Hollywood reacts to Joe Biden’s exit from the presidential race

Hollywood reacted quickly to the news that President Joe Biden was ending his re-election bid and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.

Barbra Streisand, a Democratic supporter, wrote Sunday in X that “we should be grateful for your defense of our democracy.” While many paid tribute to Biden’s presidency, others wondered about the future.

Cher wrote on X that she was “tortured” because she doesn’t believe Democrats could win without Biden. She said it was time to think “outside the box” and proposed a split ticket.

In recent weeks, several important Hollywood names have begun calling on Biden to drop out of the race. Just weeks after headlining a record-breaking fundraiser for President George Clooney’s re-election campaign wrote an op-ed in the New York Times asking Biden to end his bid.

Clooney argued that the party should choose a new candidate, saying the process would be “messy” but would “wake up” voters in the party’s favor.

Others who attended or participated in the fundraiser in Los Angeles included Julia Roberts, Streisand, Jimmy Kimmel, former President Barack Obama, Jack Black, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Kathryn Hahn and Jason Bateman.

Ralph, on Sunday, posted a photo of her and Harris writing “President Biden has endorsed Kamala Harris!”

Here are some notable celebrity reactions:

“Joe Biden will go down in history as a man who achieved significant achievements in his 4-year term. We should be grateful for your defense of our democracy.” – via a post on X.

“In my heart, I am tortured, because I do not believe that the Democrats can win the presidency with “Pres Biden” “Joe” who I have loved since we met in 2008. I campaigned for him, I believe IT IS TIME FOR 2 TO PASS THE BATON . TEMPO 4 DEMS 2 THINK “WAY” OUTSIDE THE BOX. MAYBE EVEN A SPLIT TICKET.” – through posts on X.

“@JoeBiden has a record of accomplishments unmatched by any president in our lifetime. He restored honesty, dignity & integrity to the position after 4 years of lies, crime, scandal & chaos. Thank you for his service, Mr. President. Now it is our duty, as American patriots, to elect the Democrat who will honor & promote his legacy.” – via a post on X. The “Star Wars” star visited Biden in the Oval Office in May, jokingly calling him “Joe-bi-Wan-Kenobi”.

“I want to honor our president @JoeBiden. He has served our nation admirably for decades, is a decent and honorable man, an extremely successful president, and a patriot. Now let’s unite behind @KamalaHarris and defeat Donald Trump in November!” – via a post on X.

“Joe Biden endorsed Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination after ending his re-election bid. We’re in a wild world, mate.” – via a post on X. Brand recently said voters should choose Trump over Biden.