Tiffany Haddish, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, more stars tapped for get-out-the-vote telethon

Tiffany Haddish attends the premiere of "BlacKkKlansman" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on July 30. Credit: AP / Invision / Andy Kropa
A bevy of celebrities and social-media influencers will be taking part in "The Telethon for America," which will be streaming online next week. But they’re not trying to raise money. Instead, the participating stars — including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Judd Apatow, Chelsea Handler, Tiffany Haddish, Alyssa Milano, Allison Janney and Jessica Alba, among many others — are taking pledges to vote in an attempt to boost turnout for the upcoming midterm elections.
Announced Wednesday, the nonpartisan, get-out-the-vote initiative will stream live on YouTube, Facebook Live and Comedy Central Online on Monday, the day before the midterms, from 9 to 11 p.m.
The telethon, backed by former first lady Michelle Obama’s nonpartisan campaign, When We All Vote, "flips the traditional telethon on its head," said comedian Ben Gleib, who created and is executive producing the telethon, in a statement. "Young Americans are more motivated than ever before and the ’Telethon for America' is working to build on that momentum to make sure an even higher percentage of young people get out and vote," he added.
The telethon will take place in YouTube’s Los Angeles creative studio space in the Playa Vista neighborhood and feature live comedy and musical performances, pretaped segments and extensive interaction with the celebrity phone bank, which will call out to fans and potential voters encouraging them to head to the polls Tuesday.
Celebrities involved in the telethon range from Oscar- and Emmy Award-winners to YouTube stars. Debra Messing, Lil Rel, Ashley Benson, Connie Britton, Adam DeVine, Whitney Cummings, Russell Peters, Jeff Ross, Sophia Bush, Tom Arnold, Aisha Tyler, Minnie Driver, Erik Griffin, Jackie Tohn, Wyatt Cenac, Natasha Leggero, Tone Bell, Iliza Shlesinger, Rory Scovel, Mary McCormack, Lilly Singh, Olga Kay, DJ Samantha Ronson, Brad Williams, Zoe Lister-Jones, Jade Tailor, Milana Vayntrub and Quddus are slated to participate.
Performers will also be streaming the entire program live on their platforms, essentially simulcasting the telethon across dozens of influential accounts.
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