Actor Robert De Niro shocked MSNBC hosts and viewers when he dropped an unfiltered expletive during a live broadcast discussion about Democratic resistance to President Donald Trump, praising New York Attorney General Letitia James for what he characterized as her defiant stance against the administration.
The eighty-two-year-old Hollywood legend appeared on The Weekend to discuss the nationwide No Kings protests and Democratic Party messaging strategy. While praising various Democratic leaders including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senator Adam Schiff, De Niro turned his attention to James, who was recently indicted, and let an F-bomb fly on live television.
"I like what Letitia James is doing. She's fighting back. She's saying, f--- you! I'm sorry. This is where we are."
The profanity drew an audible reaction from co-hosts Jonathan Capehart and Eugene Daniels, with one of them letting out an audible exclamation off-camera. De Niro continued without missing a beat, explaining that James is saying she will not be taken down by Trump and is not afraid of him, urging other Democrats to adopt the same fearless approach to confronting the president's policies and actions.
The Raging Bull star made numerous other incendiary remarks during his MSNBC appearance, calling Trump an alien who has no empathy and wants to destroy the country he runs. De Niro branded senior White House advisor Stephen Miller a Nazi and compared him to Adolf Hitler's chief propagandist Joseph Goebbels, despite Miller being Jewish, and urged Americans to strap on their balls and continue protesting like they did at the No Kings rallies held nationwide.
De Niro had previously promoted the No Kings protests in an Instagram video that also featured explicit language, comparing the demonstrations to the American Revolution and declaring that Americans fought a bloody war for democracy two hundred fifty years ago and should not allow a would-be king to take it away now.
The actor predicted that Trump will refuse to leave the White House at the end of his current term, claiming that anybody who thinks otherwise is deluding themselves and noting that Republicans know this but are going along with it in a classic bully situation. Capehart, whom no one would confuse for a raging bull, demonstrated his solidarity with De Niro by telling him they are on the same wavelength about Trump's potential refusal to relinquish power.
The live television outburst drew mixed reactions from viewers and political commentators, with some applauding De Niro's passion and others criticizing his choice of language during a broadcast that airs on weekend mornings when families may be watching. Fox News Digital reached out to MSNBC and De Niro's publicist for comment but neither immediately responded to requests, leaving questions about whether the network will implement any broadcast delay measures or content warnings for future celebrity guest appearances.
