Actress refers to GOP Gov as 'current grand wizard' at awards show

Actress Denée Benton called Republican Governor Ron DeSantis the "current grand wizard" of Florida at the Tony Awards. This is another reason people are sick of Hollywood figures using their platform for politics. What does Ron DeSantis have to do with the Tony Awards, which is a dumb Broadway award ceremony, and why bring politics into it? Just another useless unhinged maniac actress abusing her platform and looking like a moron in the process. And who even is she? I never heard of her until she looked stupid on television. Turns out she has a white husband and she comes from a somewhat wealthy background. I guess she's privileged.

Variety reported the following:

On CBS’ live telecast, Benton saluted the 2023 recipient of the excellence in theater education award, Jason Zembuch Young of South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida. Benton noted that she is a Florida native and she made reference to DeSantis’ many controversial moves on civil rights in the state by connecting him to the Klu Klux Klan white supremacist organization.

“I’m certain that the current grand wizard — I’m sorry, excuse me, governor of my home state of Florida,” Benton said, to a roar of applause from the crowd at the historic United Palace Theater in Washington Heights. Benton seemed to nod to DeSantis’ legislative push in Florida to enact racist and discriminatory policies restricting school curriculums on American history, among other disturbing moves during his time in office.