Remember back in 2016 when all you heard was how your neighbor or son’s teacher vowed to leave the United States if Donald Trump won the presidential election. Let’s guess – they’re still here? Well, it seems like countless celebrities couldn’t put their money where their mouth is.
To celebrate more empty promises, here are 13 celebrities who “promised” to leave the US under a 2016 Trump Presidency:
11. Raven Symone
The former Disney star was very vocal about moving to Canada from the get-go of the 45th president’s campaign trail. She reiterated this sentiment on ‘The View’ as well. Unlike most of her Hollywood peers, Symone partook in a remote segment on her Lifetime program that showed her attempting to ‘fit in’ with Canadian culture before moving back to her previous country of origin. Admittedly, this is about as close as any celebrity gets on this list.
10. Samuel L. Jackson
On a 2015 appearance on Donald Trump super-fan Jimmy Kimmel’s late night program, the veteran actor proclaimed “I’m moving my black ass to South Africa” if the real estate mogul made it into the Oval Office. Sure enough, Jackson remains a current resident of the United States.
9. Cher
Talk about drastic! In a rage of screen-tapping, renowned artist and LGBTQ+ icon Cher unleashed her disdain for Donald Trump with the shocking declaration: “IF HE WERE TO BE ELECTED,IM MOVING TO JUPITER”. Too bad she didn’t check the logistics on getting there. Still here? *Check* Moving on…
8. Jon Stewart
Unlike Cher, the former daytime television host was one step ahead of the artist by declaring his mode of transportation post Trump victory – a spaceship. Unless you’re Elon Musk, we’d recommend other means of leaving the United States if he so wishes, although surely Stewart is taking suggestions in the meantime.
7. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The late Supreme Court justice quipped about moving to New Zealand in a 2016 interview with the New York Times. “Now it’s time for us to move to New Zealand,” she said quoting her husband who died in 2010. “I can’t imagine what the country would be with Donald Trump as our president. For the country, it could be four years. For the court, it could be — I don’t even want to contemplate that.”
6. Keegan-Michael Key
Toning it down a few notches from the aforementioned celebrities, the comedian/actor on multiple occasions has taunted the idea of Moving to Canada. Key tried to justify this move by noting it being “10 minutes” from his hometown of Detroit, MI. Well…guess who still lives here in the US?
5. Ne-Yo
Joining Key and Symone in Canada would’ve been joined by rapper Ne-Yo, whose music can be found on 2008’s Now That’s What I Call Music! #29. Yes, in a quick TMZ interview, the artist suggested the idea of being neighbors with Drake. Unlucky for him and the rest of his Canadian-bound celebrity friends, the Canadian immigration website crashed and extinguished any desire by that point.
4. Whoopi Goldberg
Co-Host of The View mentioned in a 2016 episode that “maybe it’s time for me to move, you know,”, but the veteran actress and comedian is still hosting to this day.
3. Tommy Lee
Motley Crue Rocker said in a 2020 interview that if President Trump gets re-elected, he will leave the country. If that happens, “I’m out of here. I’ll go back to my motherland, go back to Greece and get a house on one of the islands,” Lee said. “The thing that stings the most is that I feel like we’re embarrassing. I feel like people in Europe and the rest of the world look at America and think: ‘What the fuck are you guys doing over there? Stop voting for celebrities and get someone real to run the country.’”
2. Bruce Springsteen
“Born to Run” singer made similar comments this year. While speaking with Australian press, he was asked if he would ever consider moving to the country, to which he replied that he loves Australia. He then added that if Trump wins re-election, he would be “on the next plane.” But he also predicted in that same interview that Trump is going to lose.
1. John Legend
The musician recently said Americans might “have to start thinking about going somewhere else” if Trump wins re-election. “Every once in a while you think about it,” he said. “We [he and wife Chrissy Teigen] were born and raised here, all of our families are here. It would be hard to leave. But I don’t know what one’s supposed to do when you have a leader who is trying to destroy democracy.” His leaving seems unlikely, given that he just purchased a brand-new Beverly Hills home for $17.5 million in September 2020.
Did we miss anyone? Leave a comment below with who should have made the list!
Miley Cyrus
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