John Leguizamo Flips Script On Proper-Wing ‘DEI Rent’ Insult At Emmys – The Boston Courier

John Leguizamo delivered a searing speech about range and illustration throughout the 2024 Emmys on Sunday night time.

Whereas presenting onstage, Leguizamo started his remarks by calling himself considered one of “Hollywood’s DEI hires.”

“That’s right, DEI: the ‘D’ is for diligence, the ‘E’ is for excellence, the ‘I’ is for imagination,” he stated. “Everyone in this room tonight has dedicated their lives to diligence, excellence and imagination, so we all are DEI hires.”

The Latino actor then talked about rising up in New York Metropolis and never seeing individuals who regarded like him onscreen.

“I saw a lot of brownface. I saw Marlon Brando play a Mexican in ‘Viva Zapata!’ and Al Pacino played Cuban gangster Tony Montana and Natalie Wood played a Puerto Rican beauty named Maria,” he stated, “Everybody played us.”

Leguizamo additionally talked about his efforts to spice up illustration of individuals of coloration on TV and on the Emmys.

In June, he took out a full-page advert within the New York Occasions and printed an open letter urging the Tv Academy to contemplate extra candidates of coloration.

Conservatives have turned the time period DEI — which refers to packages that promote range, fairness and inclusion — into a disparaging canine whistle, and use the phrase “DEI hire” to recommend members of marginalized teams don’t really earn their achievements.

Throughout the 2024 presidential marketing campaign, Republicans have lobbed assaults towards Vice President Kamala Harris, now the Democratic presidential nominee, referring to her as a “DEI hire.”