10 of America's Most Famous Performers Use SAG Awards for a Trump Smackdown

Alexandra Rosenmann
,
 AlterNet
and
 Alexandra Rosenmann
January 30, 2017

Coming on the heels of President Trump's immigration ban barring people from seven countries from entering the United States, celebrities used the the 23rd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards as a platform to get their messages heard.

Here are 10 stars who slammed Trump for his decision.

1. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (nominated for Veep)

After taking a lighthearted jab at Russia's hacking potential, the "Veep" star accepted her award for best female actor in a comedy series in true Trumpian fashion. 

"I'm the winner, the winner is me, landslide!" she exclaimed. After thanking the Screen Actors Guild, she got serious. 

"I want you all to know that I am the daughter of an immigrant. My father fled religious persecution in Nazi-occupied France and I'm an American patriot and I love this country, and because I love this country, I am horrified by its blemishes and this immigrant ban is a blemish and it is un-American." 

2. John Legend (nominated for La La Land)

Legend encouraged everyone to speak out against Trump's immigration ban during a red carpet interview. 

"We support the protests, we donated to ACLU today and we're grateful that they were in court, in Brooklyn, defending rights of immigrants, of refugees to come to this country," he told the Associated Press shortly after arriving at the awards show with wife Chrissy Teigen. 

"We reject Donald Trump's message of fear and hate," Legend asserted. "Call your congress people, support ACLU, support IRC and all those organizations that are speaking out for immigrants and refugees."

"We're gonna defeat him," Legend said of Trump, calling the president an enemy of democracy, freedom and inclusion.

3. Taraji P. Henson (nominated for Hidden Figures) 

Upon accepting the award for best ensemble cast, Henson noted that the film tells the story of "what happens when we put our differences aside."

“This film is about unity,” Henson said of the film which received several Oscar nods last week. “The shoulders of the women that we stand on are three American heroes: Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. Without them, we would not know how to reach the stars.”
“These women did not complain about the problems, the circumstances, the issues,” Henson added. “They focused on solutions. Therefore, these brave women helped put men into space.” 

"We win. Love wins every time," she told the audience. "They are hidden figures no more!”

4. Dev Patel (nominated for Lion)

Patel lamented the news of Trump's immigration ban; calling the president's action "utterly devastating."

“The first thing that came into my head was the children who arrive on these shores with hope in their hearts," he recalled. "It’s horrible. It’s divisive. I hope something changes and something can be done because it really is terrible.”

5. Taylor Schilling (nominated for Orange Is the New Black)

"What unites us is stronger than the forces that seek to divide us," Schilling announced in her acceptance speech for best ensemble cast, heralding the diverse cast representing "generations of families who have sought a better life here" from all over the world. 

6. Mahershala Ali (nominated for Moonlight) 

Ali learned about persecution from Moonlight and urged the audience to "do better."

"Let’s battle," he pressed the crowd. "My mother is an ordained minister. I’m a Muslim. She didn’t do backflips when I called to tell her I converted 17 years ago. But I tell you now: We put things to the side. And I’m able to see her, and she’s able to see me. We love each other, the love has grown."
7. William H. Macy (nominated for Shameless)

“I’m shocked. I’m probably not as shocked as Jeffrey [Tambor, who was also nominated in the category], but I’m pretty shocked,” he said, adding, “I would like to go against the grain this evening and thank President Trump for making Frank Gallagher seem so normal.”

8. Lily Tomlin (recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award)

Tomlin also drew comparisons between Trump's America and Hitler's Nazi Germany. 

“[Trump is] trying to change the laws," she said. "You know, my mind is going too fast. I wanna think about the fact that, you know, I don’t wanna make this comparison, I’m not making it any way, but the Nazis, they changed the laws if they didn’t agree with them. They just changed them and they could do whatever they wanted.”
9. Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) and 10. Jocelyn Towne (We'll Never Have Paris)
Helberg and his wife Jocelyn Towne held their own protest on the red carpet, making it clear they welcome refugees to America. The "Big Bang Theory" actor held a sign that read "refugees welcome" while Towne had the words "let them in" inscribed on her chest.

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