The 2016 presidential election was full of celebrity voices — from the notables who publicly supported the candidates (or their pre-primary opponents) to those who took a less partisan approach in encouraging fans to vote. Here are some of their statements and reactions following Donald Trump’s shocking victory Tuesday night.
– Katy Perry
The singer, a prominent Hillary Clinton supporter, posted this message on Twitter:
“Do not sit still. Do not weep. MOVE. We are not a nation that will let HATE lead us.”
– Lady Gaga
The singer-actress, who rallied Clinton voters, stood outside of Trump Tower Wednesday morning with a sign that read “Love trumps hate.”
On Tuesday night, she posted a photo of herself with prominent Black Lives Matter activist Deray Mckesson, telling fans to “stand up for kindness, equality, and love.”
– Killer Mike
The rapper, who was an outspoken supporter of Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign, appeared on “The Real,” a syndicated daytime show hosted by Tamera Mowry-Housley, Loni Love, Jeannie Mai and Adrienne Bailon. The rapper told the hosts and guest panelist Ashanti that he wasn’t expecting election results to be so close, but pointed to anger among poor white voters as a prominent factor in Trump’s win. He had criticism for both parties:
“I think poor white people during the Civil Rights movement in Mississippi were the least paid white people in the country.
“They were treated as badly as any black worker. But simply because an imaginary line of race got put there and they could still say I’m superior to this person, they never joined the black worker and fought for better conditions for them all. And I think that they work for a party and have voted for a party that use the illusion of patriotism, that use the illusion of military, that use the illusion of even better by skin color or class to oppress them.
“And on the other side, I think people who look like the people on this panel, black, brown and all types of hues in between, I think that we have been used by a party, to the liberal side, that once in office has not enacted policy that was reflective of stuff that would bring our communities up.”
– Sarah Silverman
The comedian, also a vocal Sanders supporter before throwing her support behind the Democratic nominee, tweeted “Putin’s gonna win this thing” as the results came in Tuesday night and followed up with this subtle reflection later when a Trump win became even more likely:
“When do we start googling ‘What is Brexit?'”
– Laura Benanti
The Tony Award-winning actress has delighted “The Late Show” fans with her pitch-perfect Melania Trump parody, which she resurfaced on Stephen Colbert’s Showtime special Tuesday night. She’s also made it clear that she’s no fan of Trump. Now that he is headed for the White House, Benanti can presumably keep her parody going, but she didn’t seem ready to talk about that just yet on Wednesday morning:
“I am not ok. This is terrifying.”
– Lin-Manuel Miranda
The actor-composer, whose broadway smash “Hamilton” focuses on one of the nation’s founding fathers, tweeted this in the wee hours of Wednesday morning:
“Go through all stages tonight.
“You are allowed to feel however you like.
“Take stock of your heart.
“See you tomorrow.
“We are all still here.”
Later, Miranda shared some wisdom from his mom. “This too shall pass,” he wrote. “And she’s never been wrong about it.”
– Chance the Rapper
The Chicago native, who led a group of early voters to the polls Monday following a free concert in his hometown, encouraged his Twitter followers to watch Van Jones’s emotional take on the election results:
“If you wanna cry watch Van Jones give the frst cognizant minority understanding of the election on CNN tonight. He just made it real.”
– Jesse Williams
The “Grey’s Anatomy” actor, who stunned at this year’s BET Awards with a poignant speech about Black Lives Matter, posted this message after it became clear that Trump had emerged the winner:
“Be tired. Be mad. Be honest & concerned. But be not afraid. Rest up. Be safe. Come together. Construct. Know your surroundings. Be creative.”
– Scott Baio
The actor, who publicly supported Trump and spoke at the Republican National Convention, celebrated Trump’s win:
“Great faith in God works. Mr @realDonaldTrump I’m proud to call you President of the United States of America. And First Lady @MELANIATRUMP”
– Omarosa Manigault
The reality show star who rose to fame as a contestant on the Trump-hosted competition “The Apprentice” also celebrated his victory with a Periscope announcing “my friend Donald J. Trump” as the nation’s 45th president.