Robert De Niro Said “F— Trump” at the Tonys, and Here’s the Uncensored Video
Photos courtesy of Getty ImagesThe Radio City Music Hall embraced the 72nd Annual Tony Awards in all their splendor tonight. Laurie Metcalf, Andrew Garfield, The Band’s Visit and Angels in America were among the big winners, but at this point nobody’s talking about any of them. Pretty much everything at the awards show has now been overshadowed by two simple words belted out on stage by legendary actor (and Dirty Grandpa star) Robert De Niro. Those words, as you’ve probably already heard: “Fuck Trump.”
If you watched the Tonys on CBS, though, you didn’t hear them. Those two words were bleeped out on the American broadcast, but escaped uncensored on some international stations. (Yeah, apparently they air the Tonys outside the Upper East Side.) One viewer in Australia, Rhett Bartlett of The Hollywood Reporter, captured the moment in all of its uncensored glory on his smartphone, and posted it to Twitter for the whole world to enjoy. It’s easily De Niro’s best performance since Jackie Brown, and perhaps the most honest work he’s ever done. Take a look for yourself, at least until some media company gets it yanked off Twitter:
Here’s video of DeNiro swearing at Trump on #TonyAwards
Australian feed didnt censor it. pic.twitter.com/KZNrT8UIyH— Rhett Bartlett (@dialmformovies) June 11, 2018
Who knows why the De Niro was doing on stage? That would require us actually watching the Tonys, something we only do when Hugh Jackman or Angela Lansbury host. Maybe he was presenting? Maybe he thought he was at a Saturday Night Live cold open? Maybe he just likes to approach live mics throughout New York City and let everybody know how he really feels about Donald Trump? Either way De Niro has guaranteed himself some cranky presidential tweets around 6 AM or so tomorrow.
Before anybody goes too far to commend (or attack) De Niro for his honesty, keep in mind where he was. Bashing Trump is about the cheapest pop you can get at a place like the Tonys. Still, for those who agree with De Niro, any bit of catharsis will do these days, no matter how dirty the grandpa who delivers it.