SAG Awards 2017: Julia Louis-Dreyfus Flawlessly Took Down Donald Trump in Her Acceptance Speech
When the 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards kicked off, it became immediately clear that the evening’s show would be a political one. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was one of the actors in attendance responsible for that pivot. Amid Donald Trump’s controversial ban on immigrants from predominantly muslim countries like Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Iraq, which has since drawn protests at airports across the country, Louis-Dreyfus used her acceptance speech for female actor in a comedy series, Veep, to speak out.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who played a president on the political satire, used her podium to troll the current POTUS. “Thank you,” she said, before launching into an impression of Trump. “Whether the Russians did or did not hack the voting of tonight’s SAG awards, I look out on the million or million and a half people in this room and I say, this award is legitimate and I won. I am the winner. The winner is me. Landslide.”
Her speech, which garnered laughs around the room, wasn’t just funny though—it was also deeply moving. After a jab at the President, the actress talked about her Jewish immigrant roots, saying, “I would like to say I am a very proud member of this union and I’m thrilled to be here tonight and I think the screen actors guild. I want you all to know that I’m the daughter of an immigrant. My father fled religious persecution in Nazi- occupied France,” Louis-Dreyfus shared—a timely sentiment as Trump’s questionably constitutional ban went into effect on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which went by this year with no mention from the White House.
Louis-Dreyfus concluded her speech by emphasizing how much we need storytellers now more than ever. “I’m an American patriot and I love this country,” she said. “Because I love this country, I am horrified by its blemishes and this immigrant ban is a blemish and it’s un-American. I say to you this. Our sister guild, WGA, made a statement I would like to read. Our guilds are unions of storytellers who have always welcomed those from the nations of varying beliefs with just you share their creativity with America. We are grateful for them. We stand with them and we will fight for them. Thank you very much. Thank you.”
SAG Awards 2017: See What Everyone Wore on the Red Carpet
Sarah Paulson in Vera Wang at the 2017 Academy Awards.
Winona Ryder at the 2017 Academy Awards.
Evan Rachel Wood in Altuzarra at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Brie Larson at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Nicole Kidman in Gucci at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Amy Adams in Brandon Maxwell at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Emma Stone in Alexander McQueen at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Salma Hayek in Gucci at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Lily Tomlin at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Natalie Portman in Dior at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Lela Rose at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Gina Rodriguez at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Taylor Schilling at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Teresa Palmer at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Rashida Jones in Vivienne Westwood at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Taraji P. Henson in Reem Acra at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Meryl Streep at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Kirsten Dunst in Dior at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Kerry Washington at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Janelle Monae in Chanel at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Bryce Dallas Howard in Dress the Population and Irene Neuwirth at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Kate Hudson in Dior at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Sofia Vergara in Zuhair Murad at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Ellie Kemper at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Nathalie Emmanuel in J.Mendel at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Tracee Ellis Ross at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Julie Bowen at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Sophie Turner at the 2017 SAG Awards.
Watch Julia Louis-Dreyfus in W’s Screen Test:
