Actor John Leguizamo said Wednesday that he is abandoning “Saturday Night Live” if GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump hosts it next Saturday.
“I won’t watch ‘SNL’ anymore,” he said during an interview with Yahoo. “I just find it unacceptable.
“I’m all for freedom of speech, [but] this is different,” Leguizamo said of Trump’s rhetoric on illegal immigration. “What he says doesn’t even fall into the category of PC.
{mosads}“It is hate-mongering,” he added. “I find it hurtful and insulting, and you’re celebrating someone who has said some horrible things.
“If [Trump] had said those things about any other ethnic group, he would not be on ‘SNL.’ ”
Leguizamo then argued that Trump had displayed a more tolerant persona during their personal meetings in New York City.
“He’s very friendly, very nice, but then he goes and says things like that,” the “Ice Age” voice actor said.
“He’s a different person on camera,” Leguizamo said of Trump. “His lack of sympathy and empathy is ridiculous.
“You’re catering to a small group of Tea Party voters, or you’re a moron,” he added.
Leguizamo, who is Colombian, said he does not think Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) represents Hispanic voters any better then Trump.
“[Rubio] is on the wrong side, unfortunately,” he said of the Republican White House hopeful, who has Cuban ancestry. “Latin people for Republicans are like roaches for Raid.”
Trump’s scheduled gig hosting “Saturday Night Live” on Nov. 7 has drawn fierce criticism from Hispanic lawmakers and advocacy organizations.
The Deport Racism PAC announced Wednesday that it is paying $5,000 to anyone who calls Trump a racist during next weekend’s live broadcast.
“We’re hoping $5,000 will help people on set or in the studio audience find the bravery to speak out loudly and help focus the national conversation on that we need to deport racism, not people,” said Santiago Cejudo, an organizer for the group.
The Hispanic Congressional Caucus, meanwhile, also began urging NBC to revoke the billionaire’s invitation earlier this week.
Trump has repeatedly dismissed criticism over his illegal immigration policies as political correctness run amok. He is now promising NBC will earn record ratings for “Saturday Night Live” during the show’s time slot.