Donald Trump‘s re-election as president has seemingly left Hollywood with a bitter taste in the mouth, with several stars voicing their dismay. Despite Kamala Harris having run a campaign steeped in A-list support, Donald Trump’s win sent shockwaves through the industry, leading to sharp comments from Hollywood actors, musicians, and late-night show hosts.
The overall sentiment among most celebrities who were vocal with their support for Harris is naturally a blend of anger, frustration, and calls for resistance. Here’s how stars are reacting to the results of one of the most consequential elections in American history.
Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Other Musicians Are In Dismay Over Donald Trump’s Win
The music world did not wait long to react to Trump’s victory, and Cardi B was leading the pack. The rapper, who had rigorously endorsed Harris during the campaign, posted a raw Instagram video of herself watching the election results with the rather candid caption. “I hate y’all bad,” she wrote.
A fan asked her if she’d attend Trump’s inauguration and she answered to that in true Cardi fashion during an Instagram live. “I’m sick of you! Burn your f**king hats, m***erf**ker. I’m really sad. I swear to God I’m really sad,” she said. She also later posted a heartfelt note for Kamala Harris.
Billie Eilish was equally distraught, posting an Instagram story declaring Trump’s re-election a “war on women.” The singer isn’t shy about speaking out on social issues and became a voice for many in the entertainment world as the reality of the Trump victory began to sink in.
Singer Ethel Cain also did not hold any bars while expressing her dismay. She wrote to the voters of Trump: “If you voted for Trump, I hope that peace never finds you. I hope clarity strikes you someday like a clap of lightning and you have to live the rest of your life with the knowledge and guilt of what you’ve done and who you are as a person.”
ethel cain speaks on the election:
— ethel cains fly (@ethelfiles) November 6, 2024
"it may be said as nauseam but you truly must become the change you want to see in the world." pic.twitter.com/CfuZ04QP5E
Even those musicians who never voiced their views on politics were found expressing their dismay this time. The sympathy for all who felt “the incredible weight” of the result was posted through an Instagram story by none other than Ariana Grande.
Sabrina Carpenter also offered her condolences to people hoping to get Harris as their president. She said she feels sorry for the country while expressing her love for the audience during her recent show. “I hope we can be a moment of peace for you and a moment of safety. Sorry about our country and to the women in here, I love you so so so so so much,” she said.
Sabrina Carpenter speaking at her show following Donald Trump’s election victory:
— SnpasPoP (@SnapsPop) November 7, 2024
“I hope we can be a moment of peace for you and a moment of safety. Sorry about our country and to the women in here, I love you so so so so so much.” pic.twitter.com/7G8B77YRtT
John Cusack, the guy known more for his acting appearances, also claimed that “the country would elect itself to self-destruction by voting in a convicted felon rapist and Nazi.”
Hollywood Is Concerned About Women’s Rights, Gaza Situation Under Donald Trump’s Regime
Film stars were no less merciless. Jamie Lee Curtis, an Oscar winner, turned to Instagram and warned that a “return to a more restrictive, some fear draconian time” could follow as part of Trump’s second term. But Curtis was quick to rally her own forces, urging them to “keep fighting.” “What it really means is that we wake up and fight. One protest at a time. That’s what it means to be an American,” he said.
The other star of ‘Dead to Me‘ and an outspoken woman, Christina Applegate, shared her pain over what this result would mean for women’s rights. “My child is crying because her rights as a woman might be taken away,” she said, adding a bold message to her followers. “And if you disagree, please unfollow me.” Many women were touched by her words, as women’s rights became one of the primary concerns in the aftermath of Trump’s victory.
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Elsewhere, ‘Don’t Look Up‘ director Adam McKay took to Twitter to attack the Democratic party’s strategy. “Who would have guessed lying about Biden’s cognitive health for 2 yrs. the Cheneys & a yr long slaughter of children in Gaza wouldn’t be a winning strategy?” he wrote, further dropping a bombshell. “It is time to abandon the Dem Party,” he wrote.
Who would have guessed lying about Biden’s cognitive health for 2 yrs, refusing to do an open convention for a new nominee,
— Adam McKay (@ZombiePanther2) November 6, 2024
never mentioning public healthcare & embracing fracking,
the Cheneys & a yr long slaughter of children in Gaza wouldn’t be a winning strategy?
1/
Other veterans who reacted included Viola Davis and Wendell Pierce, who were equally disappointed in the decision. Their objections, however, sounded almost like thanks to Kamala Harris, who ran a great campaign. Davis thanked Harris for her “bravery” and for “loving America’s promise,” while Pierce warned, “The Supreme Court will be changed for a generation. I’ll never see a moderate court again in my lifetime.”
The sharpest of Hollywood’s verbal daggers, however, may have come from Stephen King, who wrapped his critique in a poetic metaphor. “There’s a sign you can see in many shops that sell beautiful but fragile items: LOVELY TO LOOK AT, DELIGHTFUL TO HOLD, BUT ONCE YOU BREAK IT, THEN IT’S SOLD. You can say the same about democracy,” he wrote.
There's a sign you can see in many shops that sell beautiful but fragile items: LOVELY TO LOOK AT, DELIGHTFUL TO HOLD, BUT ONCE YOU BREAK IT, THEN IT'S SOLD.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) November 6, 2024
You can say the same about democracy.
Another author, Philip Pullman wrote a simple and clear message expressing his dismay: “Goodbye, America. It was nice knowing you.”
Late-Night Hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, And Seth Meyers Mourn America
The late-night comedy circuit, known for turning political disasters into punchlines, also addressed Donald Trump’s re-election with trenchant satire and heartfelt emotion. Jimmy Kimmel led off his monologue by making light of his terrible ‘Taco Tuesday‘. “We had the choice between a prosecutor and a criminal, and we chose the criminal to be president of the United States,” he said.
The joke Kimmel opened with gave way quickly to a tearful admission of the “terrible night” for women, immigrants, and pretty much everybody except for people who voted for Trump. “It was a terrible night for our climate, for scientists, for journalists, for justice, for free speech, for poor people, for the middle class, for democracy and decency,” Kimmel said, getting choked up.
He ended with a grim warning to the listeners to not “give up hope, but not to storm the Capitol if they found the winner of a presidential election unappealing” — an odd swat at what happened in the United States in 2021.
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Stephen Colbert was equally unapologetic, opening his monologue with a snappish, “Well f*ck, it happened again.” He described the Trump campaign as “bizarre and vicious,” driven by Trump’s desperation to stay out of jail. The ‘Late Show‘ host riffed on the grimness of the outcome but made a wry acknowledgment: at least there would be a peaceful transfer of power this time around — “Mike Pence, olly olly oxen free.”
Seth Meyers joined the fray with his own trademarked quip, likening the election to some sort of surreal Christmas Eve. “If you know, on Christmas morning, you’re gonna wake up to find that Santa left presents under the tree or just took a huge dump in your fireplace,” he said.
While the jokes flew fast and furious, there was an unmistakable undercurrent of disillusionment among the late-night hosts. “I am questioning my fundamental belief in the goodness of humanity,” as Colbert himself put it.
That Donald Trump is re-elected may well have shaken the entertainment fraternity, but if there is one thing that surely stands out, it is that the tide of rebellion against him is still alive in Hollywood. Musicians to actors and late-night hosts, everyone proclaims one message: the fight is far from over.
