11 Woke Celebrity Moments From the DNC

By Claire Downs

This week's Democratic National Convention wasn't just about unifying the party and nominating the first female candidate in herstory; it was completely lit. TV stars, recording artists, and comedians put their best activist outfits on to stan for Hillary Clinton. One of the best parts of any election season is watching Hollywood get real at the conventions and use their fame to shed light on issues that may not otherwise have as public a voice. Here are the celebs who showed their wokeness at the DNC.

Sarah Silverman Was Savage To Protestors

On Monday night at the convention, Sarah Silverman and Senator Al Franken delivered a message of party unity. Sarah spoke about switching from being a Bernis Sanders supporter to deciding to vote for Clinton to ensure Donald Trump will be shut out of the White House. But when Silverman and Franken were told to stretch their speech, several Bernie-Or-Bust protesters began booing. Sarah clapped back with the ultimate comeback, "To the Bernie-Or-Bust people, you're being ridiculous." Berners who boo, ya burnt.

Demi Lovato Got Real AF

Demi Lovato took the DNC stage to bravely raise awareness about mental illness in America. Before absolutely slaying her song "Confident" Demi addressed the audience,

"Like millions of Americans, I am living with mental illness. But I'm lucky. I had the resources and support to get treatment at a top facility. Unfortunately, too many Americans from all walks of life don’t get help, either because they fear the stigma or cannot afford treatment.”

America Ferrera and Lena Dunham Asked Trump for Receipts

Taking the stage together, Lena Dunham and America Ferrera put Trump on blast, starting their speech with: "My name is Lena Dunham, and according to Donald Trump, my body is probably a 2,” and, “My name is America Ferrera, and according to Donald Trump, I’m probably a rapist." When a candidate for president speaks as carelessly about minorities and women as Trump has, just know he will be put on blast!

Tony Goldwyn Gets Political IRL

Though he plays the president in Scandal, actor Tony Goldwyn is just as political as his onscreen character. Introducing The Mothers of The Movement (which includes the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown and other African-Americans whose deaths have helped spark the Black Lives Matter movement), Goldwyn got passionate when talking about inequality and racial justice: "Hillary says we can't hide from these hard truths about race and justice in America," he said. "We have to name them and own them, and then change them. That's what she'll do as president. The Mothers of the Movement prove that one life at a time, one mother at a time, we can change the world."

Alicia Keys Took Us to Church

Performing sans-makeup, Alicia Keys introduced her performance with a beautiful dedication: "We have the power to ensure that this country gets on the right path. I dedicate this song to the Mothers of the Movement and all mothers who have lost their sons and their daughters to senseless violence. Until we deal with gun violence in this country, we can’t claim ‘home of the brave.'"

Meryl Streep Punched a Hole Through the Glass Ceiling

Though her patriotic fashion reminded some people on Twitter of a Memorial Day table cloth, legendary Meryl Streep's speech was feminism realness. "...You’re going to make history again in November, because Hillary Clinton will be our first woman president. And she will be a great president. And she will be the first in a long line of women—and men—who serve with grit and grace. She’ll be the first, but she won’t be the last.” Yes, her crazy "whooping" was cringe, but her words were woke.

Angela Bassett Honored Survivors

The ageless Angela Bassett took to the DNC stage Wednesday to introduce survivors of last year's Charleston church shooting. Her words were as flawless as her blue dress, and they cut to the core. Speaking passionately, Bassett said, "Since the massacre at Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church, more lives have been destroyed by gun violence, and hatred still threatens to tear us apart. After Charleston, Hillary Clinton challenged all of us to turn our grief into action. We have to do that."

Eva Longoria's Speech Was On Point

Eva Longoria isn't drinking any of Trump's Haterade. In one of the longer celebrity appearances of the convention's first day, the Telenovela star tackled the GOP's stance on immigration and lambasted Trump's offensive hate speech: "My father is not a criminal or rapist, in fact, he’s a United States veteran. When Trump cruelly mocked a disabled reporter, he was also mocking my special-needs sister Lisa and many like her. When he said that a wife who works is a very dangerous thing, he not only insulted me, he insulted my mother who worked as a special-education teacher for 40 years and raised four children while being a wife."

Kareem Abdul-Jabaar Burns Trump

Basketball icon and current Cultural Ambassador, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had arguably the best joke of the convention. Stepping on stage he, introduced himself as Michael Jordan, then said, "I say that, because I know that Donald Trump couldn't tell the difference." MIC DROP!

Chloe Grace Moretz Gets Millennials in Formation

On the closing night of the convention, actress and recent Kardashian-feuder Chloe Grace Moretz hit the stage of the DNC to talk about the election, which will also be her first time voting. Speaking directly to Millennials (in a sickening blue suede blazer no less), she also commented on low voter turnout among the youngest voter group. "I am so excited to be able to say that my first vote for president will be for Hillary Clinton. To my fellow millennials: if you haven’t registered to vote yet, get registered right away. Don’t miss this chance; this is your chance to make your voice heard. If we all show up together, we can all make sure that Hillary Clinton is the next president of the United States of America"

Katy Perry SLAYS the Night Away

As the final musical performance of the DNC, Katy Perry knew she had to leave it all on the convention stage. Dripping in sequins and flanked by backup singers who wore white Hillary Clinton-themed dresses, Katy took the microphone to do more than sing. She asked the audience to register to vote, saying she has "no formal education" but "I do have an open mind and I have a voice." Why? Because according to Perry, "On Nov. 8, you'll be just as powerful as any NRA lobbyist. You'll have as much say as any billionaire. Or you can just cancel out your weird cousin's vote if you'd like." Check out the full performance above. Meanwhile, I'll be working on a conspiracy theory that between Katy, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Demi Lovato, the DNC was also secretly an anti-Taylor Swift convention.

Here's what happened when VH1 asked people at the DNC to stay something nice about Donald Trump.