Entertainment

Chrissy Teigen's "Families Belong Together" Speech Is An Emotional Call To Action

by Parry Ernsberger
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

If you're going to talk the talk, you should probably walk the walk. On June 30, Chrissy Teigen protested Trump's immigration policy at the "Families Belong Together" march, and immediately put a very visible, relatable face to the cause by bringing her newborn Miles to the podium for her speech, In Style reported.

The event that Teigen spoke at in Los Angeles on Saturday was just one of hundreds of marches happening all over the country in response to President Trump's "zero tolerance" policy. This policy, which was announced in early April by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in response to alleged concerns about "national security" — says that, "illegally entering this country will not be rewarded, but will instead be met with the full prosecutorial powers of the Department of Justice," according to a press release from the DOJ.

After taking the stage, Teigen first introduced her husband John Legend, who performed a moving, emotional rendition of his new song "Preach." The cookbook author then reappeared at the podium, and cradled her son Miles up against her chest while she delivered a powerful speech to oppose the way immigrants have been treated thus far.

Teigen noted that, in addition to baby Miles — "this is his first rally," she said, referring to the newborn — both Luna, the couple's 2-year-old daughter, and Pepper Thai, the family's pet bulldog, were also in attendance.

Teigen told the crowd,

"I'm really proud to be here, obviously. You guys are so incredible and give me so much hope ... I'm incredibly proud to be a daughter of an immigrant. My mother grew up in a very small village in Thailand, and never lets me forget it. We love that the American story is filled with people who come from all over the world to have a better life here. America at its best is big, beautiful, and diverse ... It's not small, it's not petty, and it's not exclusive, like Mar-a-Lago [Trump's members-only resort and gold club in Palm Beach, Florida]."

She then paused to do a spot-on impression of Trump (which you can watch, in addition to her entire speech, in the video above) talking about how "ultra-exclusive" and "tremendous" Mar-a-Lago is. Chrissy Teigen: wife, mother, actor, former model, cookbook author, karaoke show co-host, activist, and celebrity impersonator. She's basically the definition of a modern-day Renaissance Woman.

"Can you imagine [Los Angeles] without the contributions of immigrants?" Teigen continued. "How bland, how flavorless L.A. would be? How boring? Too many people demonize immigrants, like they're stealing something from the people born here. Immigrants don't come here to take away from America, they add to what makes America special."

Trump's "zero tolerance," full-court press immigration prosecutions have led to countless children being detained and separated from their families while the adults await trial. On June 20, the President signed an executive order that is supposed to prevent these familial separations from occurring in the future, according to the New York Times, but its unclear how families that have already been torn apart will be reunited — and what, exactly, will happen to families that get caught illegally crossing the border before the executive order actually goes into effect.

"Making American greater most definitely doesn't mean turning asylum seekers away, or kidnapping their kids to turn them away from coming here," Teigen said pointedly towards the end of her speech, causing the crowd to errupt with cheers.

The whole thing was pretty moving, and was made especially so by watching Legend react to his wife's speech in the background, clearly beaming with pride. Many celebrities fight the good fights behind the scenes, but it's always encouraging to see celebrities like Teigen and Legend calling attention to issues by marching alongside the masses.