'Privileged' Eva Longoria Denies Leaving the U.S. After Donald Trump Won 2024 Election: 'I'm a Proud American'
Nov. 16 2024, Published 2:23 p.m. ET
Eva Longoria wants people to know that she loves America.
The Desperate Housewives actress, 49, made headlines with her recent comments about how she was "privileged" enough to "escape" the United States after Donald Trump won the 2024 election. However, while her pal Ana Navarro was recording a recent episode of The View's "Behind the Table" podcast, Longoria called the cohost to clarify her remarks.
"Will you please let them know I didn’t move out of the United States because of Trump?" she asked Navarro, 57. "I didn’t leave because of the political environment; I left because my work took me there."
The Over Her Dead Body actress explained she and her husband, José Bastón, and their son, Santiago, 6, relocated to Spain three years ago for Longoria to film Land of Women. "I've been there for years, so I just don't like that it's politicized," she noted. "I'm a proud American — I've always been a proud American."
The brunette beauty added how she was "so sad" that what she said had been misconstrued to be "divisive" amongst Americans. "We can’t be that way right now," Longoria emphasized.
The mother-of-one sparked controversy during a recent cover story for Marie Claire when she gave her candid reaction to the Republican leader, 78, defeating Kamala Harris on election day. "I get to escape and go somewhere," she explained.
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"Most Americans aren’t so lucky. They’re going to be stuck in this dystopian country, and my anxiety and sadness is for them," Longoria continued. “The shocking part is not that he won. It’s that a convicted criminal who spews so much hate could hold the highest office. If he keeps his promises, it’s going to be a scary place."
The Hollywood star, who grew up in Texas, pointed out that "the vibe" of Los Angeles, Calif., was "different" after the COVID-19 pandemic. "It pushed it over the edge. Whether it’s the homelessness or the taxes, not that I want to s--- on California," Longoria said while noting that the "chapter" of her life in the United States was "done now."
Longoria, who spoke at the Democratic National convention over the summer, also opened up about how she felt "depressed" after Trump's 2016 victory. “It was like, ‘Does my vote really matter? Am I really making a difference?’” she said. “I was so untethered to the core of what I believe because I truly believed in my soul that the best person wins. And then that happened, and I was like, ‘Oh, wait. The best person doesn’t win.’”