unforeeen consequences

Judd Apatow on Trump’s America: ‘Most of Us Are Just Scared and Eating Ice Cream’

28th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film - Closing Night Screening
Judd Apatow. Photo: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Palm Springs In

With the approach of Donald Trump’s presidency comes a lot of fear of what’s to come. There’s the broad, expansive anxiety about what his policies will mean for people’s ability to safely lead their lives, but there’s also the quieter, nagging difficulty of taking care of yourself while constantly terrified. It’s the latter concern that Judd Apatow gets at, with characteristic humor of course, in the New York Times, where he discusses the psychological toll of life in Donald Trump’s America. In the new normal, he says, “Most of us are just scared and eating ice cream.†Apatow also revealed a genuine problem with weight gain in the Trump era — “I’m trying so hard to have it not turn into 30 pounds†— just from the constant stress and desperate need to find comfort somewhere. He explained, “I think it tests our ability to not want to numb out. There’s so many things that are hard to hear every day that you do want to have some Oreos. Like people say, what do you invest in during the Trump era? I feel like, Hostess Cakes.†Ah, yes, the Zombieland guide to surviving the unholy. Sounds about right.

Apatow Talks Stress-Eating in Trump’s America