Plaza, whose family has roots in Puerto Rico, didn’t hold back. “I just wanted to very quickly respond to the racist joke that was made at that Trump rally about Puerto Rico, where most of my family is from,” Plaza stated while on stage in New York. She added, “Thankfully, my sweet abuelita wasn’t here to hear that disgusting remark.” Plaza went further, saying that if her grandmother were alive, “I think she would say, ‘Tony Hinchcliffe, go f*** yourself.’ And yes, the Wall Street Journal can quote me on that.”
Plaza was attending the event to honor basketball star A’ja Wilson, one of the 2024 awardees.
The “Agatha All Along” actress is among the latest in entertainment to push back against Hinchcliffe’s statement. Luis Fonsi, Puerto Rican singer behind the global hit “Despacito,” also responded, posting on his Instagram story, “We are not OK with this constant hate. It’s been abundantly clear that these people have no respect for us and yet they want our vote. I purposely wrote this in English cause yes we’re American too.”
Other high-profile Puerto Rican figures, like Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, and Ricky Martin, have recently shown their support for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, sharing her messaging on building a stronger economy for Puerto Rico.