‘Heaviness’: Ariana Grande Offers a Message of Support Post-Election
Ariana Grande has taken to her Instagram Story amid Donald Trump’s election win over Kamala Harris to share a message of support to fans, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ communities.
Against a black backdrop, Grande wrote, “Holding the hand of every person who is feeling the immeasurable heaviness of this outcome today.” The “yes, and?” singer also shared a number of resources for LGBTQ+ communities.
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Grande’s words reflect her longstanding support for LGBTQ+ rights. On International Transgender Day of Visibility in 2022, she pledged to match up to $1.5 million in donations to the Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund, benefiting 18 organizations supporting trans youth.
Her activism also extends to reproductive rights, donating $250,000 to Planned Parenthood in 2019 and later joining the #BansOffOurBodies campaign.
Grande has also participated in benefit concerts like her 2015 performance with Miley Cyrus for the Happy Hippie Foundation, supporting LGBTQ+ youth, and headlined NYC Pride’s 27th annual Dance on the Pier. Her efforts have directed funds to groups like TKO Society, TENT, and JASMYN.
Selena Gomez also joined the chorus of voices reacting to Trump’s victory, opting for a cryptic yet powerful quote on her Instagram Story penned by feminist Audre Lorde: “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” Beneath the quote, Gomez added her own words: “My heart is heavy today.”
Grande and Gomez were just some of many voices in Hollywood and the music industry responding to the election news.
Bette Midler shared a scathing quote by journalist H.L. Mencken that concluded with: “On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
Billie Eilish, an outspoken supporter of Harris, voiced her disappointment by calling Trump’s return “a war on women.” Known for her advocacy on social issues, Eilish has used her platform to speak on reproductive rights, leaving little doubt about her stance in the wake of this election outcome.
50 Cent, whose relationship with Trump has been notably complex, posted a photo of himself with Trump, captioned, “I don’t care how the fight goes, I’m leaving with the winner shit. I still don’t know what’s going on ??.” Just recently, the “Candy Shop” rapper revealed he had declined a major offer to perform at a Trump rally.
Cardi B, who publicly supported Harris, expressed her own dismay with a blunt, “We need a Hail Mary,” as Trump’s lead grew. She followed up with a post dedicated to Harris the next morning, saying, “No matter what they’ve said to bring you down…they can never say you didn’t run your race with honesty and with integrity!”
She thanked Harris for being a “real example of what the American dream should be.”
Other celebrities shared similar emotions. Ethel Cain posted a long reflection, criticizing “an embarrassingly large chunk of white men” whom she described as aligning with “power in ways that foster hatred.” Her post concluded with the message, “If you voted for [Trump], I hope peace never finds you.”
Lil Pump, a vocal Trump supporter, shared a selfie wearing a MAGA hat with Trump on a TV screen behind him, writing, “They put him in jail, try to assassinate him, and he’s still here…a fu–ing warrior MAGA.”
With his win, Trump becomes the oldest president to assume office at the start of a term, the first former president to regain power since Grover Cleveland, and the only person with a felony conviction to enter the White House.
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