The Weeknd and Belly cancel ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ performance because of Trump appearance
Amid a tempestuous swing through Southern California on Wednesday, Donald Trump made a stop in Hollywood for a taping of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” drawing a small crowd of protesters and prompting singer the Weeknd and rapper Belly to cancel their performances on the show.
Outside the El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, the crowd blasted Trump and criticized host Jimmy Kimmel for giving the Republican presidential candidate such a prominent platform on late-night television.
“Shame on you, Jimmy Kimmel,” one man chanted in a microphone. Gina Hernandez, 28, drove from Pomona after learning of Trump’s appearance on the show to protest his stance on immigration.
“He has no clue what he’s talking about,” Hernandez said of the billionaire developer.
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Grammy Award-winning singer the Weeknd and Belly, one of the singer’s frequent co-songwriters, nixed their performance, which was scheduled for the same episode. The two were set to perform Belly’s song “Might Not.”
“I feel like the way I was raised was to be able to see through all the titles in this world — from religion to race,” Belly said in a statement to the Associated Press.
“I just didn’t want to feel like I was a part of a celebration for somebody who has beliefs that majority of us don’t agree with.”
Trump has drawn fierce criticism by claiming Mexico was sending “rapists” over the border. Later, he called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims” entering the U.S.
Outside the theater, Los Angeles police officers lined the sidewalk and used their bicycles to block the street. LAPD officers on horseback also patrolled Hollywood Boulevard.
The LAPD deployed extra officers to the area as a precaution, as is customary when high-profile visitors come to L.A., said Det. Meghan Aguilar, a department spokeswoman.
“That way we’re able to respond quickly if something should happen,” Aguilar said.
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The anti-Trump demonstration was not without the usual flamboyance of Hollywood. Tourists snapped pictures with the LAPD. At one point, a man dressed like Charlie Chaplin wove through the crowd, shrugging at reporters as he passed by.
After the taping, Trump went to the Los Angeles home of investor Thomas Barrack Jr. for a campaign fundraiser. Trump is expected to return to California on Friday for a meeting in Fresno with agricultural business leaders. He’s also scheduled to attend a Memorial Day rally in San Diego.
[email protected] | Twitter: @katemather
[email protected] | Twitter: @MattHjourno
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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