Tony award winner and animal rights activist Bernadette Peters shut down protesters at her 24th annual Broadway Barks event in New York City this weekend.
The actress, who hosts the adoption event every year, walked the red carpet prior to giving a speech. Other celebrity attendees included Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster, and Julianne Hough.
Peters, who is notoriously charitable, was able to move on with the program after the brief disruption. Watch the video below.
Protestors Get Vocal
In a video shared on Twitter, Peters appears to be mid-speech when a group of protesters interrupted the actress and singer. It’s hard to make out what the protestors are saying in the video, but Peters was having none of it.
how do we get Bernadette a Tony for fighting protesters at Broadway Barks? pic.twitter.com/V99MPJrW1i
— Reagan (@reaganzog) July 9, 2022
She responded quickly, “Excuse me, you are stopping all the animals here from having a chance to be adopted. Isn’t that what you want?” The audience answered with cheers and applause.
It’s unclear what the protestors were advocating for. One Twitter user speculated that they were protesting the operations of the Humane Society of New York, which has been accused of animal warehousing by ignoring adoption applications, closing doors to the public, and not advocating for their animals on social media.
About Broadway Barks
Co-founded in 1998 by Peters and actress Mary Tyler Moore, Broadway Barks is an organization that advocates for pet adoption. The organization has grown tremendously since its inception, aiding in thousands of adoptions.
Affiliated with several rescues across the country, Broadway barks fosters “a spirit of community among many animal shelters and rescue groups.” Broadway Barks also raises awareness about “responsible pet ownership, the importance of spaying and neutering, pet identification, and the impact of pets on our lives.”
If you’d like to learn more about Broadway Barks, visit their website here.
