original Star Trek television series, got in on the April Fools' Day action early, posting on Twitter late Friday night Pacific Time (but after midnight on the East Coast) that he was running for Congress.

"Well, the cat's out of the bag it seems. Let's do this! #Takei2018," wrote Takei. He then linked to a Daily Buzz article, which claimed Takei had spoken with the outlet.

Well, the cat's out of the bag it seems. Let's do this! #Takei2018 https://t.co/Wf7qvV1eXj — George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) April 1, 2017

Hours later, Takei indicated it was all a joke, posting another tweet of himself holding up a "Gotcha" sign. Still, Takei urged those who were fooled by his tweet to support Jon Ossoff in his congressional bid.

No, I'm not running for Congress. Happy 4/1! But Jon Ossoff is on 4/18. Help him win at https://t.co/ctCcRiYcdL. Let's flip Congress in '18 pic.twitter.com/41uj6l3yt7 — George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) April 1, 2017

The timing of Takei's announcement, in which he declared he was taking on embattled House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, raised red flags, as dubious fans and friends of Takei were unsure whether the announcement was an April Fools' Day joke or an actual declaration of the actor's foray into politics. "Really? Honestly?" Nancy Sinatra replied to Takei's tweet, while Mark Ruffalo deemed it "great news."

@GeorgeTakei I hope you can count me as one of your early endorsers!! This is great news! — Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) April 1, 2017

April 1, 6:55 a.m. This story has been updated with Takei's tweet indicating his earlier announcement was a joke.