Kerry Washington stood under the blazing Los Angeles sun, holding a hand-painted sign and surrounded by hundreds of fellow protestors. Nearby, Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus held hers a little higher: “The only monarch I like is a butterfly,” it read, paired with the hashtag #NoKings.
From coast to coast, celebrities stepped out of studios and off soundstages to join thousands of Americans in a sweeping day of protest dubbed the “No Kings” movement—a rebuke of former President Donald Trump’s leadership, timed deliberately to coincide with his birthday and the U.S. Army’s 250th Anniversary military parade in Washington, D.C.
The protests spanned dozens of cities, with high-profile names like Jimmy Kimmel, Anna Kendrick, and Tessa Thompson standing shoulder to shoulder with ordinary citizens in a resounding cry to defend democracy. The message: no one in America, not even a former president, is above the law.
“We see a president who has made himself a king and dictator,” actor and activist Mark Ruffalo said during a rain-soaked rally in New York City, speaking with MSNBC. “We’re disgusted and we’re scared, and we know that the only way to fight this now is for the people… to come together.”
Ruffalo continued: “We see our democracy is in real trouble. We don’t see an opposition that’s powerful enough to stand up against the trampling of our rights and the trampling of the Constitution that’s happening every single day with executive orders, with the refusal to obey court orders, kidnapping of immigrants… people who their children are being taken from them.”
In San Francisco, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel marched with his parents, calling the turnout “huge, inspiring and yes—peaceful.”
“I met many people who love this country and still believe it to be a force for good,” he wrote on Instagram. “I am grateful to see so many Americans take action… the most important words ever spoken are ‘Love one another.’ It really is as simple as that.”
Other stars used social media to amplify their presence. The White Lotus actor Natasha Rothwell shared a blunt protest image reading “You are trash” with the caption “NO KINGS.”
Pop singer Olivia Rodrigo posted a photo of a sign with a crossed-out crown and the words “in our USA” to her Instagram Story. That’s So True singer Gracie Abrams joined in as well, sharing crowd photos paired with quotes including Desmond Tutu’s reminder that “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
Even smaller towns felt the momentum. Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez-LoCicero uploaded a video from Woodstock, writing, “When in Woodstock, tiny town don’t stay quiet! #NoKingsDay The OG’s are out!”
In Miami, The View co-host Ana Navarro joined locals in the sweltering Florida heat, one of many who decried Trump’s return to public pageantry after a string of controversial statements and legal entanglements. Across social media, the sentiment was unified: resistance is not a moment—it’s a movement.
Grammy-nominated musician Moby underscored that message, sharing protest footage with a caption urging action: “No kings. We need to do everything we can to protect democracy: protest, donate, post, run for office, vote, organize. Also now is absolutely not the time for any in-fighting.”
Other stars who joined or posted support included Glenn Close, Anna Kendrick, Amy Lee of Evanescence, Creed’s Tessa Thompson, The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri, It’s Always Sunny actress Mary Elizabeth Ellis, and The Traitors contestant Bob the Drag Queen. Even Morgan Fairchild appeared in a photo posted by comedian Kathy Griffin, with the caption: “Yep, that’s our gal.”
While Trump presided over tanks, troops and spectacle in D.C., the message ringing out from the streets across America was resolute: democracy doesn’t wear a crown.
Or, as Julia Louis-Dreyfus put it, “#NoKings.”
