See the Stars Who Have Supported the Take A Knee Movement Ahead of Super Bowl 2019

In the wake of the backlash from President Trump, stars are supporting NFL players' protest of racial injustice
By Lydia Price and Diane J. Cho
September 28, 2017 12:13 PM

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Zendaya

Credit: John G Mabanglo/EPA/REX/Shutterstock

The actress posted a photo of the leader of the movement, Colin Kaepernick, with a caption that got straight to the point: “Take the knee. Solidarity.”

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Ava DuVernay

Credit: Twitter

The director retweeted a photo collage of different NFL teams kneeling during the national anthem and showed her support by posting a raised fist emoji.

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Ellen DeGeneres

Credit: Twitter

DeGeneres got candid in a short but poignant tweet.

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Erykah Badu

Credit: Paras Griffin/Getty

The audience at the 2017 Soul Train Awards stood up to applaud host Badu, who took a knee in front of the crowd and said, “This is for Kap.”

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Jesse Williams

Williams tweeted a comic to share his stance on the matter and captioned it: “#TakeAKnee.”

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Lee Daniels

Credit: Lee Daniels/Instagram

The creator of Empire took to Instagram to take a knee and encouraged his fans to do the same.

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Sway Calloway

The host of Sway in the Morning tweeted out his feelings about not watching the NFL because “disruption is necessary.”

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John Leguizamo

Credit: Twitter

The actor explained in a tweet why he thinks NFL players should #takeaknee.

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Joan Grande

Credit: Twitter

Ariana Grande’s mom Joan supported the movement in a tweet that concluded with “#BlackLivesMatter.”

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Mark Ronson

Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty

The producer posted an Instagram photo of Green Bay Packers players taking a knee with the caption: “All You Kneed Is Love”

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Norman Lear

Credit: Norman Lear/Twitter (2)

"As a combat vet, I fought Nazis of WWII. Today I #takeaknee, once more, in solidarity w/my brothers&sisters still fighting 4 equality&justice," the TV writer-producer wrote on Twitter as he shared kneeling photos from his time in service and present day.

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The Cast of Grey's Anatomy

Credit: Shonda Rhimes/Instagram

"And we took a knee in solidarity of racial justice. #takeaknee#greysanatomy #300th," Shonda Rhimes shared on Instagram, along with a photo of her, Ellen Pompeo, Jesse Williams and Debbie Allen on one knee at the 300th episode celebration party. (Jason Winston George, who plays Ben Warren, was cropped out of the picture.)

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Pharrell Williams

Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

The singer got down on two knees while performing at Dave Matthews' Concert for Charlottesville: An Evening of Music and Unity on Sept. 24. "If I want to get on my knees right now for the people of my city, for the people of my state, that’s what this flag is for," he told the crowd.

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Tracee Ellis Ross

Credit: Tracee Ellis Ross/Instagram

The Black-ish star took a knee on Instagram.

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Uzo Aduba 

Credit: Uzo Aduba/Twitter

"It's that easy. #takeaknee," the Emmy winner wrote on Instagram.

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Gillian Anderson & David Duchovny

Credit: Gillian Anderson/Twitter

The X-Files costars showed their support during a break on set.

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Stevie Wonder 

"Tonight, I'm taking a knee for America," the music legend said as he knelt with son Kwame Morris at the Sept. 23 Global Citizen Festival in N.Y.C. "Not just one knee, but I'm taking both knees. Both knees in prayer for our planet, our future, leaders of our world and our globe. Amen."

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Stevie Wonder & Dave Matthews 

Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

The next day, Matthews joined Wonder in kneeling at his Charlottesville benefit concert.

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Rico Lavelle 

Credit: FOX

The Detroit singer ended his performance of The National Anthem by taking a knee before Sunday's Lions vs. Falcons game. Meanwhile, The Voice runner-up Meghan Linsey took a knee at the Titans vs. Seahawks game.

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Sophia Bush 

Credit: Sophia Bush/Instagram

Bush captioned her kneeling photo with a Malcolm X quote, capping off her quote with the hashtags #TakeAKnee, #Solidarity, #ConstitutionalRights and #ThatsWhatTheFlagIsFor. "I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against," read the quote. "I'm a human being, first and foremost, and as such I'm for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole."

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John Legend

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Following his Slate essay, "The NFL Protests Are Patriotic," Legend knelt while performing in Hamburg and shared a photo on Instagram.

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Alyssa Milano

Credit: Alyssa Milano/Instagram

"Thank you, @realDonaldTrump for giving me opportunities to teach my children the difference between right and wrong. #taketheknee," the actress captioned a photo of son Milo, 6.

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Olivia Wilde

Credit: Matthew Eisman/Getty

The Broadway star and her 1984 castmates acknowledged the protests after a Sept. 24 performance. Wilde shared a picture of the group's onstage kneeling on Instagram, writing, "Proud to be a part of this cast, who took a knee as our curtain closed today. Thank you to our electric audience for your energy and support. #1984onbroadway #takeaknee."

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Eddie Vedder

Credit: Erika Goldring/Getty

Vedder took a knee during his headlining set at the Tennessee Pilgrimage Festival. Earlier that day, his band, Pearl Jam, tweeted their support for protesters. "We support @mosesbread72, @Kaepernick7, and everyone's constitutional right to stand up, sit down or #takeaknee for equality," they wrote.

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By Lydia Price and Diane J. Cho