Rolling Stone Explains The Major Historical Inaccuracy On Its Julia Louis-Dreyfus Cover

Comedic actress/genius Julia Louis-Dreyfus is on the cover of the latest edition of Rolling Stone, and the front page features a historical gaffe worthy of the bone-headed vice president character she plays on HBO's "Veep."

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Comedic actress/genius Julia Louis-Dreyfus is on the cover of the latest edition of Rolling Stone, and the front page features a historical gaffe worthy of the bone-headed vice president character she plays on HBO's "Veep."

A nude photo of the former "Seinfeld" star wearing only the text of the Constitution is sure to pique the interest of newsstand passersby, but here's the thing:

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John Hancock, whose fat signature lies just above Louis-Dreyfus' left buttocks, signed the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution.

If nothing else, the mistake has certainly drawn plenty of attention to Rolling Stone, Louis-Dreyfus, and "Veep," which aired its third season premiere this past Sunday.  So far, it has earned coverage everywhere from The Wall Street Journal to E! Online, and has been the subject of a whole host of social media chatter.

Dreyfus took to Twitter to humorously own up to the gaffe, citing a "drunken stupor" excuse similar to the one Toronto mayor Rob Ford employed to explain his use of crack cocaine.

In my defense, “I was in a drunken stupor” #crackexcuse http://t.co/Jo0HgFtpho cc: @RollingStone pic.twitter.com/f7SFgCsHBO

— Julia Louis-Dreyfus (@OfficialJLD) April 8, 2014

Despite JLD's acknowledgment of the error, a spokesperson from Rolling Stone told us that the publication was not trying to recreate a historical document with its cover. The John Hancock signature is instead supposed to be taken as the beginning of a joke whose punchline can be found inside the magazine.

There, readers will find a tattoo artist wearing a white wig and other colonial garb while inking his name into Dreyfus' lower back. The joke, the spokesperson explained, is that the tattoo artist's name is John Hancock.

Even though the real John Hancock did not sign the Constitution, his Declaration of Independence signature is the most recognizable of any early-U.S. document signer.

"The Julia Louis-Dreyfus cover mirrors the farcical tone of HBO’s Veep, and the signature is an Easter egg for fans of the show," the spokesperson said in a statement. "I think it's great that everyone is talking about our cover."

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