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Actress and activist Laverne Cox stopped by The Daily Show to fight misinformation about anti-trans legislation with a dose of facts, a heaping helping of comedy, and most importantly, a face beat to the gods.
In an exclusive clip from tonight’s episode, Cox — wearing vintage Mugler, no big deal, in a shade of purple to celebrate Spirit Day — shaded the Republican party for “going all-in on their transphobia” this election season, and well, always.
The Daily Show
The Republican Party has been working overtime to pass anti-LGBTQ legislation around the country, particularly targeting trans youth, despite a glaring lack of evidence of any threat they pose. As part of campaign advertising, the GOP has doled out $65 million since the beginning of August on anti-trans TV ads, leaving Cox to ponder, “Do you know how disappointing it is for someone to finally spend $65 million on me and it’s for this crap? I didn’t want hateful attack ads. I wanted a house in the Hills with six walk-in closets!”
Cox then draws the line from anti-trans messaging to the rise in anti-trans violence and suicide, noting that unlike the GOP, she didn’t get her facts from “StraightOutOfTheirAss.com.”
“Now this it not to shame ass play,” she adds, coyly tussling her immaculate bob. “We would never do that.” Wink.
Citing that Republicans used these same tactics in 2022, to no avail, the Orange Is the New Black star wonders aloud if the party continues with this strategy rather than “actually solving problems that exist.”
“Yeah,” she concludes, “that is the reason.”
But there might be another, deeper reason, as Cox points to GOP nominee for Governor of North Carolina Mark Robinson, who, it was discovered, was a big fan of trans porn. Color Cox unsurprised: “If you had told me anti-trans politicians were secretly watching — and loving — trans porn, I would’ve said, ‘Duh.'”
She continues, “I’m 52 years old [ed. note: werq] and if I had a dime for every conservative man who’s tried to get with me, I could buy that house in the Hills.” We love a callback.
Complete, no doubt, with the six closets full of those men. But Cox is quick to note that one should not conflate the attention from “self-described pervs like Mark Robinson” for actual affection for trans people.
“Turning us into sex objects is just another way of dehumanizing us,” Cox explains. “And I think it’s time to stop dehumanizing and start rehumanizing each other.” She follows her own example by addressing a message to Robinson, praising his ability to type “very astutely with only one hand.”
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As if that read wasn’t enough, Cox pulls out some receipts in the form of a map that shows the top searches for trans porn are all in red states.
“We see you,” Cox concludes. “We see all of you. All we ask is that you see us, too. And that you pull your damn pants up.”
The Daily Show — hosted tonight by comedian Desi Lydic with guest Kara Swisher discussing her new book, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story — airs at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central, with episodes available on Paramount+ the next morning.
