Robert De Niro left no doubt about his feelings for Donald Trump at the Tony Awards. (Photo: ScreenCap)
Robert De Niro had two words for Donald Trump at the Tony Awards–Fuck Trump. A long-time critic of the president, the famed actor got right to it as soon as he was called to the stage to announce Bruce Springsteen’s performance.
“I’m going to say one thing, fuck Trump,” he pronounced, raising clenched fists.
The pronouncement drew a raucous standing ovation from the crowd of mostly theater actors, producers and directors.
De Niro, 74 was at Radio City Music Hall in New York City to introduce legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen, who was set to perform.
After receiving the rousing applause, he said it again.
“It’s no longer down with Trump. It’s fuck Trump.”
CBS censors were quick enough to bleep the actor’s curses, but the audience caught every word.
De Niro also urged Americans to vote, and praised Springsteen for his own political commitment.
“Bruce, you can rock the house like nobody else and even more importantly in these perilous times, you rock the vote, always fighting for, in your own words, truth, transparency and integrity in government. Boy, do we need that now.”
Springsteen sang his classic hit “My Hometown.”
Springsteen received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theater in honor of his critically acclaimed show, Springsteen on Broadway.
During the performance, Springsteen talked about growing up “surrounded by God and all my relatives” in the US, explaining that people did their best to resist the “demons, outside and inside, that sought to destroy them.”
Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban co-hosted the 2018 Tony Awards.
Check out De Niro’s remarks below, and the full list of Tony Award winners. Let us know your thoughts and be sure to follow IM on Twitter for the latest theater news.
| Tony Awards 2017-2018; Winners in Boldface | |
|---|---|
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Best Play Best Musical Best Revival of a Play Best Revival of a Musical Best Direction, Play Best Direction, Musical Best Performance by a Lead Actor, Play Best Performance by Lead Actress, Play Best Performance by Lead Actor, Musical Best Performance by Lead Actress, Musical Best Performance by Featured Actor, Play Best Performance by Featured Actress, Play Best Performance by Featured Actor, Musical Best Performance by Featured Actress, Musical Best Book, Musical Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) |
Best Sound Design of a Play Best Sound Design of a Musical Best Orchestrations Best Scenic Design, Play Best Scenic Design, Musical Best Lighting Design, Play Best Lighting Design, Musical Best Costume Design, Play Best Costume Design, Musical Best Choreography Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre Special Tony Awards Regional Theatre Tony Award Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award Tony Honors for Excellence |