Actor Aubrey Plaza slammed MAGA comedian Tony Hinchcliffe for his "joke" about Puerto Rico with a blunt message from her late 'Abuelita' at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards.
Hinchcliffe was among the speakers at former President Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday. He sparked fury from both sides of the aisle after he called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage."
There was a mixed reception at the event after Hinchcliffe said:
"There’s a lot going on. I don’t know if you know this but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico."
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The news clearly angered Plaza, who is of Puerto Rican and Irish ancestry. And while speaking at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards on Tuesday night, Plaza, who was on hand to present basketball player A’ja Wilson as one of the 2024 honorees, decided to address the matter.
She said, evoking her late "Abuelita":
“I just wanted to very quickly respond to the racist joke that was made at that Trump rally about Puerto Rico, where most of my family is from. Thankfully, my sweet abuelita wasn’t here to hear that disgusting remark.”
"But if she was alive today, I think she would say, ‘Tony Hinchcliffe, go f**k yourself.’ And yes, the Wall Street Journal can quote me on that.”
You can hear what she said in the video below—and hear the cheers from the crowd.
Many appreciated Plaza's response.
Plaza joins a growing list of entertainers reacting to Hinchcliffe's comments.
Puerto Rican stars like Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, and Ricky Martin have also shown support for Vice President Kamala Harris by sharing her campaign messages on creating an “opportunity economy” for Puerto Rico. Collectively, they reach hundreds of millions of followers—a setback for the Trump campaign, which has sought to distance itself from Hinchcliffe’s remarks.
In response, Harris pledged to establish “a new Puerto Rico Opportunity Economy Task Force” if she becomes president. She emphasized her commitment to “bring down the cost of housing, invest in small businesses and entrepreneurs, and fight to finally secure equal access to programs that strengthen the health care system and support children, seniors, and working people.”
She reiterated that she "will create a new Puerto Rico Opportunity Economy Task Force, where the federal government will work with the private sector, with nonprofits and community leaders to foster economic growth and create thousands of new, good-paying jobs in Puerto Rico, including for our young people."
Hinchcliffe’s comments have reignited criticism of Trump’s own response to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, specifically when he tossed paper towels to Puerto Ricans at a relief center in the disaster-stricken territory. Trump defended the incident, insisting the crowd was “screaming and loving everything” about his appearance including the "beautiful, soft towels."
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