American Music Awards co-host Jay Pharoah indicated that he and co-host Gigi Hadid wouldn’t talk about politics during Sunday night’s awards ceremony, saying towards the beginning of his monologue that “tonight it’s all about the music.”
But that didn’t stop the pair from making a few jokes about President-elect Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, even impersonating both.
Hadid was up first, debuting her Melania Trump impression as she pouted her lips and narrowed her eyes. She then said in the future First Lady’s Slovenian accent, “I love my husband President Barack Obama and our children Sasha and Malia,” which also poked fun at Melania plagiarizing Michelle Obama’s speech at the Republican National Convention.
Hadid also got in a quick quip about the election after Pharoah noted that the winners on Sunday night were selected by fan votes, adding, “Don’t worry, tonight, we do not have to deal with the electoral college.”
And Pharoah, picking up on Green Day performing on Sunday’s show, added, “a white guy’s the president, it’s the ‘90s all over again.”
Later he said he hoped DJ Khaled would offer the “major keys” on “moving overseas” when Trump becomes president.
The political comments cooled for the next couple of hours, but when Mark Cuban and Idina Menzel took the stage to present an award, they both took shots at Trump. Cuban, a vocal Hillary Clinton supporter, said he was looking forward to “not being invited to the inauguration.” In response, Menzel alluded to Trump’s tweets about the cast of Hamilton‘s speech to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, saying, “Us unsafe, scary theater people wouldn’t be invited to the inauguration either. I love you Hamilton!”
Green Day also blasted Trump during their performance of “Bang Bang,” chanting, “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA.”
