‘Avengers 4’ Star Don Cheadle Earns Praise for Support of Trans Rights on ‘SNL’

Last night, Marvel actor Don Cheadle hosted Saturday Night Live and wore a t-shirt while introducing the musical guest, Gary Clark Jr., that is garnering tons of positive attention.

Donning a shirt that read “Protect Trans Kids,” the actor known for playing James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine is being praised by fans, fellow celebrities, and human rights organizations alike.

“Don Cheadle for ever,” comedian Rhea Butcher tweeted.

“I want a tee shirt of this picture,” Sarah Silverman added.

“Thank you Don Cheadle for using your visibility to stand up for trans youth and being an ally to #ProtectTransKids. #SNL,” the Human Rights Campaign shared.

To read more tweets praising the actor, check out the Twitter Moment here.

Cheadle also took to Twitter today to thank everyone for the love and support he’s gotten over his hosting job.

“To each and every one of you beautiful tweeps. I awoke to so much support and love!! Thank you @nbcsnl for the opportunity to play and pay respect and throw shade in an historic space in an historic time. Keep fighting, y’all. Evil grows in the dark,” he wrote.

Fans were also quick to comment about the shirt. In fact, a Marvel fan with a trans sister posted an endearing thank you to the subreddit, r/marvelstudios, which is a page “dedicated to to Marvel Studios and the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole.”

“I just want to give a shout-out to our very own Don Cheadle for this. You made my younger trans sister cry tears of joy when she saw an Avengers actor publicly supporting her. Thank you sincerely,” u/Justice1993 shared.

When it comes to literal fashion statements, the actor didn’t stop there. He also closed out the show wearing a Soviet Union hockey jersey with “Trump” and “45” written on the back.

While there’s certainly a long way to go when it comes to trans rights, Cheadle is not the first person associated with Marvel to make a stand. In fact, it was recently announced that Spider-Man: Far From Home will feature the MCU’s first trans actors.

In addition to sending important messages to the audience, Cheadle is also being praised for his dynamite hosting job. SNL cast member, Leslie Jones, took to Twitter today to gush over his performance.

“Ok first @DonCheadle was the GOAT!! Like he made every sketch better and brought professionalism to another level!! Like an old pro!!,” she wrote.

You can watch the actor’s buddy cop sketch with Alex Moffat here.

You can catch Don Cheadle on the big screen when Avengers: Endgame is released in theaters on April 26th.