Debra Messing, one of the stars of the classic sitcom Will & Grace has shocked the entertainment world by going against the progressive groupthink that is so prevalent in Hollywood and ditched incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and thrown her support behind GOP nominee Bruce Blakeman in the gubernatorial race in the Empire State.
The endorsement is a massive shift for Messing who in the past campaigned for Democratic candidates. For example, in 2016, the actress backed twice failed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. She also supported Cynthia Nixon of Sex in the City fame when she ran for governor in 2018. Messing has had public clashes with President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Blakeman.
However, those allegiances are no longer at the forefront as she heaped praise on Blakeman’s campaign for governor. “Oh gosh, I am so grateful that you are running,” she said to Blakeman in a video posted on Instagram. “You are what we need more than anything.” The statement was a shock for folks who have kept up with Messing’s career.
“The decline in this city over the last four years has been so exponential and devastating economically, socially on every level, and obviously we’ve lost so much business here. People are leaving the city,” she added in the video. The Wedding Date star is a native of the Empire State and explained that her support for Blakeman is centered around his concern for the direction of the city and the financial pressure its residents are going through, according to a report from Fox News.
“I was born here. This is the city I love, and it’s not the city that I love anymore, and I believe with all my heart that you are the answer,” she continued in the video. “You are the affordable candidate and I think, more than anything, people are just really struggling, and they need their utilities to be lower, and they don’t want to have to pay to have congestion and the driving.”
Messing then stated that the biggest issue on her heart is that of affordability, going on to point out the increasing financial burden that is being forced onto the shoulders of modern New Yorkers. “It’s just too expensive to live in New York City and I love the fact that that is the top of your mind,” she continued in the video.
Blakeman is currently serving as Nassau County executive and is the GOP nominee for governor in the 2026 election, which will be determined in a month’s time. He has challenged Hochul on issues that include race, affordability, taxes, crime, and immigration. Most conservatives involved in the entertainment industry keep silent about their political beliefs, fearing they will be blacklisted for being open about it.
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But that hasn’t stopped some, like Rob Schneider, Jon Voight, Tim Allen, and Zachary Levi from declaring their values and principles over the last several years. The good news is that as more and more individuals like Messing come forward about their politics, the harder it will be for the radical left to cancel them.