Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldaña have slammed comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s controversial joke about Puerto Rico.
The Emilia Pérez co-stars have spoken out about the comedian calling the U.S. territory a “floating island of garbage” during a Trump rally over the weekend.
Gomez, who has Mexican heritage, told Variety that she “strongly disagreed with any comments that were made recently. I definitely want to stand by my people.”
Meanwhile, Saldaña, whose mother is Puerto Rican, added, “It’s sad that today, 2024, there’s just so much poverty in character on so many people that we misname as leaders. We have to pick leaders that really represent who we are as human beings.”
The actresses made the comments when they attended the opening night of the 28th American French Film Festival in Hollywood on Tuesday. Both of them cast their vote in the U.S. election earlier this week.
“I voted today so I’m definitely exercising my responsibility as an American citizen to care for the well-being of my nation, because it’s also my sons’ country and it has to be worthy of my children,” the Avatar star added.
Meanwhile, the Only Murders in the Building actress noted that she documented herself submitting her ballot because “people can sometimes forget that the one vote can change everything”.
Hinchcliffe sparked controversy when he described Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” during a rally for Trump in New York on Sunday night.
Aubrey Plaza also slammed the comedian for his comment as she presented a prize at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards on Tuesday.
“Thankfully, my sweet abuelita (grandmother) wasn’t here to hear that disgusting remark. But if she was alive today, I think she would say, ‘Tony Hinchcliffe, go f**k yourself.’ And yes, the Wall Street Journal can quote me on that,” she declared.
