'Raymond' Star Patricia Heaton Says She's Been Denied Roles Due to Conservative Views
The notion that conservative political views can stunt one's acting career in ultra-liberal Hollywood is occasionally derided as exaggeration at best, or conspiracy-mongering at worst. So it behooves us to point out the actual victims of this sort of McCarthyite blacklisting.
The latest person to provoke the wrath of Hollywood's thought police - or at least to reveal the consequences of that wrath - is former "Everybody Loves Raymond" star Patricia Heaton. Heaton claims that she has been denied roles precisely - and explicitly - because she is "lumped together with conservatives," according to PopEater.com.
Known around left-leaning Hollywood for her conservative stances on weighty issues like abortion and stem cells, 'Everybody Loves Raymond' star Patricia Heaton is happy to explain how important her Christian faith is to her and how it shapes her views and career choices.
"My feeling is all these things come from God and as long as I know I'm staying in line with Him, I don't have to worry if there is backlash," she told me during a visit to AOL's New York offices. "God will open any doors he wants to open and if he closes doors that's fine to."
Telling me that she has many gay friends and doesn't oppose gay marriage, Patricia gets frustrated being automatically lumped together with other conservatives, a characterization she says has cost her possible work.
"We know for a fact there are some people who have said they wouldn't want to work with us because of our politics," she said, with her husband David Hunt adding, "We get lumped in with lunatics."
Even someone who apparently considers opponents of gay marriage "lunatics" is too far right for Hollywood. For an industry that once decried supposed ideological persecution in the Red Scare, the entertainment industry is sure willing to engage in its fair share.
Of course these sorts of tactics not only reflect Hollywood's ideological disparity, they reinforce it by discouraging conservatives from entering the business, and discouraging those already in the business from "coming out."
Other Hollywood conservatives have advised their ideological kin against revealing their political views publicly, simple because doing so could cause their career to take a hit. Actor Clint Howard, who recently starred in a series of videos for the conservative Heritage Foundation, urged caution in an interview with Politico's Patrick Gavin:
Still, he said, it would be wise for young Hollywood conservatives to exercise caution when speaking their minds.
"I'd tell young people trying to break into and succeed in the business: Be careful about this stuff,” he said.
- Lachlan Markay's blog
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Comments
It's hard to believe...
Submitted by Ed Gregory on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 11:23am.
...that Patricia Heaton and another (at least somewhat) conservative actor, Kelsey Grammer, were on a show together not long ago. Think it was called "Back to You." Two conservatives on the same set? Why, it must be some right-wing cabal!
By the way, is that really her in that picture? Looks more like Sophia Loren. Either way, I'm not arguing.
You made a bit of a jump
Submitted by balboa on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 11:48am.
You made a bit of a jump there.
She isn't too far right for "Hollywood." She's too far right for "some people."
BTW, I like The Middle, except the kids are so obnoxious, especially the oldest one.
Oh there you are Mr. Balboa.
Submitted by The Vet on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 12:18pm.
Say, you made some very very very explosive charges. That 2 convicted cop killers should walk free because you think you are better than the 12 jururs that decided their fate. 2 convicted cop killers that were justly convicted by our criminal court system. You have claimed here at NewsBusters that you think the evidence that convicted them is wanting. I have kindly, repeatedly, and insistently requested you prove your case.
Now sir, it is not nice to make outrageous accusations, then cut and run when people ask you to prove your case. Most especially when those people spend precious time out of their busy day to dispel the scant items you brought to prove your case. Items you yourself admit was false.
I again, request you kindly go back to the forum where you made your unfounded accusations and either take them back and admit the 2 cop killers were justly convicted of their crimes or, again, make your case.
Again, it is not fair to make people spend precious time out of their day showing you these 2 cop killers were meeting their just fate, just to go off and post elsewhere as though you did not make insane claims that were patently untrue.
We await your where you made your claims.
I apologize to all here for making an off topic post, but if posters would back their outrageous claims instead of cutting and running, we would not be forced to remind them of their duties as good netizens.
Wrong...........
Submitted by Tomorama on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 12:50pm.
Actually Balboa, she IS to far right for left of a bag of rocks Hollyweird comparitively speaking.
To me she is simply a common sense human being, UNLIKE Hollyweird and that crew of leftists.
In the article, they said
Submitted by balboa on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 1:03pm.
In the article, they said "some people," not "Hollywood."
And yet she was on one of the most successful TV shows ever, been cast in numerous other ones, and is on a show currently.
Gee, must be rough having it so bad...
Reading is fundamental?
Submitted by Tomorama on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 1:24pm.
Read genius "Some people" OK LIBERAL GENIUS, STOP THE QUOTE..............................
The whole quote "genius" is "Some people have said they won't work with us because of our politics".
Do tell WHERE and WHAT the lovely Patricia does for "work"?
Hollywood. To me if you say
Submitted by balboa on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 1:32pm.
Hollywood.
To me if you say she's too far to the right of Hollywood, it means she can't get a gig anywhere. It's all-inclusive.
Whereas being too far to the right of "some people" in Hollywood is more accurate. I think the writer made too big a jump.
Another big jump.
Submitted by The Vet on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 2:08am.
What if I were to say "balboa loves cop killers"? Would I have to provide proof of that statement? Or could I get away with providing zero evidence? Say, zero evidence. That sounds familiar. That is exactly how much evidence you have provided that your 2 favorite cop killers are innocent after telling the world you think they are innocent.
How big a jump is making statements and then providing zero evidence to back them up?
Hey, it is not me. It's Common. Blame him.
Submitted by The Vet on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 11:51am.
I am just trying to explain why Common might say "balboa loves..." It ain't me. People get to make up any lie or repeat any lie they want because, hey, might be what Common thinks...
balboa: AS I'VE SAID OVER AND OVER AGAIN, I WAS EXPLAINING WHY COMMON MIGHT HAVE THIS OPINION...that "balboa loves...
balboa:...Common obviously thinks... that "balboa loves...
balboa: Could it give people --such as Common -- reason to believe that maybe...that "balboa loves...
balboa: That appears to be enough of a controversy for Common and others to think "balboa loves...
nOTHING YOU SAY
Submitted by Samshile on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 6:15pm.
invalidates the claim. Black Swam arguement. One atypical situation does not make it common or typical.
bal,
Submitted by Radical1979 on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 4:10pm.
You must not have teenagers in your house. You lucky man.
The Middle
Submitted by Secret Conservative on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 10:27am.
I agree. Whoever cast those kid actors must have been on something. They are not only NOT funny, they're not cute or anything else. I like Patricia Heaton and the husband is OK, but those kids have GOT to go. Unfortunately, Patricia Heaton cannot carry the show all by herself, and the rest of the cast just pulls her down more.
I've always liked Patricia Heaton's acting
Submitted by MissMinPhx on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 12:15pm.
and I love her new show The Middle (in its second season). It's too bad that she looses jobs because of her political beliefs, but the shows she does end up doing tend to be family-friendly, high quality shows.
Really? Ramond was a good
Submitted by Rusty Shackleford on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 12:35pm.
Really? Ramond was a good show, but every single storyline was somehow based around sex. I'd be a little uncomfortable watching that show with a little kid.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Matthews: The Joy Behar of MSNBC.
Bill Maher: The Joy Behar of HBO.
Paul Krugman: The Joy Behar of The New York Times.
I still
Submitted by MissMinPhx on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 12:43pm.
watch Everybody Loves Raymond in reruns and often, my children watch it with me (but my younger kids don't like it as the plot lines are aimed at adult viewers). Still, I find the shows to be funny, well-written and with witty plot lines and clean - no violence, no bad language, and no, most of the story lines are not focused on sex but on the insensitivity of the men in the family. It's not a deep show by any stretch of the imagination but it is funny and unlike other shows, it celebrates the typical American family.
Isn't everything on TV based around sex?
Submitted by Galvanic on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 12:44pm.
It's fortunate that she has the residuals from ELR to rely on. Most actors aren't that lucky.
Rusty
Submitted by Free Stinker on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 9:14pm.
Rusty, ELR did have it's share of sex themed episodes (The Sneeze, PT&A, The Power of No), but there are a large number that were not.
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
Now wait just a minute....
Submitted by liberalsarefunny on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 12:46pm.
Now wait just a minute....
I thought liberals were tolerant of other views.
Right??
Aren't they???
The star of "Debra Straightens Out Raymond" whines. . .
Submitted by lgeubank on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 12:49pm.
Heaton sure gets a lot of mileage out of being a persecuted Christian and conservative.
Yet she had no scruples about making tons of money in a male-bashing propaganda show, "Debra punishes Raymond for his misbehavior every fricking week," or whatever that was called.
I think she has it both ways -- she can gloat over her feminista-style male-bashing show, and call people lunatics if they don't agree with her that homosexual liaisons deserve the name "marriage"; yet she can still sing her chorus of "Poor, poor pitiful me, I'm so persecuted and downtrodden because of my noble views." I say it's spinach, and I say the Hell with it.
That thing is called a clicker
Submitted by Tomorama on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 1:24pm.
You sure get a lot of mileage out of being a persecuted no nothing male as well?
Name 100 sitcoms over the last 50 years and the premise that was of Raymond would easily apply.
The "formula" worked and works well, THE CAST, made it a cut above.
Funny as all hell and if you felt the poor men were persecuted, change the channel.
I believe her when she says she has missed out on parts, but I also think the "lunatics" part is a bit much ON HER HUSBANDS PART.
I agree with Obama here, marriage is one man and one woman, but only I am the hater, he is nuanced.
Raymond deserved
Submitted by liberalsarefunny on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 1:05pm.
Raymond deserved punishment.....
Actress/ charter in a fictional show
Submitted by Samshile on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 6:22pm.
Geezz the real person the actress. TV is fake. It is contrived. She is speaking about her work and the bias. I watch LAw and Order SVU. I dont advocate the fictious behavior.
it's so much better when gay people whine...
Submitted by Radical1979 on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 7:04pm.
I feel so much worse for that Don Lemon guy who couldn't be in broadcasting because he's gay, oh wait, he's on CNN. Well Ellen DeGeneres who can't find work because she's gay, oh that's right, she has a show.
What was your point again?
Ankle-biters on the rampage
Submitted by lgeubank on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 2:37pm.
Help! My ankles are being chewed by a retarded schnauzer!
have hope
Submitted by Tjexcite on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 1:59pm.
There are a lot more hidden Conservatives in Hollywood. There just can't be so many hypocritical Commies who are the ultra liberal kind who want the Government to take the oil companies and their wealth but not the million they make. Or mandate that flyover states pay yet they can get a waver because they paid in other ways in the political coffers. Hollywood right give to the left approved causes but not all left and don't talk politics.
Being a Conservative is the new gay.
Joe McCarthy never investigated communists in Hollyweird
Submitted by lrgon on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 2:08pm.
It really bothers me to see intelligent writers fall time and again for the same idiotic leftwing traps laid out for America.
http://www.amazon.com/Blacklisted-History-Senator-McCarthy-Americas/dp/1...
The era of McCartyism" or the "McCarthyite blacklisting" is one of several variations to the red theme. "Innocent" Americans were scapegoated or innocents were denied their civil rlights by Senator Joe McCarthy. One man some how did all that? He was the victim not the communists! He did his job as called for as chairman of a senate committee that investigated communism in the federal government.
The House investigated communist activity in Hollyweird. Guess what they found? plenty of screenwriters who were actually communists. None of these alleged commies were denied their Constitutional rights. Leftwing lawyers advised them not ot co-operate with the committee of congress and one after another pleaded the 5th.
After the televised hearing the commies were blacklisted. Some got work in Hollywood working under fake names. Others waited out the storm. Movie studios simple told them to not show up for work but not one was sent to a Gulag or concentration camp a la Stalin's method of dealing with undesireables. They were out of jobs for a few years and after the smoke cleared went back to work at Hollyweird.
In the meantime conservative writers use leftwing lingo and don't even know that McCarthy and HUAC were vindicated by the Venona Project. Files in Soviet archives proved there were indeed "witches" (communists) in not only the federal government bureaucracy but they were all over Hollywood.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venona
In contrast take the situation in the USA post Patriot Act: Detainees at GITMO are held without trial for years with no charges filed against them, but conservatives cheer that. Maybe the coined phrase "bushism," would work to refer to politicians who work outside the rule of law.
McCarthy worked within the Constitution. His manner may have been rough since neither the White House under Truman and Eisenhower cooperated with him in cleaning out Washington of elements that worked secretly to destroy the American Republic. But who wouldn't get upset when the entire executive branch including the Justice department gave McCarthy no help at all?
All of that is true, but
Submitted by redfish on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 10:47pm.
All of that is true, but blacklisting was still wrong and many in Hollywood who had associated with Communism were just naive, not malicious. Its not any different from the fact that many on the left today complain about 'Western imperialism', fight for Palestinians, Christian atrocities in the Crusades, and supported the NYC mosque. Its naivite, they aren't Al Qaeda agents.
The Congressional hearings made a very divisive atmosphere by making it seem like some views were allowed and others weren't. There were a lot of reasons the American public turned against McCarthy, including allegations against people like Lucille Ball. The response to this was 10-fold --- liberal "McCarthyism", ie. political correctness.
McCarthy
Submitted by lrgon on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 1:31am.
Thanks for the reply, good exchange of dialogue.
I want to be clear that Hollywood producers did the "blacklisting." The House committee on unamerican Activites investigated the movie industry as well as the KKK.
McCarthy had nothing to do with Hollywood. His senate committee {Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Government Operations Committee of the U.S. Senate} investigated employess in the executive branch and in the army at Ft. Marmouth Virginia where he investigated security risks. he followed the criteria set by the government, not his own. He found plenty of security risks.
As I mentioned the Venona files years after McCarthy died vindicated Joe.
Harry Dexter White under Secretary of the Treasury was listed in Venona as a soviet asset.
Interesting history of the IMF
Harry Dexter White and British socialist economist John Maynard Keynes ran the show at the Bretton Woods conference that created the International Monetary Fund.
http://thenewamerican.com/history/world/590-bretton-woods
Keynes and Dexter White were the archtects of the IMF at Bretton Woods in 1944. The designers (White and Keynes) convinced nations at the conference work within their respective countries to go off the gold standard. In the USA, the results have been inflation of our currency leading to near worthlessness of the dollar. The situation today: the dollar has lost 90% of its value due to inflation by the fed.
Keynes said that V.I. Lenin wanted his agents to promote this concept of debauching the currencies of non communist nations in order to destroy the capitalist system. Harry Dexter White was in a position to carry out the deceased founder of the Russian communst party's wish- debauch the currency of the USA.
Lucille Ball survied as did other actors. Edward G. Robinson, Elia Kazan and others cooperated with the HUAC congressmen and named names.
The commies were writing screen plays favorable to the USSR.I think the American people deserved to know who the left wing and card carrying reds were.
right you are lrgon
Submitted by Hoosier Conservative on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 10:42am.
Senator McCarthy had nothing to do with the House committee that that blacklisted communists in Hollywood. Nor did he have anything to do with Democrat House critters who were investigating unamerican sympathies all the way back to World War I.
One would hope that an influential conservative website would treat history a little better. As Paul Ryan famously said, "with allies like these who needs the left."
Shes right, AND Hot!
Submitted by NJRightWinger12 on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 5:34pm.
However, she has been on a few shows, esp one that was a MAJOR hit, and a new one that seems pretty good, although I dont like the youngest kid. Patricia has always been a staunch right-wing supporter, NOT some milquetoast phony who sways as the winds take her. Also, I cant believe I said this, but Bal does have a point-shes not destitute, or desparate, so I dont know why shes whining at this stage-save that for when youre out of work!
I dont hear whining
Submitted by Samshile on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 6:25pm.
except from you. She is sharing her experience. Liberal bias.Err, look at the top of the page. Exposing Liberal bias. Are you aware of the website your on? Wake up!
Poor Patricia
Submitted by The Irishman on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 4:31pm.
2 hit TV series is more than 99% of actors will ever accomplish. How much money was poor Patricia making on Raymond for those 9 years while leftist Hollywood was shunning her for her political views? I don't buy it. But I'll still watch the Middle. And I don't think the kids are annoying at all, balboa. I believe that makes me right and you wrong. ; )
No doubt she still remembers
Submitted by Free Stinker on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 4:42pm.
No doubt she still remembers cutting coupons before she went to her first "reading" for ELR.
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
The same thing happens in
Submitted by povertypimpin on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 6:15pm.
The same thing happens in academia
Christ, some of you people need to be on the Sarge's bus
Submitted by Tomorama on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 8:49pm.
Leftist numbskulls..................................
Just because she had some success, does that still not mean that certain directors or producers wouldn't give her certain roles JUST LIKE SHE WAS TOLD and states here?
She NEVER said she couldn't GET WORK in Hollyweird, just that she has been refused roles.
I thank the libtard education thinking for your lack of cognitive abilities.
I'm sure all the actresses
Submitted by balboa on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 9:03pm.
I'm sure all the actresses turned down because they wouldn't sleep with the producer or because the director had a bad pilates class or because their name "doesn't sound right " feel really bad for her.
At least they don't have to
Submitted by Free Stinker on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 9:03pm.
At least they don't have to worry about an upfront 90%(?) chance they aren't even called in to read.
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
Show us
Submitted by The Irishman on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 9:43am.
"We know for a fact there are some people who have said they wouldn't want to work with us because of our politics."
This doesn't exactly translate to "Heaton says she's been denied roles because of her politics." In fact, it says nothing about losing work, only a "belief" that certain people don't want to work with her.
FAIL
Submitted by Free Stinker on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 9:51am.
FAIL
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
Academia
Submitted by Radical1979 on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 8:58pm.
I would imagine the atmosphere is worse there.