Taraji P. Henson urged viewers at Sunday night’s BET Awards to take the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency seriously.
Accepting the award for Best Actress, the Empire star said, “I’m really not political, but it’s serious out here.” She then referenced Trump, though not by name: “For those who think he’s not going to win, think again. We really need to pull together and turn this country around.”
The BET Awards were filled with a number of political call-outs in the first hour. “Your vote is your voice,” Terrence J said before presenting the Best Group award, citing the recent Brexit decision in the United Kingdom. “If we do not vote smart in this upcoming election, trust me, guys, we will be feeling the same way. Make sure you’re registered, and stay woke.”
Later, co-host Tracee Ellis Ross pleaded with viewers to vote. “As we all know, we have a very important election coming up. And we all need to vote,” she said, adding that it was “such an important election.”
“You know what I heard? I heard one of the largest, most influential demographics are single women in this election. So basically, technically, what that means is that I will be determining the next president,” she said. “Welcome to the White House, Hillary Clinton.”
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