Laura Parnaby
Hangover star Zach Galifianakis has blasted the Democrats for filling the DNC with celebrities instead of focusing on ordinary Americans.
The four-day event at the United Center in Chicago was attended by the likes of Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, Eva Longoria, Ben Stiller, Octavia Spencer, Uzo Aduba, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Oprah and Mindy Kaling.
Musicians including John Legend, Patti LaBelle, Stevie Wonder, Pink, The Chicks, Mickey Guyton, Jason Isbell and Lil Jon also put on performances – while rumors of a Beyonce cameo which never materialized sent fans into a frenzy.
Their presence provided both entertainment and political endorsement for Kamala Harris as she became the official Democratic nominee.
While the celebs were in healthy supply, many voters complained about the lack of policy focus on what the Democrats planned to do to help ordinary Americans.
‘As a small-town guy from North Carolina … I do wish the DNC would step back from the celebrities a little bit,’ Galifianakis told Variety.
‘It works to a point, but they have to win over rural America.
‘Hollywood thinks it’s so important and that’s a problem. Actors are people too, and they’re citizens too, but I’m more on the small-town side of that than I am on the Hollywood side of that. That’s just me.’
The Creative Coalition, an arts advocacy group that has sent a delegation of actors and actresses to every political convention since 1996, revealed that it sent its biggest group yet to Chicago this year.
This year’s DNC even transformed what would normally be the driest part of the convention – the roll call – into a dance party complete with lively music.
Lil Jon fired up the crowd with a performance of his hit song ‘Turn Down for What’ before Georgia delivered 123 votes for Harris.
‘We are here tonight to officially nominate Kamala Harris,’ he said before he erupted into the song.
He also performed some lines from ‘Get Low,’ editing the lyrics to say, ‘From the window, to the Walz,’ referring to vice presidential pick Tim Walz.
Meanwhile, Eva Longoria spoke briefly on behalf of Texas delegates before handing the mic off to Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood.
Texas’ portion of the roll call was underscored by an instrumental version of Beyoncé’s ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ before the state cast 263 votes for Harris.
The actor and producer has been an outspoken supporter of reproductive rights and produced a 2018 documentary, ‘Reversing Roe,’ about abortion rights and access in America.
Actor Wendell Pierce also joined the delegates from his home state of Louisiana to express his personal endorsement of Harris and help the state announce its 47 votes for Harris.
‘I’m a proud son of Louisiana and Louisiana is about family, and I’m surrounded by my family of the delegates of Louisiana,’ Pierce said.
Some fans wanted even more – as more than 70,000 supporters tried to will both a Beyoncé and Taylor Swift endorsement into existence by signing a MoveOn.org petition asking the two stars to step up.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings