‘Harris for America!’: Hollywood reacts with gratitude – and relief – as Joe Biden steps aside

Hollywood has reacted to the news that the US president, Joe Biden, is dropping out of the presidential election with gratitude and a sigh of relief, having for the most part stayed stumm in recent weeks as only a few celebrities called for him to step aside.

Just hours before Biden announced he was ending his bid for re-election and endorsing the vice-president, Kamala Harris, West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin argued in a New York Times opinion piece that the Democrats should select Republican Mitt Romney to defeat former president Donald Trump in November, as “a clear and powerful demonstration” about “stopping a deranged man from taking power”.

But once Biden revealed he was dropping out of the race, Sorkin retracted the idea and endorsed Harris, who has already launched her campaign for the White House.

“I take it all back. Harris for America!” Sorkin said in a statement shared by West Wing actor star Joshua Malina on X and confirmed by Sorkin’s agent.

Among vocal Democrat supporters, Biden’s decision was widely praised. Robert De Niro, an outspoken critic of Donald Trump and the narrator of one of Biden’s campaign ads, told the Hill that he felt “respect, admiration, and affection” for Biden for his decision.

“In an act of shrewd politics and selfless patriotism, Joe Biden is stepping aside to clear the path for another Democrat to become president … because there is nothing more important for our country than defeating Donald Trump at the ballot box,” he said in his statement. “With respect, admiration, and affection, thank you Mr. President!”

Barbra Streisand wrote on X that “we should be grateful for his upholding of our democracy.”

Talkshow host and comedian Jon Stewart, who previously criticised Biden’s reluctance to consider dropping out, reacted with a single word : “Legend.”

Documentary film-maker Ken Burns said Biden “will go down as one of the great ones”.

“History recognizes actions that are bigger than self … having led the country out of the disastrous term of his predecessor and quietly doing good things for all Americans, red state as well as blue, accomplishments that put him up there, in terms of legislative action, with LBJ and FDR. Joe, I can’t imagine where we’d be without your selfless service,” he wrote on X .

Related: Biden campaign releases De Niro-voiced video ad warning Trump has ‘snapped’

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, who visited Biden in the Oval Office in May, thanked him and said he had “a record of accomplishments unmatched by any president in our lifetime” and had “restored honesty, dignity and integrity to the office after four years of lies, crime, scandal and chaos”.

Comedian Kathy Griffin, who received death threats for her criticism of Trump, wrote : “Let’s make history!!!! Finally”

Star Trek actor George Takei called Biden “a decent honorable man, a hugely successful president, and a patriot” and called for people to “unite behind” Harris in order to defeat Trump.

Pod Save America host Jon Favreau, who recently criticised Biden for staying in the race, praised Biden’s decision on Sunday as a “courageous and selfless act”.

Cher, who had just tweeted that she didn’t believe the Democrats could win without Biden moments before, wrote: “DEM PARTY MUST ‘REALLY,’ ‘REALLY’ THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. ‘WINNING IS ALL’, DONT WIN CANT CHANGE ANYTHING & THE TIMES THEY MUST BE A CHANGIN.”

Jamie Lee Curtis said she “wholeheartedly” supported Biden’s decision and endorsed Harris’s bid, writing on Instagram : “She is trusted and tested and she is a fierce advocate for women’s rights and people of color and her message is one of hope and unity for America at her time of great national divide.”

Sunday’s outpouring of support was a marked shift in recent sentiment, with only a few high-profile Hollywood names having publicly called for Biden to exit the race.

Just weeks after headlining a fundraiser for Biden’s re-election campaign, George Clooney wrote a New York Times opinion piece calling for him to drop out, arguing that the party should pick a new nominee.

The process would be “messy”, he wrote, but would “wake up” voters in the party’s favour.

Michael Douglas supported Clooney’s view, saying he was “deeply, deeply concerned” about Biden’s prospects after his widely panned performance in the televised debate against Trump.

Douglas, who hosted a Hollywood fundraiser for the president in April, said on the View: “This is such a tough one. I adore the guy … I don’t necessarily worry about today or tomorrow but a year down the line, I worry. I am concerned.”