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