The SAG Awards were one long blast of defiance against Donald Trump. Here are the biggest moments.
The last seven days have been some of the most tumultuous times our nation has seen. President Donald Trump’s various executive orders to build the wall along the Mexican border, suspend refugee immigration, and essentially ban many Muslims from entering the country have sent the US into a tailspin. And members of the Screen Actors Guild had something to say about it at the SAG Awards on Sunday night.
In light of Meryl Streep’s fiery tirade at the Golden Globes, the actors had their work cut out for them, and they rose to the challenge. At nearly every opportunity, celebrities either called for support for immigrants or criticized President Donald Trump for his racist and Islamophobic orders.
We rounded up every single moment the SAG Awards got political.
- Before the show even began, Big Bang Theory star Simon Helberg brandished a sign on the red carpet supporting refugees:
- Right off the bat, Scandal’s Kerry Washington, who wore a safety pin on the red carpet, opened the show saying:
- Ashton Kutcher took to the stage, more directly addressing the Muslim and refugee ban:
“Good evening, fellow SAG-AFTRA members, and everyone at home, and everyone in airports that belong in my America. You are part of the fabric of who we are and we love you and we welcome you.”
- Julia Louis Dreyfus poked fun at Donald Trump, joking about the SAG awards being hacked by Russians and of course about the size of the crowd at the ceremony, before going onto a more serious note, discussing her own Jewish heritage:
“I want you all to know that I am the daughter of an immigrant,” she said. “My father fled religious persecution in Nazi-occupied France and I’m an American patriot and I love this country. Because I love this country, I am horrified by its blemishes and this immigrant ban is a blemish and it is un-American.”
- Upon receiving the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series, William H. Macy sent a quick jab Trump’s way, thanking the president for “making Frank Gallagher seem normal.” (Macy plays Frank on Shameless.)
- Viola Davis gave yet another amazing impassioned speech reminding us just how crucial it is for the stories of people of color to be told.
- On behalf of the cast of Orange is the New Black (who won for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series), Taylor Schilling spoke about the diversity of the cast and the need to keep telling diverse stories.
- Kathryn Hahn and Viggo Mortensen did a timely callback to a line from Captain Fantastic with a “Power to the people! Stick it to the man!” That kind of counts, right?
- Upon winning his first SAG award, Mahershala Ali, who is Muslim, discussed that his role in Moonlight allowed him to “see what happens when you persecute people.” He went onto discuss explaining his conversion to Islam to his Christian mother.
- Bryan Cranston offered some timely pee-themed advice to Donald Trump from Lyndon B. Johnson after accepting the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie: “Just don’t puss in the soup that all of us gotta eat.”
- Alia Shawkat greeted the crowd with an “As-Salaam-Alaikum” before presenting the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series.
- David Harbour delivered the acceptance speech on behalf of the cast of Stranger Things (who won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series) AND PRETTY MUCH PROMISED TO PUNCH NAZIS IN THE FACE. Okay, he didn’t say the word “Nazi,” but he definitely meant it. This acceptance speech was great:
- And finally, ending the night on a perfectly hopeful note, the cast of Hidden Figures took home the big prize of the night, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, and Taraji P. Henson took the opportunity to remind everyone of what happens “when we put our differences aside” and “come together.”