HOLLYWOOD- Pop star Demi Lovato is jazzed about Democratic
frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Comic Sarah Silverman’s enthusiasm for Bernie
Sanders is no joke. Meanwhile, 1980s sitcom star Scott Baio wants Republican
businessman Donald Trump to be in charge
.
With Tuesday’s New York primary approaching and California’s
contest scheduled for June, celebrities are getting increasingly vocal about
their presidential picks. The trend is prompting newfound alliances and rifts
among Hollywood’s elite, many of whom have donated to candidates vying for the
office and actively campaigned for them.
Celebrities are hardly shy about voicing their political
preferences, but their opinions could carry more weight this year. The
primaries in New York and California, where many of them live, actually matter
for a change. Usually, both parties' nominees for president are effectively
determined earlier in the process.
Prominent female comedians are split on whom they support in the
Nov. 8 election. While Silverman is backing Sanders, two actresses who have
played Clinton in satirical sketches on the show “Saturday Night Live” say they
are fans of the former secretary of state. Amy Poehler appeared in a Clinton
campaign video while Kate McKinnon said on an episode of "Close/Up with
The Hollywood Reporter" last year that she is rooting for her.
And cast members from the 1980s sitcom “Cheers” are not toasting
the same candidate. George Wendt is listed on Sanders’ website as a supporter
while Ted Danson recently campaigned for Clinton in New Hampshire.
Meanwhile, Kirstie Alley voiced enthusiastic support for Trump
last week, sparking a Twitter storm.
“HELLO BOYS! This is my formal endorsement of @realDonaldTrump
& I’m a woman! (last I checked),” Alley tweeted.
As primary results roll in, like-minded luminaries among the
politically active rich and famous are linking up with each other on social
media to show their support in numbers.
Last week, Jamie Lee Curtis tweeted a photo of herself with
“Scandal” star Kerry Washington. Both women squeezed into a shirt together that
said “Yaaas, Hillary!”
Others are engaging in political spats as raucous as the
bickering on a Bravo reality show. Actresses Debra Messing and Susan Sarandon
traded barbs last month on Twitter over their support for Clinton and Sanders,
respectively. Sarandon suggested that "principled people" might have
difficulty voting for Clinton due to her environmental record.
"Did you see how @SusanSarandon just
called us unprincipled?" Messing tweeted to fellow actress and Clinton
supporter Kathy Najimy.
On the Republican side, celebrity Trump supporters are defending
themselves on social media. Singer Aaron Carter’s Twitter endorsement of Trump
in February prompted a barrage of snarky comments. He later wrote, “NO! you
guys aren’t going to bully me into my beliefs.”
While many celebrities are staunch in their views on the next
president, some are trying to be more open-minded. Caitlyn Jenner, who famously
revealed her identity as a transgender woman last year, said in an interview on
the "Today Show" in March that she was a Republican. But her daughter
Kendall and stepdaughter Kim Kardashian, as well as fellow costars on Jenner’s
reality show “I Am Cait,” are Clinton fans.
A month ago, Jenner posted a photo on Instagram with Clinton
with the hashtags #learningfrommygirls and #willingtolisten.
Still,
Clinton fans would be wise not to count her as a supporter just yet. On a March
episode of her show, Jenner said she would “never ever ever vote for Hillary."
