SAG AWARDS 2017

SAG Awards 2017: Julia Louis-Dreyfus Flawlessly Took Down Donald Trump in Her Acceptance Speech

Her speech was both funny and moving.


Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

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.

Steve Granitz

Winona Ryder at the 2017 Academy Awards.

Kevin Mazur

Evan Rachel Wood in Altuzarra at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Dimitrios Kambouris

Brie Larson at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Jeff Kravitz

Nicole Kidman in Gucci at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Frazer Harrison

Amy Adams in Brandon Maxwell at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Alberto E. Rodriguez

Emma Stone in Alexander McQueen at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Alberto E. Rodriguez

Salma Hayek in Gucci at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Frazer Harrison

Lily Tomlin at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Frazer Harrison

Natalie Portman in Dior at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Alberto E. Rodriguez

Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Lela Rose at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Steve Granitz

Gina Rodriguez at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Steve Granitz

Taylor Schilling at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Frazer Harrison

Teresa Palmer at the 2017 SAG Awards.

John Shearer

Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Alberto E. Rodriguez

Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Lester Cohen

Rashida Jones in Vivienne Westwood at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Frazer Harrison

Taraji P. Henson in Reem Acra at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Frazer Harrison

Meryl Streep at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Frazer Harrison

Kirsten Dunst in Dior at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Frazer Harrison

Kerry Washington at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Frazer Harrison

Janelle Monae in Chanel at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Steve Granitz

Bryce Dallas Howard in Dress the Population and Irene Neuwirth at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Steve Granitz

Kate Hudson in Dior at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Frazer Harrison

Sofia Vergara in Zuhair Murad at the 2017 SAG Awards.

Frazer Harrison

Ellie Kemper at the 2017 SAG Awards.

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Nathalie Emmanuel in J.Mendel at the 2017 SAG Awards.

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Tracee Ellis Ross at the 2017 SAG Awards.

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Julie Bowen at the 2017 SAG Awards.

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Sophie Turner at the 2017 SAG Awards.

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Watch Julia Louis-Dreyfus in W’s Screen Test: