In early March 2025, a video (archived) spread widely online allegedly showing actor Robert De Niro using an expletive against U.S. President Donald Trump during a speech at the March 2 Academy Awards.
One TikTok user posted a clip (archived) showing the Hollywood star walking on stage and saying, to applause from the audience: "I'm gonna say one thing: F*** Trump. It's no longer 'down with Trump,' it's F*** Trump." Text over the clip read: "Robert DeNiro at the oscar's."
The footage had amassed more than 1.6 million views as of this writing, while other examples of the claim appeared on X.
However, while the video does accurately show De Niro using an expletive against Trump, this moment did not occur at the 2025 Academy Awards. It actually took place at the 2018 Tony Awards, which honor excellence in Broadway theater. As such, we have rated the claim and footage as miscaptioned.
The original footage was published on YouTube by multiple reputable outlets in June 2018, including British newspaper The Guardian and entertainment magazine Variety.
A "Tony Awards" sign can be seen at the start of both videos along with a "Tony" sign behind the actor when he takes his place on stage.
De Niro made the comment before introducing singer Bruce Springsteen. The actor's remarks were met with loud cheers, applause and a standing ovation.
The Hollywood star has long been a vocal critic of Trump. In 2016, he called the then-candidate "an idiot … a national disaster … an embarrassment to this country," a "fool" and a "bozo."
Snopes has previously addressed other rumors about De Niro's opinion of Trump, such as the satirical claim that the actor and Springsteen were leaving the U.S. following the president's 2024 election victory and the true claim that De Niro called Trump an "evil … wannabe tough guy with no morals or ethics."