Debra Messing And Susan Sarandon Once Had A Heated Feud Over Donald Trump
Debra Messing and Susan Sarandon are both undoubtedly Hollywood icons. The stars of "Will & Grace" and "Thelma & Louise" respectively each have plenty of beloved roles under their belts, for which they've garnered millions of fans. But, one thing we never expected to see this pair starring in is a blazing, years-long internet feud. Interestingly, though, these equally adored leading ladies are far from on good terms, and their bad blood started at a time when plenty of other internet feuds also began.
The 2016 presidential election was certainly a polarizing time, for all of us. That said, unlike most people embarking on a politically-fueled squabble, Messing and Sarandon were actually on the same side (sort of). They were both very much against Donald Trump succeeding in winning the presidency. Yet, how they responded to the controversial political figure's success is where the two stars didn't exactly agree, and their misalignment caused quite a bit of friction that, as far as we know, persists to this day.
Susan Sarandon's comments on Hilary Clinton sparked the feud
The first punches of this Twitter battle were thrown when Susan Sarandon appeared on MSNBC's "All In with Chris Hayes." At the time, the race for the Democratic nomination was head-to-head, and Sarandon was a staunchly outspoken Bernie Sanders supporter. In her interview, she opined, "I think a lot of people are like, 'Sorry, I just can't bring myself to vote for [Clinton].' Some people feel Donald Trump will bring the revolution immediately."
This comment angered Hillary Clinton supporter Debra Messing, who promptly took to Twitter to voice her misgivings, writing, "The idea that Susan Sarandon wud say that NOT supporting Hillary in a HRC/Trump race is a legitimate choice for Democrats, is insane," (via The Guardian). Sarandon quickly clarified that she never meant to imply that she would vote for Trump over Clinton because obviously, she wouldn't.
Rather, the actor responded to Messing's tweet: "For those passionate, principled independents & first-time voters who would not be voting ... if it weren't for Sanders & whose interests HC doesn't represent, it is a dilemma." Unfortunately, though, the damage had already been done, and the Twitter battle devolved into a catty back and forth, as Sarandon saw it. Even when the fight fizzled out, though, it was nowhere near over.
Their feud still rages on years later
The original Twitter battle came to a close shortly after it began. Two years later, though, an interview Susan Sarandon did with Variety reignited the flames once more. When posting the interview on Twitter, Variety captioned it with the quote: "Donald Trump has, if anything, inspired more women and people of color to run for office," a move that Sarandon later decried as "clickbait." Of course, Debra Messing wasn't willing to let this go without some impassioned commentary.
She tweeted, "STFU SUSAN. Oh yes, PLEASE let's give Trump CREDIT. I mean how else are you able to walk out on the street. Convince yourself [that] this CATASTROPHE of a President who you said was better that [Hillary Clinton] IS NOT ripping children away from parents seeking asylum," per People. Sarandon addressed her head-on, writing, "Debs, before you get yourself all self-righteous try clicking on the video and listening to what I actually say."
The actor also pointed out that she hadn't been directly quoted. It's safe to say that these opinionated A-listers still don't condone each other's opinions. And, while they aren't arguing publicly at the moment, with Donald Trump's 2024 campaign underway and another presidential election fast approaching, we have a feeling these two will be back at it in no time.