Celebrities react as Donald Trump wins 2024 US election to become president

Celebrities are reacting to the news that Donald Trump has become the next US president.

It was revealed on Wednesday (6 November) that the Republican candidate had reigned supreme after sweeping three of the most crucial states after a chaotic election day.

As some stars remained tight-lipped about who they were voting for, many celebrities shared their endorsements for Kamala Harris, with a flurry of people, including Harrison Ford, Jennifer Aniston and Arnold Schwarzenegger, speaking out in favour of Trump’s Democratic rival in the last few weeks.

Meanwhile, Trump’s contingent of famous supporters, included Kelsey Grammer, Hulk Hogan, Zachary Levi and podcaster Joe Rogan, who endorsed him hours before the election. As Trump declared his own victory, he wrote on X/Twitter: “WHOLE. LEE. S***.”

Piers Morgan sent Trump his “congratulations”, calling his victory “the greatest comeback in political history”. In a celebratory post, he wrote: “A testament to your resilience, mental strength & never-give-up mentality as your enemies tried to kill you, jail you & brand you the new Hitler. Good luck in your second term.”

Another staunch defender of the Republican, Tesla founder Elon Musk praised the news, indicating his personal high hopes for the future.

But there was plenty of outcry over the result. Rapper Cardi B posted a photograph to Instagram, writing: “I hate y'all bad.” Earlier in the night, she deleted a post in which she said of the voting stats: “This is why some of y’all states be getting hurricanes.”

Director Adam McKay, whose credits include The Big Short and Don’t Look Up, wrote: “Who would have guessed lying about Biden’s cognitive health for two years, refusing to do an open convention for a new nominee, never mentioning public healthcare & embracing fracking, the Cheneys & a yr long slaughter of children in Gaza wouldn’t be a winning strategy?”

The Wire actor Wendell Pierce warned of the “consequences” Trump’s victory could have.

He wrote: “The Supreme Court will be changed for a generation. I’ll never see a moderate court again in my lifetime. Alito and Thomas will step down and Trump will appoint 40 year old partisans to the bench. The damage he is about to inflict on our institutions in the next two years will be irreparable.”

open image in gallery

Lili Reinhart, star of Riverdale, addressed the claims of sexual assault levied against Trump, : “I cannot fathom the feeling of the women who came forward about their sexual assault at the hands of Trump. Seeing millions of people vote for their abuser. My heart absolutely breaks for these women. I believe you, and I am so sorry.”

In May 2023, a jury in New York found Trump liable for the sexual abuse of writer E Jean Carroll.

Christina Applegate urged people to “unfollow” her if they had “voted against” female and disability rights.

“Unfollow me because what you did is unreal,” she wrote. “Don’t want followers like this. So yeah. Done. Also after today I will be shutting down this fan account that I have had for so many years because this is sick.”

She added in a follow-up post: “My child is sobbing because her rights as a woman may be taken away.”

open image in gallery

Oscar-nominated actor Jeffrey Wright, whose credits include the Hunger Games franchise, The Batman and TV series Westworld, re-shared his earlier post, which read: “We’re crazy, America. But we’re not as crazy as Trump”, with an addendum: “Let me just say ‘I was wrong.’”

Horror author Stephen King, days after calling out Musk for his Trump support, shared his views in a post reading: “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.”

Community star Yvette Nicole Brown said ahead of Trump’s win: “It looks like this nation is choosing a criminal. AmeriKKKa is showing out tonight. Just showing out,” while John Cusack, a noted critic of Trump’s, said: “The fact that the country would choose to destroy itself by voting in a convicted felon rapist and Nazi is a sign of deep nihilism. To put it mildly.”

Glee star Kevin McHale wrote: “Supreme Court gone for the rest of my lifetime. Ultra-conservative evangelical bigotry, xenophobia, racism is the mandate.”

Meanwhile, over in the Trump camp, boxer and internet personality Jake Paul called the Republican party’s triumph “a massive step in the right direction to heal the major issues going on in the world currently”, while Shazam! actor Zachary Levi shared a post pushing an unfounded conspiracy theory claiming Joe Biden’s 2020 victory was rigged.

open image in gallery

But in the world of celebrity, the outcry was louder. Succession actor Dagmara Dominczyk wrote: “Trump won because the majority of Americans are ignorant enough to choose a corrupt, unhinged felon born with a silver spoon in his nasty mouth over a woman of colour. That’s it. Nothing else mattered to them. It’s disgusting, shameful, and clear as day.”

In Britain, His Dark Materials author Philip Pullman was less than enthused about Trump winning the election, and responded by saying “goodbye” to America, adding: “It was nice knowing you.”

Susie Dent subtly shared her views on the fact that Trump had won a second term in the White House. The Countdown star said: “Word of the day is ‘recrudescence’ (17th century): the return of something terrible after a time of reprieve.”

Her post was reshared by broadcaster Carol Vorderman, who had earlier written: “Looks like Trump will win. God help America.” Comedian Jenny Eclair branded the result “unbelievable” while Armando Iannucci, creator of The Thick of It and Veep, referenced the result by stating: “And it’s only Wednesday.”

More to follow