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Black-ish (tv show)

'Black-ish' star Yara Shahidi shares feelings on that Trump episode

Carly Mallenbaum
USA TODAY
Actress Yara Shahidi talked about the significance of the 'Black-ish' episode about the election.

Last week, Black-ish, an ABC sitcom that hasn't shied away from controversial social issues, took on the topic of the recent election. The episode, called "Lemons," saw its characters articulate their potent feelings about a Donald Trump presidency.

The episode struck a chord with critics, fans and with Black-ish actress Yara Shahidi.

On the People's Choice Awards red carpet Wednesday night, Shahidi said that shooting the episode was a powerful experience, especially considering the fact that Trump tweeted back in 2014 about how racist he thought Black-ish was going to be.

"To really address how we were feeling, from the angst to the more powerful emotions, was really special, because it's so much more than, 'Oh, I hate (Trump),' but it's really delving into why I feel this way, and why we feel this way and what we can do," she said.

Shahidi's character, eldest daughter Zoey, tells her mother (Tracee Ellis Ross) that "our values don't disappear just because our side lost one election," Zoey says. "And in the next one, me and my friends will be voting. We're gonna pick up right where you left off."

As Shahidi explains it, "Zoey was so non-political in this episode, and that was such a beautiful moment, where you had the balance of the political point of view (articulated by Anthony Anderson's impassioned patriarch, Dre), and then Zoey who's like, 'I'm contributing love to the healing rally.'"

Shahidi, herself, finds her reaction to Trump's election somewhere between Dre's and Zoey's. Come Friday, "I will not be watching the inauguration, but I will be supporting the women's march" from L.A.

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