Image by Getty Images

By Maia Efrem January 20, 2016

A new takes us into the “modest” colonial home of the Vermont Senator with the adorable Brooklyn accent.

Looks like what we see with Sanders is actually what we get. He does his own laundry, goes grocery shopping, can’t take a compliment, his family describes him as frugal and he’s impatient when taking pictures. So, basically, he’s Larry David.

Bernie Sanders does not need a fancy introduction. #SNL

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

A video posted by Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) on Nov 8, 2015 at 7:25am PST

His family, who can’t believe how much he resembles David’s Saturday Night Live impression of their father, have dubbed him the “Bernster” and his wife, Jane Sanders, describes him as a minimalist. “If Bernie has seven sweaters, that’s three too many for him,” she told People.

When he hears a buzz during the interview, Sanders, 74, exclaims “That’s my cue!” and jumps up to get the laundry.

And that’s not all he does. Sanders chops wood and grills, sticking to a diet of meat and vegetables. “He was Paleo before Paleo was a thing,” joked Sander’s stepdaughter, Carina Driscoll.

In a video of the Sanderses in their home, a Christmas tree peeks out from a corner of the dining room and Sanders plays with his grandchildren on a nice backyard swing set, which was a “splurge for the frugal Senator.”

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount