In June, The Hollywood Reporter released its list of the most powerful people in entertainment. This group controls the media, which arguably wields the greatest power over American minds. It is telling, yet unsurprising, that an analysis of these movers and shakers’ political leanings revealed a striking liberal bias.
Hollywood and the big three networks are bastions of the left – that is no secret. But the liberal bias is not confined to activist celebrities like Debra Messing (Will & Grace) and Kerry Washington (Scandal); in fact, it penetrates all facets of Tinsel Town and NYC, from creative to corporate. And some of the biggest influencers fall in the latter category.
After conducting a thorough analysis of THR’s list, MRC Culture found that at least 95% of list members who donated to political causes gave solely to Democratic campaigns or liberal PACs.
Among these were outspoken liberal celebrities, producers, screenwriters and CEOs. Top “Hillblazers,” as they are called, included DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg ($2.5 million), Legendary Entertainment CEO Thomas Tull ($2.3 million), Producer/Screenwriter Steven Spielberg ($2.2 million) and Producer/Screenwriter J.J. Abrams ($1.4 million). Their money, donated between 2015 and 2016, went to the Clinton Campaign, various congressional campaigns, state Democratic Parties and liberal PACs.
Beyond financially impacting the political sphere, the people on THR’s list wield great influence over the beliefs and mores of the viewers who consume their content. And celebrities are constantly using their platforms to popularize their own viewpoints. Some particularly notorious for this are actors Amy Schumer, Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio.
In August, Schumer tweeted: “Trump just let a bunch of racist, sexist peeps run his campaign. Very proud #imwithher go to http://www.iwillvote.com to register to vote!” A couple of months later, the comedienne garnered extensive media attention when 200 audience members left her show because she got too political and bashed the Republican candidate.
On the respective issues of guns and the environment, Damon and DiCaprio are some of the biggest (hypocritical) voices in Hollywood. Damon has often used firearms in his films, even while touting the virtues of state gun confiscation. Meanwhile, DiCaprio, who purportedly cares deeply about our environment, routinely jets around the globe.
Here’s the bottom line. If you enjoy Hollywood shows and films, but hate the bias, be aware that your viewing habits may indirectly fund left-leaning political and moral movements. The best thing you can do to protest is scale back your media consumption.
