5 Times Broadway Stars Destroyed Donald Trump
By Brookelynn Mason
When Lin-Manuel Miranda almost let it slip on SNL.
The Hamilton star and creator was a very vocal supporter of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign season. He and fellow Hamilton cast member and Tony Award winner Renee Elise Goldsberry even performed at “Broadway for Hillary” with a rendition of the show’s “Ten Duel Commandments” to encourage citizens to register to vote. It’s no surprise, then, that the first on our list of epic Trump shade is Miranda’s songwriting prowess directed at the man himself as part of his monologue rewrite of “My Shot” during his time hosting Saturday Night Live. Maybe he should be rewrite it to be "Never gon' be (my) president now..."
That time the ENTIRE CAST of Avenue Q sang a protest song.
Anyone who’s been to see this puppet musical knows that satire and comedy are a pastime for Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, the brains behind Avenue Q. It seems this does not stop with the theatre, as they teamed up in August of 2016 with Swedish songwriter Ledinsky to re-imagine his protest song to take a stab at Donald Trump. The track was entitled “DonaldTrumpMakesMeWantToSmokeCrack”, and was featured on Ledinsky’s EP, High Society.
When Audra McDonald reminded us that we are *his* boss.
She has six Tony Awards, a Drama Desk Award, and a run in the show Private Practice. She also doesn't take kindly to the new president. Though many Broadway stars have used words of compassion and togetherness to unite people under this new regime, none did so as eloquently as Audra McDonald. She reminded us that Trump is our employee, and his new job involves serving us, not the other way around. Can we say “you’re fired” yet?
That time Bette Midler roasted his reliability with the ladies.
Bette Midler, the star of the upcoming Hello Dolly revival, is known for her boisterous personality and outspokenness. This extends to her political views as well, as she called out The Donald’s precariousness with women. Can you blame her? This is, after all, the same guy that bragged about sexually assaulting women and was in the midst of a trial for raping a minor.
When Jennifer Holliday pulled out of performing at Trump’s inauguration.
Dreamgirls star Jennifer Holliday canceled a mere 24 hours after the announcement that she would perform at the inaugural concert due to pressure from her fanbase, largely comprised of LGBT and people of color. She stated that she did not realize the performance would be interpreted as support for Donald Trump, and apologized for her lack of judgment. It’s okay, Jen. Not only did you refuse to give him your support, but your cancellation brought this video from the Miss Arkansas pageant of 2010 to the surface of the Internet (again).
We’ll consider it a nice consolation prize slash NO THANKS THIS PERFORMANCE IS A LITERAL NIGHTMARE!
Need to cleanse your palate? Check out Holliday's lifechanging performance for both her and the entire gd world: