An influential celebrity donor scolded Democrats for panicking in the aftermath of their defeat in the 2024 election, saying now was the time for inward reflection and change.
"People need a reality check. The Democratic Party needs a reality check," activist and producer Nicole Avant said in a new interview.
"I don’t really follow Bernie Sanders, but I love what he said: ‘Are we really shocked that the Democratic Party is going to leave the working class and then the working class decides to vote for somebody else? Why are we in shock?’ Now and again, everything swings. People have to regroup," she continued in comments to The Hollywood Reporter.
"I hope people really look at themselves right now," she added.
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Avant, daughter of the late philanthropist Jacqueline Avant and famed music executive Clarence Avant, is a top Democratic donor married to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.
The couple is friends with the Obamas and raised more than a half-million dollars as bundlers for the president’s campaign in 2012 after she served as his ambassador to the Bahamas. Avant has also helped raise money for the campaigns of several prominent Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Avant said she empathized with those disappointed over Harris' defeat but was still hopeful about the future of the Democratic Party.
She offered tough love to liberals looking to flee the country because of the incoming Republican administration.
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"Everybody is going, ‘Oh my God. Where am I going to move?’ I’m not going anywhere. I’m an American. I love my country," Avant said. "But at the end of the day, millions of Democrats didn’t vote."
"I’m still very optimistic, and I think that we have great people in the party — Gov. Josh Shapiro, Gov. Andy Beshear, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, they’re all smart and effective. People need to decide how they want to be effective and productive and be orderly about it," she said.
"Don’t be whining all the time."
Besides her work in entertainment and as Democratic bundler, Avant also served as Obama's ambassador to the Bahamas from 2009 to 2011.
