Tony Awards co-host Sarah Bareilles on De Niro saying ‘f— Trump’: ‘I agree with him’

Tony Awards co-host Sara Bareilles on Thursday defended Robert De Niro for saying “f— Trump” during the ceremony, saying she agrees with him. 

“To be totally honest, I agree with him,” Bareilles said. “I don’t know if that was the time or place for it. But you know what, he’s De Niro. I felt like the night just moved past and through it.”

I AGREE WITH DE NIRO: #TonyAwards co-host #SaraBareilles says #RobertDeNiro’s speech about #DonaldTrump at the ceremony provided a “political jolt” for the audience. pic.twitter.com/FiqEt6Wuep

— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) June 15, 2018

De Niro brought controversy to himself and the ceremony by repeatedly stating “f— Trump” while he was up on stage. It sparked large applause from the audience and prompted Trump to respond a couple days later. Trump said De Niro was a “low IQ” individual and looked “punch-drunk.”

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Others criticized the actor for turning the awards ceremony into a political event, but Bareilles pushed back.

She said the remark from De Niro “was a little shot in the arm for everybody who was hungry for a political jolt.”

“For me, it didn’t overshadow the night.”

De Niro has been one Trump’s most frequent critics. He reportedly said in May that Trump would be banned from his Nobu restaurants and hotels. A representative for De Niro, however, denied that Trump was banned.