Sophia Bush urges white people to ‘show up for Black people’ in Trump’s America
Sophia Bush at the 57th NAACP Image Awards held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 28, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
Actress Sophia Bush has been praised for comments she made about white allyship with Black communities.
The queer star of John Tucker Must Die and Grey’s Anatomy, who has been in a relationship with former US women’s football player Ashlyn Harris since 2024, made the comments at NAACP Image Awards on February 28.
The awards are presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and honour performances across the arts, including in theatre, film and television.
“Art is always political,” Bush said outside the event, in an interview with Refinery29.
“As the white friend at this event, I’m gonna go ahead and say to the women who look like me – to the men who look like me – it’s incredibly important to remember that so much of what we love in America comes from Black culture.”
Sophia Bush with a 🔥 message at the NAACP Image Awards:
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) March 2, 2026
"I’m gonna say to the women who look like me, to the men who look like me, it’s incredibly important to remember that so much of what we love in America comes from Black culture" pic.twitter.com/NP1ttWusNx
“And white people need to show up for Black people the way they show up to be entertained by Black culture,” she continued.
“So, given who’s in office and given what we’re seeing happening to Black and brown communities in our country, we better get our s*** together.”
White allyship is the practice of white people actively and consistently taking the time to unlearn racism and use their privilege to support Black and Brown communities by also working to dismantle systemic racism, such as challenging racism when it appears, boosting voices of ethnic minorities in underrepresented spaces and supporting organisations like Black Lives Matter.
Social media users were quick to praise Bush for her stance and being an active anti-racism ally.
“This is what support and advocacy look like,” one social media user wrote.
“Now, that’s how you show up,” a second wrote.
“Whoever doesn’t love Sophia Bush is wrong,” a third said.
Trans non-binary TV presenter and influencer Dr Ronx commented under Refinery29’s Instagram video of the interview: “I think I wanna marry her 😍”
Many users also joked that Bush has a “forever cookout invite” and “season ticket holder to cookout”.
Unsurprisingly, others did not take Bush’s comments positively, with many posting deeply offensive, racist remarks in response and decrying Bush as a “liberal white woman”.
One of these, anti-trans pundit Oli London, took to his own social media to criticise Bush for “making dig at Trump”.
