During a live television appearance, Hollywood A-list star Morgan Freeman did not hold back while promoting his Prime Video historical drama The Gray House.
The 88-year-old Oscar winner appeared on The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell and was questioned on how he sees the world today. What followed was a scathing remark from Freeman about Donald Trump, who reignited his past felonies.
Highlights
- Hollywood legend Morgan Freeman stunned viewers during a live broadcast by asking for permission to use profanity.
- The 88-year-old Oscar winner reignited a massive national debate by questioning how someone with 34 felony counts was permitted to hold the highest office in the land.
- Despite his "scathing" outlook, the actor concluded with a direct plea to young voters.
Morgan Freeman lashed out at Donald Trump during a live TV appearance
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When host Lawrence O’Donnell posed the question, Freeman first asked, “Can I use any profanity?”
He then said, “Well, we have somebody sitting in the White House who is leading us down a s***hole.”
Freeman added, “I can’t personally understand how a convicted felon… convicted! [Someone with] 34 felonious counts of wrongdoing gets to be president. How do you do that?”
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Referring to the legal timeline, he stressed, “I don’t care! That ruling went down before he stepped into the Oval Office. It just doesn’t make sense to me.”
In a separate moment during the same appearance, Freeman compared current political tensions to historical events, saying, “I’m constantly reminded of Germany in 1935,” and referencing the rise of detention centers under the current administration.
He concluded with a message aimed at young voters, “If you are at all aware of where we’re headed… and if you don’t agree with it, there is one sure way to change the direction of our country: Vote.”
Morgan Freeman’s scathing remark reignited Donald Trump’s 34 felony convictions in the 2024 hush-money trial
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Freeman’s comments referred to Trump’s May 2024 conviction in New York. A unanimous 12-person jury found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with hush-money payments made before the 2016 presidential election.
Prosecutors argued that Trump reimbursed his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, for a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. While the payment itself was not illegal, the jury determined that the reimbursements were falsely recorded as legal expenses to conceal their true purpose.
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The charges were classified as first-degree falsification of business records. Prosecutors further noted that the records were altered to conceal another crime, specifically violations related to election laws and conspiracy to influence the 2016 election by unlawful means.
The case, formally titled The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump, marked the first time a former or sitting U.S. president was convicted of a felony.
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In January 2025, a New York judge sentenced Trump to an unconditional discharge. The ruling formalized his conviction but did not impose jail time or fines. Trump is currently appealing the verdict, arguing presidential immunity and claiming the prosecution was politically motivated.
Under the U.S. Constitution, there is no federal law preventing a convicted felon from serving as president, provided the candidate meets age, citizenship, and residency requirements.
This was not the first time Freeman criticized Trump’s leadership as the POTUS
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This is not the first time Freeman has spoken critically about Trump.
In 2017, shortly after Trump took office, Freeman told AARP The Magazine, “It feels like we are jumping off a cliff.”
While he added at the time that he hoped Trump would become a good president, he admitted uncertainty about the country’s direction.
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During press appearances for his documentary series The Story of Us With Morgan Freeman, the actor also spoke about political division, saying, “When people get disillusioned, they get fearful for their own future… These things create fear, and fear creates tension, and tension creates friction.”
Freeman has also publicly supported Democratic candidates in past elections, including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
"This is why actors should stick to acting and not politics," said one netizen
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