'I want to thank the sex worker community': Oscar winners from 'Anora' — about a stripper turned hooker — speak in lockstep



The big winner from Sunday night's Academy Awards ceremony was independent movie "Anora."

It's about "a young sex worker from Brooklyn," who "gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled," the Internet Movie Database says.

'Most of Hollywood is trite and banal, but this is wicked.'

The Washington Post noted that “Anora” is "in no way a celebration of the title character’s line of work — Ani (Madison) is a stripper at a Manhattan men’s club who negotiates a week of 'companionship' with the spoiled son (Mark Eydelshteyn) of a Russian oligarch — but in no way does it condemn her, either."

On Sunday night, "Anora" took home five golden statues out of six nominations.

The movie's creator, Sean Baker, won four Oscars for Film Editing, Original Screenplay, Directing, and Best Picture (as one of the movie's producers). Its star Mikey Madison — a first-time nominee — got the surprise nod for Best Actress.

But arguably what stands out most were the acceptance speeches from Baker and Madison, both of whom gave big shout-outs to the "sex worker community."

“I want to thank the sex worker community," Baker told the Academy Awards audience during his speech for his Original Screenplay win. "They have shared their stories. They have shared life experience with me over the years. My deepest respect. Thank you. I share this with you."

Madison during her Oscars speech gave the crowd a near mirror-image of Baker's address: "I also just want to again recognize and honor the sex worker community. I will continue to support and be an ally. All of the incredible people, the women that I’ve had the privilege of meeting from that community has been one of the highlights of this ... entire incredible experience.”

Variety added that during Madison's acceptance speech at the earlier British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, she offered similar words: "I do want to just take a moment to recognize the sex worker community. I just want to say that I see you. You deserve respect and human decency. I will always be a friend and ally.”

What's more, the Associated Press said after Baker collected his fourth Oscar, he declared backstage that sex work “has an incredible, unfair stigma applied to it” and offered that it should be decriminalized.

Pushback

As you might guess, not everyone is on board with lionizing the "sex worker community." Here's a smattering of pushback under an ABC News X post about Madison's speech:

  • "There's no honor in being a sex worker," one commenter wrote. "Hope that helps!"
  • "The porn and pimp industries are celebrating, surely," another user said.
  • "Most of Hollywood is trite and banal, but this is wicked," another commenter stated.
  • "Hollywood loves degeneracy," another user wrote. "Who would have guessed?"
  • "Being pro-human trafficking and modern-day slavery is quite the flex," another commenter said.
  • "Don't know who she is. Don't know the movie," another user observed. "But what I do know is that prostitution harms women. It doesn't matter if you give it a PC name so people don't get their feelings hurt. The dehumanization of women through the use of their bodies is nothing to support or celebrate."

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Actor Frankie Muniz leaves 'miserable' Hollywood for good, will race in NASCAR full-time



Actor Frankie Muniz announced he's putting his acting career on hold indefinitely as he prepares to race full-time starting in 2025.

After 20 years of racing, the former "Malcolm in the Middle" star is making a huge leap forward as he's set to become a full-time driver in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Reaume Brothers Racing.

'I can't be part-time, you can't act on the side.'

In an interview with Fox News, Muniz called his new gig "a dream come true."

"It's something that I've always wanted to do, and the fact that I actually get to announce that I'm doing it full-time next year, I'm thrilled," he said.

Muniz continued, "Making the leap up to the Truck Series is a whole other level."

Muniz practices at the Nashville Superspeedway in June.Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images

When asked if he was ready to give up acting to be a full-time driver, Muniz said he has been working toward being a professional driver for decades.

"I wouldn't say it was a hard decision. This is something I've been working for for literally 20 years," he told Fox News' Brian Kilmeade.

Muniz gave a candid interview in April during which he expressed similar sentiments about leaving Hollywood, explaining his disconnect with the acting world.

"I never felt like I fully fit in the Hollywood world, even though I was in the world," he recalled. "I was nominated for Emmys and Golden Globes, and I was going to all this stuff, and I was there, and I was like, 'How am I here?'"

Muniz added, "I hated L.A., so I kind of stayed in my own little world, my own little bubble. And moving to Arizona, I did it on a whim, and I realized immediately that I started looking up. I started enjoying looking at trees and birds in the sky. Going to the grocery store was a fun thing. You don’t get that in L.A. It’s a miserable experience."

Muniz added that he wanted to keep his children out of Hollywood. Despite saying he had a positive experience, he noted that he knew a number of people who had "insanely negative" experiences.

For racing, Muniz said he has been chasing the "incredible feeling" of coming in first, and that comes with training and competing just as hard as the other drivers — not acting.

"I can't be part-time, you can't act on the side," he reiterated.

Muniz already has made two starts with Reaume Brothers Racing in 2024, first at the Rackley Roofing 200 in Nashville on June 28 and then the Kubota Tractor 200 in Kansas City, Kansas, on Sept. 27. He finished 31st out of 36 drivers in Nashville and 29th out of 34 in Kansas City, Kansas.

According to NASCAR, the 38-year-old hopes to continue "building chemistry with the team and developing his notebook for the upcoming year."

Muniz will drive the No. 33 Ford next season.

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Left-wing actress throws former flame Dennis Quaid under the bus over his Trump support: 'Vote blue to stop the stupid'



Left-wing actress Lea Thompson appeared to shame former fiancé Dennis Quaid on X for his support of former President Donald Trump in the lead-up to next month's election.

Thompson reacted to a video of Quaid speaking at Trump's Coachella rally Saturday and posted, "I was engaged to him," alongside a thinking emoji and the hashtags "vote blue to stop the stupid" and "crime is actually down" with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in power.

'I can see why he likes Trump so much. They both dodged bullets.'

According to the Wrap, Thompson and Quaid began dating in 1982 after meeting on the set of “Jaws 3-D," and they were engaged from 1984 until 1987. The Wrap added that "Thompson has gone on to become a prolific TV director, while Quaid recently starred as Ronald Reagan in the poorly reviewed 'Reagan' biopic."

The Wrap left out that while film critics — who typically fly left-wing Hollywood political flags — indeed gave "Reagan" an average score of 18% on Rotten Tomatoes, the average audience member score for the biopic is a whopping 98%.

Quaid during the rally said that when he voted for Reagan decades ago, he told his roommate in Los Angeles, who retorted to Quaid, "You are kicked out of the hippies," Fox News reported.

How did people react to Thompson's takedown of Quaid?

As you might guess, given that Thompson likely doesn't have a ton of politically conservative followers on X, it appears a fair number of folks reacted positively to her post.

But not all of them were supportive.

Former Democrat Natalie Jean Beisner quipped back at Thompson, "I can see why he likes Trump so much. They both dodged bullets." Conservative commentator Sydney Watson told Thompson bluntly, "Nobody gives a s**t, Lea."

Others offered similar perspectives:

  • "Whew. That was a close one. Trump 2024," another user said.
  • "Yea. Funny how crime stats are down when not reported," another user noted.
  • "Glad he got out just in time," another user declared.
  • "This isn't the burn you think it is, Lea," another user explained. "Here's a man you presumably once loved, a man whose character you knew better than most, sharing his love for his country, why is that stupid to you? BTW, he's correct. And crime is up."

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'Don't miss Trump next time': Jack Black and his bandmate blasted for 'wish' during concert after failed assassination



Kyle Gass — Jack Black's partner in their band Tenacious D — offered a pointed "wish" from a concert stage over the weekend after the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump: "Don't miss Trump next time."

During the band's concert in Sydney, Australia, video shows Black singing "Happy Birthday" to Gass onstage as a birthday cake is presented to him. Black then tell Gass to "make a wish."

Reaction to Gass' 'don't miss Trump next time' statement seemed decidedly negative under one video posted to X.

With that, Black's bandmate waits a few seconds and says, "Don’t miss Trump next time," before blowing out the candles. Black replies, "Thank you!"

It sounds as though the audience's reaction on one clip was mostly laughter and applause. Indeed, Yahoo News said one crowd member remarked, “You could hear a couple of ‘oohhs’ — like 'too soon' sort of vibes — but the vast majority was laughter." The outlet said numerous fans praised Gass’ comment while others criticized the "bad joke."

Reaction to Gass' "don't miss Trump next time" statement seemed decidedly negative under one video posted to X:

  • "Wow f*** those guys," one commenter stated.
  • "That's disgusting @jackblack you support assassination attempts?" another user asked.
  • "Jack Black supporting assassination attempts on former presidents as well as far left radical extremism," another commenter said. "Shocker."
  • "Yea it’s super funny to see an ex-president have an assassination attempt on him," another user reacted sarcastically. "Such a weird world we live in."
  • "You know, I didn't care when Jack Black endorsed Biden. He can have that opinion. This is too far though. I hope he apologizes," another commenter wrote.
  • "They say Trump is bad, but these are the real evil people," another user opined.
  • "We know who this clown is and where his loyalties lie, and it's not America!!" another commenter declared.

Black as of Monday afternoon has not mentioned Gass' comment on X. The X account for Tenacious D also has not mentioned it as of Monday afternoon.

AllMusic describes Tenacious D as a Los Angeles-based "comic rock duo formed by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass."

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'Seinfeld' co-star on Jerry's real-life stance against political correctness: 'That’s a red flag'



Jerry Seinfeld's stance against political correctness is well-known. Only a few months back, he told the New Yorker in an interview that PC and the "extreme left" ruined comedic television: "It used to be, you would go home at the end of the day, most people would go, 'Oh, 'Cheers' is on. Oh, 'M*A*S*H' is on. Oh, 'Mary Tyler Moore' is on. 'All in the Family' is on.' You just expected, 'There’ll be some funny stuff we can watch on TV tonight.' Well, guess what — where is it?"

Seinfeld added to the magazine, "This is the result of the extreme left and PC crap, and people worrying so much about offending other people."

'My feeling about all of it is that political correctness, insofar as it equates to tolerance, is obviously fantastic.'

Well, Julia Louis-Dreyfus — Seinfeld's co-star on the sitcom that used his surname and ruled television for much of the 1990s — appeared to take issue with Seinfeld's anti-PC stance.

The New York Times recently interviewed Louis-Dreyfus, and the paper told her that "your former co-star Jerry Seinfeld recently made news for talking about political correctness in comedy. I’m wondering, as a famous comedian yourself, what you think about that."

Dreyfus didn't mention Seinfeld by name, but she told the Times the following:

If you look back on comedy and drama both, let’s say 30 years ago, through the lens of today, you might find bits and pieces that don’t age well. And I think to have an antenna about sensitivities is not a bad thing. It doesn’t mean that all comedy goes out the window as a result. When I hear people starting to complain about political correctness — and I understand why people might push back on it — but to me that’s a red flag, because it sometimes means something else. I believe being aware of certain sensitivities is not a bad thing. I don’t know how else to say it.

She didn't clarify what that "something else" is, nor did the Times follow up with a question regarding what "something else" might be.

But the interview continued 11 days later, and Louis-Dreyfus added that "my feeling about all of it is that political correctness, insofar as it equates to tolerance, is obviously fantastic. And of course I reserve the right to boo anyone who says anything that offends me, while also respecting their right to free speech, right?"

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Robert De Niro's onscreen tough-guy persona appears to emerge amid verbal fisticuffs with Trump supporters in NYC



Actor Robert De Niro is known worldwide for his portrayals of iconic mobsters and tough guys on the silver screen going all the way back to the early '70s.

Whether it was the newly murderous young Vito Corleone in "The Godfather Part II" or the harrowing psychopath Travis Bickle in "Taxi Driver," De Niro sure can cast an intimidating presence in front of a camera.

Photo by Columbia Pictures/Getty Images (left); Photo by FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images (right)

But a different kind of lens was trained upon De Niro Tuesday morning in New York City when he appeared on behalf of the Biden administration to perform a full-on takedown of former President Donald Trump — and right outside the Manhattan courtroom where closing arguments were underway in Trump's Stormy Daniels trial.

But De Niro may not have been counting on the many Trump supporters who showed up to heckle and call out the actor — and the pushback went on pretty much from start to finish.

'I mean, this is really ... even these people over here are kinda ... it's kinda crazy. It's really crazy. And this thing ... Donald Trump has created this. He should be telling them not to do this. But he's just ...'

One video caught De Niro — wearing a COVID mask — walking down a street with a crew of nearly 10 men when one observer yells out to the actor, "Walk the street by yourself! I dare you!" Believe it or not, De Niro actually turns around to look at who's yelling at him. Perhaps life was imitating art in a "you talkin' to me?" kind of way.

In another clip, De Niro is standing in front of his microphone as multiple people are heard yelling at him from a distance — one hollers a "f*** you!" — and the actor has a hard time dealing with the vitriol and completing sentences: "I mean, this is really ... even these people over here are kinda ... it's kinda crazy. It's really crazy. And this thing ... Donald Trump has created this. He should be telling them not to do this. But he's just ..."

Blaze News earlier Tuesday reported on De Niro's ill-advised argument with an individual who verbally challenged him during the news conference.

"On January 6, while Republican lawmakers despicably tried to keep the loser Trump, the loser Trump, in the White House, and Trump-inspired insurrectionists stormed the Capitol, brave men and women from law enforcement put their lives on the line to defend this country. Our democracy. They are the true heroes," De Niro said, according to video of his remarks.

Turning to former U.S. Capitol Police Officers Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone — both of whom were standing behind De Niro during the news conference — the actor continued, "These guys are the true heroes. They stood and put their lives on the line for these low lives, for Trump."

With that, someone near the press conference blurted out to De Niro, "They lied under oath."

De Niro didn't like that — and he appeared to lean into his wise-guy persona with the volume and tone of his voice:

De Niro: "They lied under oath? Who lied under oath? What are you telling me?"
Crowd member: "Those two traitors behind you."
De Niro: "Excuse me?"
Crowd member: "Those two traitors behind you."
De Niro: "They lied under oath?"
Crowd member: "That's right."
De Niro: "What are you saying?"
Crowd member: "They're traitors."
De Niro: "They're traitors?" (Psst. That's what the guy said, Bobby.)

"I don't know, I don't even know how to deal with you, my friend. I don't even know how to deal with you," the actor went on. "They stood there; they didn't have to. And there were other ones in there who probably were in with them a little bit, too, and they found a way to get around — not these guys. They stood there and fought for us, for you. For you!"

"They weren't fighting for me," the crowd member responded.

"No? No, they fought for you, buddy, you're able to stand right here now," De Niro persisted.

— (@)

For his closing act, De Niro got into a heated verbal altercation on the way back to his vehicle as detractors crowded around him as well as the group of men apparently protecting him.

Pro-Trump folks yelled out "wannabe!" and "sell-out!" and "nobody!" and "movies suck!" and "little punk!" NBC News reported.

"You're not going to intimidate!" De Niro yelled back, pointing his index finger. "That's what Trump does, to try to intimidate! ... We are going to fight back! We're trying to be gentlemen in this world, the Democrats! You are gangsters! You are gangsters!"

"You're washed up!" another person hollered at the actor, who clearly had enough by that point and fired off a nifty "f*** you!" at his adversary.

On the plus side, at least one person hollered, “I loved you in 'Taxi Driver'!”

'You are gangsters!': Robert De Niro clashes with Trump supporters in New York youtu.be

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Check out 'anti-woke' scene from Cate Blanchett's new movie, in which her character utterly torches cancel culture, identity politics: 'Absolutely based'​



An "anti-woke" scene from "Tár" — a Cate Blanchett movie just released last month — is getting some attention for taking a stand against cancel culture and identity politics.

What's the background?

Written and directed by Todd Field, "Tár" focuses on fictional character Lydia Tár, who's "widely considered one of the greatest living composer-conductors and first-ever female music director of a major German orchestra," IMDB notes.

According to Wired, the scene in question takes place during a conducting class Tár is teaching at Juilliard, during which a student named Max identifies “as a BIPOC pangender person" and finds Johann Sebastian Bach's “misogyny” hard to take.

Sitting at a piano with Max, Tár plays a Bach piece and asks Max for an opinion on it.

"You play really well," Max replies. "But nowadays white, male, cis composers — just not my thing."

Tár shoots back, "Don't be so eager to be offended. The narcissism of small differences leads to the most boring conformity."

When Max admits some admiration for composer Edgard Varèse, Tár stands up and tells Max that "you must be aware that Varèse once famously stated that jazz was a negro product exploited by the Jews. Didn't stop Jerry Goldsmith from ripping him off for his 'Planet of Apes' score. It's kind of a perfect insult, don't you think?"

She pours on more logic, declaring that "if Bach's talent can be reduced to his gender, birth country, religion, sexuality, and so on, then so can yours. Now, some day, Max, when you go out into the world, and you guest conduct for a major or minor orchestra, you may notice that the players have more than light bulbs and music on their stands. They will also have been handed rating sheets — the purpose of which is to rate you. Now, what kind of criteria would you hope that they use to do this? Your score reading and stick technique, or something else?"

Tár then buries Max pretty deep in front of the entire class, asking for a vote from those in the music room on the better approach for such judgment — and Max rises from the piano bench and begins to walk out of the music room, calling Tár a "f***ing bitch."

Without missing a beat, Tár calls Max "a robot" as he continues his journey to the door, adding that "unfortunately, the architect of your soul appears to be social media."

Here's the scene via Catch Up, which calls it "absolutely based." Content warning: Language:

\u201cCate Blanchett takes on critical race theory and gender identity politics in her new role. Absolutely based.\u201d
— Catch Up (@Catch Up) 1668677122

How are folks reacting to the scene?

Former Mumford & Sons banjoist Winston Marshall — who just spoke to TheBlaze's Glenn Beck about why he regrets apologizing to the woke mob — wondered in a tweet, "Has Hollywood gone anti-woke??? I can’t believe what I’ve just seen."

Fox News' Brian Kilmeade said Blanchett "eviscerates woke gender identity politics in captivating scene from her new film Tár. Don't expect this one to get Hollywood praise... it is starting to go viral on the Internet, however."

The Babylon Bee's Joel Berry offered "props to Todd Field for writing this little monologue."

The New Culture Forum from the U.K. tweeted, "3 brilliant minutes. It's hard to believe such a scene was filmed in this day and age. Indeed, we're so familiar with Hollywood's milquetoast wokery, that watching this is a decidedly strange experience."

Jason Howerton, an alum of TheBlaze, said he "never in a million years would have predicted that the most SAVAGE takedown of woke gender/identity politics would come from a Hollywood actress, yet here we are."

Far-left actor Ron Perlman says pro-2A Supreme Court ruling 'for whites only' — except Justice Clarence Thomas wrote majority opinion



Far-left actor Ron Perlman on Thursday tweeted that the Supreme Court's decision to overturn a New York law requiring gun owners to demonstrate "proper cause" for concealed handgun licenses is "for whites only," Fox News reported.

It isn't clear whether Perlman took into account that Justice Clarence Thomas — the only black justice on the high court — wrote the majority opinion.

"The constitutional right to bear arms in public for self-defense is not 'a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees," Thomas wrote, adding that "we know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need. That is not how the First Amendment works when it comes to unpopular speech or the free exercise of religion. It is not how the Sixth Amendment works when it comes to a defendant's right to confront the witnesses against him. And it is not how the Second Amendment works when it comes to public carry for self-defense."

Perlman deleted his tweet less than 30 minutes after posting it, Fox News said — but some folks didn't let his faux pas go.

"Why'd you delete this, @perlmutations?" one Twitter user asked the actor. "Did you figure out a Black man is responsible for the decision? It's like some of you are getting dumber in real time."

\u201cWhy\u2019d you delete this, @perlmutations? Did you figure out a Black man is responsible for the decision?\n\nIt\u2019s like some of you are getting dumber in real-time.\u201d
— The\ud83d\udc30FOO (@The\ud83d\udc30FOO) 1656024390

Another user added, "A decision written by a black guy is "FoR wHiTeS OnLy"? Ok…"

\u201c@perlmutations A decision written by a black guy is "FoR wHiTeS OnLy"?\nOk...\ud83d\ude05\u201d
— Ron Perlman (@Ron Perlman) 1656001643

Another Twitter user wrote "Damn bro that's crazy, but look at this racist I found that needs calling out!" Interestingly the user — @FDippity — posted the same screenshot of Perlman's tweet that @RonnieA1983 shared above, but Twitter slapped a warning label on @FDippity's screenshot:

\u201c@perlmutations Damn bro that\u2019s crazy but look at this racist I found that needs calling out!\u201d
— Ron Perlman (@Ron Perlman) 1656001643

"A comfortable white liberal calling out a 'racist' SCOTUS decision written by a black man who actually suffered through the Jim Crow south," writer David Asman reacted to Perlman's antics. "Americans won’t buy any more of this crap."

Another user quipped, "Somebody introduce Ron Perlman to Judge Clarence Thomas."

"I think the real question here is, why does Ron Perlman, a rich white guy, want to deny minorities the ability to own a firearm?" another user added.

Tone-deaf Whoopi Goldberg: Uproar over Hollywood elites 'really pisses me off' because 'a lot of us work for a living'



Whoopi Goldberg got a bit ornery on "The View" Thursday over growing complaints about Hollywood "elites," saying such talk "pisses me off" and that "a lot of us work for a living."

What are the details?

The program's co-hosts were weighing in on one of the biggest stories of the week, that actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage at the Academy Awards ceremony Sunday.

Co-host Sunny Hostin was frustrated that Smith reportedly refused to leave the building after being asked to do so, which she said "shows an incredible amount of entitlement and a misunderstanding, fundamentally, of what he had done." Anonymous sources have disputed the claim that Smith was asked to leave the event.

"The View" conversation soon shifted to disappointment with Oscar audience members who gave Smith a standing ovation for his best actor award a short time after he slapped Rock. Guest co-host Tara Setmayer — a former CNN political commentator and former Republican communications director on Capitol Hill — wasn't down with the applause for Smith.

Setmayer said the crowd's behavior "goes back to why some people feel like Hollywood elites are a bunch of hypocrites because they go out there and give these statements of moral superiority about things and political statements, and then they’re ... doing a standing ovation after he just assaulted Chris Rock.”

But Goldberg wasn't having it, interjecting that "as one of those people, I gotta stop you."

'It really pisses me off'

"I just wanna stop with this 'elite' stuff because, you know, a lot of us work for a living. We work. We collect a check. We got families," she said. "We try to do the same thing, the good stuff that everybody else tries to do.”

Goldberg added that "it really pisses me off when people start to talk about people who work in Hollywood, not just actors, but all the other folks. So please, when you're talking about actors, be specific.”

Are folks who are tired of Hollywood elites really thinking about those "entitled" key grips, "woke" best boys, and "super rich" craft services personnel? No, they're thinking about celebrities like Goldberg.

Whoopi wasn't through, though. She added that if individuals are “pissed off about somebody or how they act, don’t put it on all of us, 'cause that’s like saying all black people like chicken.”

Here's the clip. The relevant portion starts just after the three-minute mark:

CHRIS ROCK SAYS HE\u2019S STILL \u201cPROCESSING WHAT HAPPENED\u201d: The comedian broke his silence on what happened between him and Will Smith at the #Oscars as the Academy says Smith refused to leave after the altercation \u2013 #TheView co-hosts and @TaraSetmayer react. http://abcn.ws/370JI64\u00a0pic.twitter.com/AEG1jm7xIX
— The View (@The View) 1648741343

Anything else?

Rock declined to press charges against Smith minutes after the slap, and Smith issued an apology to Rock on Instagram a day later. The Academy on Wednesday said its board of governors had launched disciplinary proceedings against Smith.

In Boston at his first show this week for his new comedy tour, Rock didn't break down anything about Smith's slap with his Boston audience, only saying that he's still "processing" the incident. Although he did quip to the crowd, "How was your weekend?"

(H/T: IJR)

'Set phasers to cringe': Leftist GA gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is president of the United Earth on 'Star Trek' — and viewers head to sick bay



You don't suppose the movers and the shakers connected with "Star Trek: Discovery" care one way or another if left-wing darling Stacey Abrams wins the Georgia gubernatorial race in November, do you?

Because they gave the Democratic candidate some extra attention by casting her in the role of president of the United Earth for Thursday's season four finale.

What are the details?

One clip shows the Federation president greeting Abrams' character and saying she's looking forward to diplomatic discussions getting started. “Nothing to discuss,” Abrams character replies. “United Earth is ready right now to rejoin the Federation, and nothing could make me happier than to say those words."

Her character then engages in a brief chat with other characters, including U.S.S. Discovery Capt. Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), after which the clip ends.

into my veinspic.twitter.com/ZfQglwsmV8
— Jerry Dunleavy (@Jerry Dunleavy) 1647538867

A decidedly starstruck Martin-Green told Deadline that she's "still floored when I think about Stacey gracing us with her presence in our Season 4 finale."

Martin-Green added to the outlet that Abrams "is a legend in the making and a civil hero" and that "it was an honor for me as a black woman to stand with her in the story."

Deadline called Abrams "the woman widely regarded as having saved American democracy," presumably for her work getting Democrats elected in 2020.

How are folks reacting to the clip?

A number of Twitter users who watched the clip of Abrams playing president of the United Earth seem well aware of the political parallels at play — and they almost unanimously slapped their palms against their foreheads:

  • "Campaign ad?" one commenter wondered.
  • "Set phasers to cringe," another user wrote.
  • "What did I just watch? Is this a deepfake?" another commenter asked.
  • "From fake governor to fake president?" another user posed.
  • "If this was an SNL skit it'd be hilarious," another commenter declared.
  • "How to give a politician greater delusions of grandeur," another user offered.

Anything else?

Abrams announced her bid for Georgia governor in December. She lost the 2018 governor's race to Republican Brian Kemp by a small margin, after which Abrams infamously claimed voter suppression and said Kemp's victory was tainted.

"We had this little election back in 2018, and despite the final tally and the inauguration and the situation we find ourselves in, I do have one very affirmative statement to make: We won," Abrams said five months after her defeat.

In early February, Abrams was called out for the hypocritical optics of a photo showing her without a mask in a classroom full of young children forced to wear face masks — and soon the photo was gone from social media.