Joe Piscopo admits Trump support was 'the nail in my coffin in Hollywood'
The "Saturday Night Live" alum, who had been longtime pals with "The Donald," was asked to do a speech at the Tampa fairgrounds. At the time, the celebrity businessman was running for president.
In his new memoir, "Average Joe," the comic and actor wrote that he knew that publicly supporting Trump would be "the forever death knell, the nail in my coffin in Hollywood."
Piscopo, now 73, told Fox News Digital he has zero regrets about supporting Trump, even if it meant getting shut out of Hollywood.
"I made the right move, but boy, they don't want to hear it out in Hollywood," said Piscopo.
"Now, I don't care. The country's in such a mess. And Donald Trump is doing such a great job at this point… It's not idolization of anybody. It's not me going gaga over anybody. It's the right thing for America. And Donald Trump tapped into what's right for America."
"I know, from knowing him all those years, that he loves his country more than anything else," Piscopo shared. "So yeah, I supported him, and they'll shut you down in Hollywood. But that's OK… I did what's right in my heart."
In his book, Piscopo wrote, "I thought it was best for the country that Hillary [Clinton] did not become president." His stance on Trump's political rival never changed.
"I don't hate Hillary," Piscopo explained to Fox News Digital. "I found Hillary rather charming when I met her. [My conservative friends] go, 'Joe, you can't say that!' But she was. When she was the first lady, I chatted with her. She couldn't have been more charming. There's no hate there. But [I felt] Donald as president could be cool."
"Look, Donald Trump tapped into something that was missing in America, and that is the people," he continued. "It was 'We, the people.' People may not like to hear it, but he was so on message with this… All the politicians in Washington… they've forgotten.
"Even folks in my old party, they just didn't care about it… When people asked, 'You're going to vote for Donald Trump?' I said, 'Unapologetically, yes.'"
Piscopo may have had hesitations initially about switching parties, but his mind was forever changed when he agreed to give that speech. He described arriving at the Tampa fairgrounds and witnessing "roughly 20,000 people" just waiting to hear Trump speak.
Piscopo was stunned.
"It's like a rock concert," he told Fox News Digital. "I [couldn't] believe it. This is 'The Donald.' So now I'm going over my speech. It wasn't a comedy… Let's bring manufacturing back. Let's believe in blue-collar workers. Let's help out the inner cities – all the things I believe in.
WATCH: 'SNL' ALUM JOE PISCOPO DETAILS HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP
"I'm reading it [and] my back is to all the people and all the action going on. And then I hear the loudspeakers say, 'And now, let's all join together and say the Pledge of Allegiance.' I go, 'Pledge of Allegiance? Who does that anymore?' I automatically put my hand over my heart, and I pledged allegiance to the flag. And everybody's saying it. The Florida Highway Patrol – everybody."
"Look, I'm too old to idolize anybody," he shared. "I just know [Donald] was right for the country. And I don't like when somebody's bashed when they shouldn't be, when I see the reality of it all."
In his book, Piscopo wrote that witnessing the "hope and joy" of the crowds that day convinced him he made the right choice.
"It's ironic that it took a billionaire from New York City to tap into the heart of these decent, hardworking folks and seem to honestly understand what they stood for," he wrote. "That someone cared enough about the regular men and women of this great country."
"I never looked back," he added.
In 2017, Trump claimed his place as America's 45th president.
Piscopo described Trump as "a loyal friend," someone who has "a real soft side," he insisted.
"I've known Donald Trump for a hundred years," the New Jersey native told Fox News Digital. "He was always respectful. He was always kind. He's the guy when we would go, 'We're going to Atlantic City,' and what does Donald Trump do? He'd send a jet up… How respectful is that? He didn't have to send a jet. I could have driven down two hours away. [But] it's Trump-style… It was the best of times. It really was."
"He was 'The Donald,' and I was 'Jersey Joe,'" Piscopo chuckled. "That's how I know Donald Trump. He would do charities all the time. They'd go, 'Joe, could you go to the Trump National Bedminster, and can you do a charity?' I'd go, 'Sure, let's go raise some money.' And it was always for charity. And who would show up? Donald and [his wife] Melania. Every single time.
"And [every time] he was warm, he was funny. He would remember everybody's name. He'll say, 'How's your uncle John?' 'Remember that guy you told me about? How is he doing?' That's the real Donald Trump. And you're looking back, and you're going, 'Wow, we've got to let America see that.'"
Piscopo wouldn't only support Trump at the polls. In 2024, he showed up at Manhattan Criminal Court during Trump's hush money trial as a sign of loyalty and friendship.
"When he went through that whole political persecution and the madness… and everything wrong about the political persecution of Donald Trump, I went to the courtroom," he said.
"I wanted to protest political persecution. But I [also wanted] to support my friend Donald Trump… It's friendship. It's loyalty. It's not forgetting who you are, where you're from. That's the Donald Trump I know. And if someone doesn't see it, I feel sorry for them because they're missing out on a great thing."
In November 2024, Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States. His win against Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman of color to lead a major party ticket, marked the second time he defeated a female rival in a general election.
"I feel sorry for the people who don't want to listen and are going to hate," Piscopo reflected. "I didn't hate Hillary. I didn't hate Biden. I didn't hate Obama. The hate's got to be put aside. You just embrace the goodness that is there."
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