Getty Amanda Seales.
Amanda Seales, an actress who appeared on HBO’s show “Insecure,” recorded a video in which she claimed – without evidence – that the assassination attempt against former President Trump was “staged.”
“That [expletive] was more staged than a Tyler Perry production of ‘Madea Runs for President,’” Seales said in the since-deleted video, which has widely circulated on X. “Lived in Harlem long enough to know that gunshots do not sound like making popcorn on the stove.”
One post of Seale’s video had 22 million views on X through midday on July 15.
No evidence has emerged that the assassination attempt was “staged.” Rather, the FBI said in a statement on X that it had identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
“At present, we have not identified an ideology associated with the subject,” said Kevin Rojek, a special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, in a phone call with reporters, according to USA Today. “At this time, the information that we have indicates that the shooter acted alone and that there are currently no public safety concerns.”
According to her website, Seales “is an Artistic Intellectual who uses humor and information to entertain and educate.” She is also a podcaster and has acted in shows on HBO and NBC, her website says.
Amanda Seales Spoke About ‘Fake Blood’ During the Viral Video
GettyAmanda Seales.
During the video, Seales played a portion of the shooting of Trump that contains sounds of gunfire.
“Pop pop pop. Where’d the blood come from? So in theater, in movies, they have what’s called blood pellets. Like people use them in Halloween,” she says in the video.
“It’s basically a pellet of fake blood that you put in your mouth. When you crush it, the blood comes out,” she added. “To be frank, small hands Trump would not respond by raising his fists in the air triumphantly were an actual attempt made on his life. This was I believe done to try to show his strength counter to Biden’s fragility.”
The video received strong criticism on X.
Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, Mayor Jondavid R. Longo wrote on X, “Amanda Seales didn’t see the blood on the bleachers behind me from the innocent man who was murdered or his body being taken away. And those ‘popcorn’ sounds she’s talking about are exactly what a small caliber rifle sounds like. Her disgusting rhetoric and that of those like her is responsible for this.”
Trump was shot in the ear during the attack, he revealed on Truth Social. The U.S. Secret Service wrote in a post that the gunman was neutralized at the scene, saying a spectator was killed and two others were critically injured.
Amanda Seales, Who Appeared on the HBO Show, ‘Insecure,’ Wrote That She is Dedicated ‘to Social Justice’
GettyAmanda Seales.
Seales wrote on her website that she is dedicated “to social justice.”
“She seamlessly weaves together the scholarship of a Master’s degree in African American studies from Columbia University and an unwavering dedication to social justice, with her skill sets as a comedian, host, actress, writer, radio personality, visual artist and more creating an eco-system of original content under, the banner of her independent entity Smart Funny & Black Productions,” her website says.
She listed her “previous credits” as “the role of ‘Tiffany DuBois’ on HBO’s hit series Insecure, her HBO stand-up comedy special, ‘I Be Knowin,’ former cohost on daytime talk show, ‘The Real,’ host of NBCs ‘Bring the Funny,’ and the host/writer of the groundbreaking 2020 BET Awards,” according to her website. Seales also has a weekly podcast called “Small Doses.”