Democratic strategist Rodell Mollineau advised Democrats on Tuesday to not put celebrities on pedestals following the recent scandal surrounding comedian Trevor Noah and a joke he made about aboriginal women in 2013.
“We in America, we have this celebrity fetish, and we hold these celebrities up to be more than what they are. Trevor Noah is a comedian that is paid by Comedy Central,” Mollineau told Hill.TV’s Krystal Ball and Buck Sexton on “Rising.”
“I’m not sure how in the last couple of years he’s become this progressive darling or so on and so forth, but I know this, he doesn’t lead any movement that I believe in, and he’s not an elected official,” he continued.
“I think that Democrats, a lot of times, we freak out about this, but we have to understand, they are not our elected officials,” he said.
“Yeah, it feels good sometimes when someone famous validates something that you believe, but at the end of the day, they’re Americans, they have the right to say what they want to say. You don’t have to believe it. You don’t have to support,” he said, adding, “I will say this, Democrats, stop taking their money if you’re going to be clutching pearls after they say something, but I don’t see something more than just a blip.”
Various celebrities have made political headlines in recent months for making heated comments about President Trump and his administration, prompting backlash from the president’s supporters.
Actor Robert De Niro took the stage at the Tony Awards this year, and said “F— Trump,” while TBS’s “Full Frontal” host Samantha Bee faced backlash for referring to Trump’s daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump as a “feckless c—” on her show.
— Julia Manchester
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