Democrats Win Congress as Hollywood Reacts on Midterm Night

Democrats took control of the U.S. House of Representatives on midterm election night, Tuesday, 3 November. Deadline reported that the party had also taken the majority in the Senate, and that celebrities were quick to respond.

Reuters reported that U.S. media outlets had projected by 10 p.m. Eastern time that Democrats would win back the House. NBC News Decision Desk estimated the party would ultimately hold a 75-seat majority in the chamber. The same night, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and Texas all flipped to Democratic governors, according to Deadline.

The entertainment world's reaction came fast. Jimmy Kimmel opened his monologue with a joke aimed squarely at the president: "The only ass on Trump's mind tonight is the one that got handed to him." Kimmel Live also posted a Facebook video titled "Jimmy Kimmel Breaks Down Midterm Election Results." Actor John Leguizamo posted a long celebratory video of his own.

The night was not the first time the midterms had drawn comment from people in the industry. In early October, Donald Trump promised $5,000 payments if Republicans won the midterms, and Kimmel issued what Mashable described as a scathing response.

Earlier still, on 21 October, Alyssa Milano posted on Instagram that the midterm elections were on 3 November. She urged followers to check their voter registration and their voting options.

Political messaging from famous faces can also be faked. A fact-check published by Yahoo in September found that fake New York Times videos had falsely claimed Milano, Rachael Harris and Sean Astin backed the slogan "All Democrats Are Criminals."

So the night brought together several threads: a vote count, a late-night monologue, a fan-facing video and a set of fake clips that put names to a slogan. Each one came from a choice made by someone who wanted it seen.