News | Entertainment
7 Jan 2026 16:27
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Leslie Jones has urged protestors in America not to cause destruction during protests

    The ‘Saturday Night Live’ alum previously carried a sledgehammer when she attended protests against racial injustice 30 years ago, and has said that whilst she felt like a “hero” at the time, she now regrets bringing the object with her, and would discourage other protestors from causing destruction


    Leslie spoke amid the current protests taking place across America following the death of George Floyd, who died when a police offer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes during an arrest.

    When asked what advice she’d give her younger self during the protests, she said: "I would say, ‘Don't take that sledgehammer. Don't take that sledgehammer.' Because the sledgehammer literally made me a hero in so many places. I opened up so many doors with that sledgehammer. I remember I broke - and I have to tell you this - it was a supermarket and there was a chain fence and they couldn't get it open. So, I came with my sledgehammer and … it went open and everybody was like, ‘Yeah!’ ”

    The 52-year-old comedian and actress quickly realised the damage she’d helped cause the following day when she saw people “crying about their business being burnt down”, and vowed to never join riots during protesting again.

    She added: "I can laugh about it now, but imma tell you, I didn't laugh when I was riding through my city after that and seeing burnt down buildings and having nowhere to shop. And, you know, seeing black people crying about their business being burnt down. It wasn't funny then, you know?

    "So, I think I would say to my 22-year-old self, ‘What do you think you're gonna change by going out there with that?’"

    Now, Leslie is using her platform to speak out against injustice, and to urge her fans to vote in the upcoming US presidential election.

    Speaking during an appearance on ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers’, she said: "I'm gonna use my platform to make sure everybody understands the importance of voting. I think we all just need to realise that we're all human and living on the same Earth and need to start working together before we don't have nothing."

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     07 Jan: Katy Perry is "very particular" about fragrance
     07 Jan: Chevy Chase is the rudest celebrity Marina Zenovich has ever interviewed
     07 Jan: Sean Astin has stepped in to help Tylor Chase
     07 Jan: Fatboy Slim got to meet his "heroes" as a direct result of being sued
     07 Jan: Sterling K. Brown believes marriage requires "constant rededication"
     07 Jan: The director of Corey Feldman vs The World has refuted Corey's claims the documentary was made without his knowledge
     07 Jan: Jamie-Lynn Sigler and her husband decided not to have a third baby, because of her multiple sclerosis (MS)
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    It's au revoir for AJ Lam after the upcoming Super Rugby season More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Dairy prices have risen for the first time in months More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Katy Perry is "very particular" about fragrance 16:23

    Soccer:
    The Wellington Phoenix's new import hopes she can cause opposition goalkeepers plenty of headaches in the women's A-League 16:17

    Tennis:
    Brit Francesca Jones has rebounded from being thrashed in the opening set to book a quarter-final spot at the ASB tennis Classic in Auckland 15:57

    Entertainment:
    Chevy Chase is the rudest celebrity Marina Zenovich has ever interviewed 15:53

    Politics:
    Who is Nicolás Maduro Guerra, the son of Venezuela's deposed leader? 15:27

    Cricket:
    Black Caps paceman Jacob Duffy is counting down the days until he marks out his run-up at the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and India next month 15:27

    Accident and Emergency:
    Otago rescue teams have located a body on the southern side of Mount Huxley  15:27

    Entertainment:
    Sean Astin has stepped in to help Tylor Chase 15:23

    Law and Order:
    Two members of the public were allegedly assaulted at a bus station north of Auckland last night 14:57

    Entertainment:
    Fatboy Slim got to meet his "heroes" as a direct result of being sued 14:53


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd