News | Entertainment
21 Dec 2025 15:35
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."

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     21 Dec: Brooke Warne is throwing a Christmas bash that her late dad Shane Warne would be proud of
     21 Dec: Aubrey O'Day was hospitalised for an illness that forced her to miss Danity Kane's reunion show in Los Angeles
     21 Dec: Kelsey Grammer feels his newborn son gives him a second chance to nail fatherhood
     21 Dec: Kelly Ripa "tries not to act so much anymore" because she does not want to be away from her family
     21 Dec: King Charles' cancer treatment "can be reduced in the New Year"
     21 Dec: Kim Kardashian's law mentor has praised the star for being transparent about failing her California bar exam
     21 Dec: Glenn Close wants to die in the replica of her grandparents' stone cottage that she is building
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has had titanium plates fitted and teeth removed after breaking his jaw in two places during his defeat to two-time world champion Anthony Joshua More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Sport New Zealand chief executive Raelene Castle has shed light on the challenge sports administrators face between balancing transparency and confidentiality More...



     Today's News

    Law and Order:
    Police have arrested a woman, over a recent stabbing at an Allen Street bar in Wellington 15:27

    Entertainment:
    Brooke Warne is throwing a Christmas bash that her late dad Shane Warne would be proud of 15:20

    Rugby League:
    Warriors halfback Luke Metcalf insists he's hitting the milestones he needs to in his recovery from a serious knee injury sustained in June 14:57

    Entertainment:
    Aubrey O'Day was hospitalised for an illness that forced her to miss Danity Kane's reunion show in Los Angeles 14:50

    Entertainment:
    Kelsey Grammer feels his newborn son gives him a second chance to nail fatherhood 14:20

    Accident and Emergency:
    Police are investigating an unexplained death after a person was found unresponsive in the water in Rotorua's Waiotapu 14:07

    International:
    Hopes the community will prevail at Australian memorial events, a week on from the Bondi Beach terror attack 14:07

    Entertainment:
    Kelly Ripa "tries not to act so much anymore" because she does not want to be away from her family 13:50

    Environment:
    The weather's looking cloudy with a chance of RAIN-deer for most of the country this Christmas 13:47

    Soccer:
    Wellington Phoenix gaffer Giancarlo Italiano believes it's the sides with the best balance who will triumph in a congested A-league competition 13:47


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd