Thursday 23rd June 2016 was a historic day for Great Britain as the country voted whether to leave or remain in the European Union. The results of the referendum mean that the UK has decided to leave the EU. Reactions have been mixed, from both celebs and regular people alike.
So what does Brexit (British exit) mean for the UK? Having voted to leave, the UK can no longer participate in EU negotiations, it won’t be part of the European single market and UK citizens won’t have the freedom of movement across Europe that EU citizens do. However, the UK now has more control over its borders and can make all of its own laws, without having to accept laws made by the EU.
But what are the celebs saying?
From European celebs like Niall Horan to Americans like Lindsay Lohan, everybody is having their say.
As soon as the result was announced on Friday morning, 1D’s Niall Horan immediately jumped on Twitter to express his disappointment.
It's a sad day . The economic impact that this is going to have is definitely going to make those voters regret their decision
— Niall Horan (@NiallOfficial) June 24, 2016
Niall, along with The Vamps band member James, also tweeted his anger at the misleading information given by the Leave campaign. Niall’s tweet about “Farage” refers to UKIP leader Nigel Farage who had said leaving the EU would put more money into the National Health Service, and then subsequently said this wasn’t true.
And I see farage is talkin crap and telling lies as per usual on telly . Let's see what he does now . He really is a terrible man
— Niall Horan (@NiallOfficial) June 24, 2016
How can you sway that many people into thinking their health service is going to be funded and when the vote goes your way
— Niall Horan (@NiallOfficial) June 24, 2016
Tell them we shouldn't have said that and it was a mistake. Bullshit .
— Niall Horan (@NiallOfficial) June 24, 2016
Continue to manipulate people with lies I suppose. It's a shame for those NHS supporters who were drawn in by him. @NiallOfficial
— James Brittain-McVey (@TheVampsJames) June 24, 2016
Author J.K. Rowling has also been very vocal about the subject. When it was announced that the UK would be leaving the EU she tweeted, “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted magic more.” She also added two very poignant words, “Goodbye, UK,” in response to talks of the United Kingdom becoming divided over the decision.
Goodbye, UK. https://t.co/HMRA0AnlWR
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 24, 2016
Zayn Malik was equally upset by the result, tweeting about divisions in society that the vote has made all the more evident.
It's very sad to see society so fragmented esp in terms of regions, generations and class. We need to pull together now to make it work
— zayn (@zaynmalik) June 24, 2016
As humans . Big love ??
— zayn (@zaynmalik) June 24, 2016
Indeed. All the love.
Reactions from other celebs have been overwhelmingly negative.
https://twitter.com/elliegoulding/status/746265460119830528
— Coldplay (@coldplay) June 24, 2016
I can't get my head around what's happening in Britain.I'm so sorry to the youth of Britain. I fear you've been let down today x
— James Corden (@JKCorden) June 24, 2016
Well millennials. We're really really fucked.
— Lily Allen (@lilyallen) June 24, 2016
In addition to her tweets, Lily Allen has changed her Twitter bio to read #STOPBORIS in response to talks of Conservative politician and Leave campaigner Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister. In the Boris discussion J.K. Rowling also retweeted this image.
Wow. The French newspapers are so trolling us. pic.twitter.com/wiGBLCUa4L
— Dan Rebellato (@DanRebellato) June 24, 2016
Yikes.
Irish actor and comedian, Aisling Bea, injected a bit of humour into the Brexit conversation.
Will Niall Horan have to do One Direction gigs around Europe on his own if the other three can't get working visas?
— Aisling Bea (@WeeMissBea) June 24, 2016
This is the real question, guys.
Boy George reckons we’ll just have to deal with it.
There's no use crying over spilt milk. We'll just ave to mek the best of it!
— Boy George (@BoyGeorge) June 24, 2016
One EU referendum commentator that surprised everybody was American actor Lindsay Lohan who live-tweeted the referendum results, although they now appear to have been deleted. She seemed just as confused and exasperated as everybody else
Where IS Kettering, though?
Global superstar Cher simply tweeted that she prays the decision to leave is the best for UK people, although her emojis are a bit confusing.
Glued 2Brexit results with Frnds??
“Leaves”Have Won.Frnds say Immigration played part in Vote.
??It’s Best Decision 4 All UK PPL???
??— Cher (@cher) June 24, 2016
These are just a few of many celebrity responses to Brexit. This is such an important decision for the UK and Europe; it’s wonderful to see so many stars engaging in the discussion and getting their fans interested in politics.
Do you agree with what the celebs have been saying about Brexit? Let us know with a tweet over to @CelebMix.