Actor Ben Stiller vowed to support Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election during a star-studded Democratic Party livestream on Monday, and made a bizarre joke about “white Jewish” guys wanting to be “black.”
The “Dodgeball” actor said,Kamala Comics“The Best of Celebrities” event, hosted by comedian Paul Mercurio, also featured Hollywood stars Ed Helms, Jon Hamm and Whoopi Goldberg.
Stiller, 58, said he joined about halfway through the more than three-hour conference call and quickly “broken the talk,” telling Mercurio he would match a $150,000 donation the moderator had pledged to Harris’ campaign.
“I’m here because I’m genuinely excited that this election can actually be won,” the Zoolander star said. “What’s happened in the last few weeks is that the tide has turned, and if we all come together and harness this incredible energy that’s happening right now, Vice President Harris can actually win this election.”
Stiller said he wanted to put “a decent person in the White House” and “someone who cares about democracy.”
The Hollywood star praised Harris for “acting like a human being” with “empathy” and “humour”, before praising the presumptive Democratic nominee for “energising” previously “disengaged” young voters with her push for the presidency.
“She’s also a historic candidate,” Tropic Thunder said. “I’m so excited because she’ll be the first woman president. She’s Indian, she’s black, she’s everything. You can be multiple things. It’s incredible.”
Stiller then made the bold claim, speaking about his Jewish heritage.
“I’m Jewish and Irish… I wish I was black. Every white Jew wishes they were black,” he says. I told a joke“Please get out there, vote, donate and take advantage.”
Before ending his brief appearance, the actor told viewers to ride the “wave of energy” building behind the Harris campaign.
By the end of the livestream, the “Comic for Kamala” Zoom rally had raised more than $500,000 for the Harris campaign.
The event was organized by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), who said at the start of the call that he was inspired to reach out to friends and acquaintances in the comedy world for a virtual fundraiser.
The California Democrat said he reached out to Stand Up New York owner Dani Zoldan and producer Jamie Patricof to organize the event.
A similar fundraiser called “White Men Supporting Harris” took place late last month.
The online event was attended by more than 190,000 people and raised nearly $4 million for the Harris Victory Fund, and also featured celebrities such as actors Jeff Bridges and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as well as politicians such as vice presidential candidate Tim Walz (D-Minn.) and Gov. Roy Cooper (D-N.C.).
Check out The Washington Post’s coverage of Kamala Harris’ running mate, Tim Waltz.
Harris, 59, launched her presidential campaign on July 21 after Biden withdrew from the race after months of doubts about his cognitive fitness for the presidency and a disastrous debate defeat against Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, Harris picked Waltz as her Democratic presidential nominee, with Republican leaders arguing he is the most liberal candidate from the left ever to be nominated.
Waltz, 60, reportedly gained Harris’s attention by leading a campaign to defend her against “bizarre” criticism from President Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance.
Harris and Walz are set to travel thousands of miles across the country over the next few days, touring key battleground states.
