CULTURE

A Stunned, Grieving, Pro-Hillary Clinton Hollywood Takes to Instagram in Response to Donald Trump’s Victory

In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s historic upset in the presidential race, Hollywood floods Instagram with blacked-out boxes and expressions of solidarity.


In the early hours of Wednesday morning, not long after major news outlets began calling the election in favor of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton called him to concede, Lady Gaga arrived at Trump Tower wielding a sign reading “Love Trumps Hate.” The singer, an outspoken Clinton supporter, had taken part in rallies and campaign efforts — appearing at a pro-Clinton concert on the eve of the elections and at the Javits Center alongside Lena Dunham and more on election night — and in the aftermath of Trump’s stunning upset, she continued to stand in solidarity not just with Clinton, but with the values she represented. She quickly changed her Twitter display name from #VoteHillary to #CountryofKindness, and she posted her quiet protest on Instagram.

The coming days will bring with them further protests in real life — artist and actress India Salvor Menuez, for example, has posted about gatherings across New York City, from Union Square to Columbus Circle; musician Maggie Rogers quickly posted a mournful, low-fi demo of a track to her Instagram profile — but Hollywood has already begun to do what they can online, flooding Instagram with images and words of solidarity and sorrow. (Few and far between are humorous, sarcastic Instagrams; there aren’t many among Clinton’s celebrity supporters who are in a joking mood just now.) From Madonna to Beyoncé and Jay Z, Mary J. Blige to Amy Schumer, Hollywood predominantly allied itself with Clinton, and the stricken reactions of actors, musicians, and artists is palpable even through social channels. Solid black boxes are dominating news feeds, the simplest form of protest, accompanied by lengthy expressions of shock and grief. For others, a selfie or a screen shot of a powerful quote will suffice; the hashtag #imstillwithher has emerged from the loss. Here’s how artists and celebrities are reacting to a Trump victory on Instagram.

Emily Ratajkowski, model and actress

Angel Haze, musician

Chloë Sevigny, actress

Sky Ferreira, actress and musician

Amber Tamblyn, actress

Róisín Murphy, musician

Lena Dunham, actress and activist

Mary J. Blige, musician

Hari Nef, model and actress

Hana, musician

Madonna, musician