
The American actor and comedian used his platform at the 2016 Emmy Awards to speak out against Donald Trump’s xenophobic campaign. As he was accepting his award for The Master of None, he joked that after careful consideration, he’s decided to vote for Trump at the American presidential elections that will take place in November.
Ansari continued: “I’m recommending that we get rid of all Muslim and Hispanic nominees from the ceremony immediately” and followed with a dig at the lack of diversity in the Oscars this year by saying: “Wow, this would be so much easier if we were at the Oscars.”
“Mom and dad, I know I just thanked you, but you need to be escorted out. I’m so sorry. America Ferrera, nice try changing your name to America. You’re not fooling anybody. You’re out.” He ended his speech by using humour to highlight the ridiculous reality of Trump’s ‘Muslim ban’ suggestion and his proposal to build a wall between the American and Mexican border.
Earlier this year, Ansari, the son of two Muslim immigrants, wrote an article in the New York Times about the impact of Trump’s hate speech on his own family and other American Muslims. He discloses that ‘it’s visceral, and scary, and it affects how people live, work and pray.’