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Sunday, November 15, 2026Nov 15

Awards and politics: Celebrities can speak out, but readers say they don’t really listen

After accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 8, actress Meryl Streep criticized President-elect Donald Trump for mocking a disabled reporter and called for the defense of a free press.
After accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 8, actress Meryl Streep criticized President-elect Donald Trump for mocking a disabled reporter and called for the defense of a free press.
photo Katy Perry wore a “Persist’ armband during her performance at the Grammy Awards. It was in response to what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said when he silenced Sen. Elizabeth Warren as she read Coretta Scott King’s letter against Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted,” said McConnell.

Hot-button moments

10 celebrities who mixed award shows and politics1. Meryl Streep castigates Donald Trump when accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards.2. Filmmaker Michael Moore calls President George W. Bush “a fictitious president for fictitious times” after winning the Oscar for “Bowling for Columbine” in 2003.3. Leonardo DiCaprio advocates for American Indians during his acceptance of the Best Actor in a Drama Award for “The Revenant” at the 2016 Golden Globes.4. Marlon Brando refuses to attend the 1973 Academy Awards in protest of the poor treatment of American Indians by the film industry.5. Richard Gere is banished from attending the Oscars in 1993 after using his role as a presenter to announce he hoped Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping was watching so he could discuss human rights violations in Tibet. He didn’t return to the Academy Awards until 2003.6. Sally Field gives an anti-war speech at the Emmy Awards in 2007 while accepting her award for “Brothers and Sisters.”7. After winning the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2007 for “An Inconvenient Truth,” former vice president Al Gore speaks out on the need to “solve the climate crisis.”8. Sean Penn criticizes anti-gay protesters outside the 2009 Academy Awards ceremony when he won Best Actor for his portrayal of Harvey Milk.9. Screenwriter John Irving thanks the Academy for honoring a film that tackled abortion when he accepted his 2000 Academy Award for “The Cider House Rules.”10. Sarah Paulson encourages viewers to donate to the ACLU when accepting a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance in a TV Movie or Miniseries for “The People v. O.J. Simpson.”Source: Various internet sites

Have a say

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To watch

› What: 89th Annual Academy Awards› When: 7 p.m. Sunday› Where: ABC› Information: www.http://oscar.go.com

This year’s awards season kicked off with actress Meryl Streep rebuking President Donald Trump on national television at the Golden Globes.

Actor Ashton Kutcher opened the Screen Actors Guild Awards three weeks later by welcoming the audience and “everyone in airports that belong in my America” to the televised dinner – the first of many celebrities that night to voice political discontent.