Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Who is Gina Loudon? The Trump surrogate appeared on Wife Swap and Sean Hannity’s radio show, is anti-abortion, and now faces backlash for accusing Ariana Grande and Wicked of ‘racial appropriation’

Meet Gina Loudon, the Trump surrogate and Sean Hannity co-host who accused Ariana Grande and Wicked of “racial appropriation”. Photo: @realdrgina/Instagram
Meet Gina Loudon, the Trump surrogate and Sean Hannity co-host who accused Ariana Grande and Wicked of “racial appropriation”. Photo: @realdrgina/Instagram

The Maga mouthpiece wrongly called Grande Hispanic, dubbing her performance ‘racist’ – the mum of 5 previously spoke out against a ‘sinful’ couple on Wife Swap as well as ‘the horrors of abortion’

The new film adaptation of popular Broadway musical Wicked has proved incredibly successful, raking in US$165 million at the box office in its opening weekend. Singer and actress Ariana Grande, who plays the part of good witch Glinda, has received critical acclaim and earned a string of nominations ahead of the upcoming awards season.

But among all the praise heaped on Grande, one dissenting opinion has caused a stir. In early December, Maga mouthpiece Gina Loudon made headlines when she deemed Wicked “offensive” and “racist”; she also wrongly claimed that Grande was “obviously” Hispanic, saying her casting amounted to “racial appropriation”.

Gina Loudon and her husband John Loudon with Donald Trump in November. Photo: @realdrgina/Instagram
Gina Loudon and her husband John Loudon with Donald Trump in November. Photo: @realdrgina/Instagram
Advertisement

On a show hosted on far-right cable network Real America’s Voice, Loudon aired her thoughts on the film, saying, “Let’s just start with the fact that they have Ariana Grande, who is obviously a Hispanic woman, playing the part of a ditsy, blonde, white, really, villain, when it comes right down to it, for this particular movie.

“The racism and racial appropriation I just thought was offensive, frankly. All white people aren’t dumb and evil, and I just get kind of sick of that storyline,” she added.

Ariana Grande’s mother Joan Grande, and brother Frankie Grande proving their Italian heritage. Photo: @frankiejgrande/Instagram
Ariana Grande’s mother Joan Grande, and brother Frankie Grande proving their Italian heritage. Photo: @frankiejgrande/Instagram
The comments have received massive backlash, not only because Loudon got her facts wrong – Grande is Italian-American on both sides of her family – but also because many find her comments offensive. So just who is Gina Loudon, a member of president-elect Donald Trump’s inner circle? Here’s what to know.

She has strong Maga credentials

Gina Loudon is a major player in the Maga universe. Photo: @realdrgina/Instagram
Gina Loudon is a major player in the Maga universe. Photo: @realdrgina/Instagram
In a profile on Turning Point USA, Loudon has been labelled an “official Trump campaign surrogate”, meaning she is deeply involved with the Trump campaign. Loudon was also a delegate at the Republican National Convention ahead of the November elections and in 2020 was part of the Trump Campaign Media Advisory Board. According to C-Span, Loudon was also a co-chair of Women for Trump 2020.

She’s a celebrated conservative