The headline and subhead for a new Guardian column beggar belief.
See for yourself:
Infinity culture war: what now for Trump’s Hollywood supporters?
From actor Jon Voight to Kirstie Alley, Trump’s celebrity fans have declared war on the left – and there is little sign hostilities will end soon
The premise is absurd, considering how few Hollywood conservatives openly support Trump. It’s even more surreal knowing the industry punishes actors for being right-of-center, let alone pro Trump.
Stars like Voight and James Woods echo Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric and promote conspiracy theories, the author argues. Has he read any of Rob Reiner’s Tweets? John Cusacks? Bette Midlers?
Next, the article suggests Hollywood isn’t uniformly liberal, pointing to Republicans turned GOP politicians like Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The former left office 32 years ago, the latter nine.
Pretty timely talking point, no? Seems an important part of this conversation, no?
Hollywood conservatives fear professional repercussions so much they meet under a shroud of secrecy to keep their careers intact. Meanwhile, progressive stars publicly and proudly gather to support Democratic candidates and causes sans repercussions. (Not there should be any, of course)
The Guardian piece quickly abandons that reality, though.
Woods compared being a conservative in Hollywood today to the Blacklist era. The Guardian author suggests that’s a bad comparison because no actor has been hauled off to jail for voting Trump.
Thank heavens for small favors!
Conservative actors just lose gigs and, potentially, their livelihoods, for agreeing with half the country. Put down the pitchforks, folks! Nothing to see here.
The Guardian rallies even more proof against a Blacklist-like effort to oust Hollywood Trump supporters: Chris Pratt keeps working.
Mind you, Pratt hasn’t said a word about Trump, or the GOP, during his career. He’s apolitical to the core. What does he say on social media? He shares his Christian faith in a positive, inclusive way.
The author segues to the heart of the article. Does Hollywood blacklist conservatives?
He brings up how conservatives feel they have a target on their back in the industry, one reason some created the Friends of Abe organization. The secret society gave closeted Hollywood conservatives a chance to mingle, network and more.
Hollywood conservatives fear professional repercussions so much they meet under a shroud of secrecy to keep their careers intact. Meanwhile, progressive stars publicly and proudly gather to support Democratic candidates and causes sans repercussions. (Not there should be any, of course)
The Guardian piece quickly abandons that reality, though.
Woods compared being a conservative in Hollywood today to the Blacklist era. The Guardian author suggests that’s a bad comparison because no actor has been hauled off to jail for voting Trump.
Thank heavens for small favors!
Conservative actors just lose gigs and, potentially, their livelihoods, for agreeing with half the country. Put down the pitchforks, folks! Nothing to see here.
The Guardian rallies even more proof against a Blacklist-like effort to oust Hollywood Trump supporters: Chris Pratt keeps working.
Mind you, Pratt hasn’t said a word about Trump, or the GOP, during his career. He’s apolitical to the core. What does he say on social media? He shares his Christian faith in a positive, inclusive way.
Oh, and he’s an avid hunter. Those are his “thought crimes,” and yet he’s even more indisputable proof that no Blacklist 2.0 exists.
It’s weird that the author neglects to name check Antonio Sabato, Jr. The actor says his career came to a screeching halt after supporting Trump.
“I had to sell everything … I had to pay all my debts. I was blacklisted. All my representatives left me, from agents to managers to commercial agents. I literally had to move, find a new job to survive and take care of my kids. It’s been terrible. It’s mind-blowing. It’s a disgrace. It’s tough, because if you’re in that environment in Hollywood and you have something to say that they don’t like, they’re going to let you know.”
The article actually gets worse from here.
We then get a good, old fashioned “anonymous source” which in today’s journalism era are totally trustworthy.
One independent producer I spoke with told me it was the left who were more likely to be silenced. “The truth is a lot of the head honchos are conservative and Republicans. Even if they don’t love Trump, they have all the power, so it’s the people below who have to shut up.”
Really? Which left-leaning star has been punished of late for sharing liberal views? And which Hollywood “head honchos” are producing, creating or promoting anything remotely right-of-center? Comedian Michael Loftus got shot down for daring to suggest a fair-and-balanced comedy talk show.
Absurd.
Next, the author checks in with far-left film critic Glenn Kenny, who says, “Jon Voight is working relatively consistently for an 81-year-old. But, like every other Republican, Voight loooooves to complain.”
Kenny clearly missed these inconvenient truths:
- Conservative comic Steve McGrew lost a prime Las Vegas gig for supporting President Trump.
- “Will & Grace” stars Debra Messing and Eric McCormack publicly said they wouldn’t work with Trump supporters … before blowback from even some liberals caused them to walk it back.
- Comic Jimmy Yang recalled a casting director said she wouldn’t hire someone if they supported the GOP.
- Tim Allen joked that being a conservative in Hollywood is like being Jewish in Germany in the 1930s. ABC subsequently canceled his highly-rated sitcom, “Last Man Standing,” featuring Allen’s right-of-center character. The show went over to FOX where it ran for three more successful seasons.
- Woods, one of Hollywood’s better actors, got cut loose by his agent for strictly political reasons: “It’s the 4th of July and I’m feeling patriotic. I don’t want to represent you anymore. I mean I could go on a rant but you know what I’d say,” the agent crowed at the time.
- Here’s what The Hollywood Reporter shared about Trump supporters in Hollywood prior to the 2016 election: “While THR spoke to dozens of Trump voters, few wished to announce their support, citing their desire to avoid backlash from co-workers. One makeup artist, for example, says longtime clients stopped hiring her after learning she was a Republican.”
- Director John Sullivan said crew members on “2016: Obama’s America” worked under pseudonyms for fear of career backlash.
It’s likely the tip of the Blacklist 2.0 iceberg. This reporter has spoken to several right-leaning stars over the years who asked me not to share their political views for fear of reprisal. Plus, conservative stars say it’s often hard to know exactly why they don’t land a part.
Does anyone doubt the Voights and Woods of the world lose plenty of juicy roles for being on the Right?
Not Orson Beane. The late actor and raconteur described what happened to him when his family ties to conservative media mogul Andrew Breitbart became public.
Well. Nobody knows if being a conservative, attending an FOA meeting, has an effect on hiring or not. But the fact is, that after my three seasons on Desperate Housewives, I have barely worked, and that coincides with people learning my politics and realizing Andrew Breitbart, whom I loved so much, was my son-in-law.
The article admits one MAGA supporter got canceled -- Roseanne Barr -- “whose comeback show was cancelled after a racist tweet about former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett. But Barr herself apologised for her tweet, blaming Ambien for the “joke.”
Yes, one awful Tweet did Barr’s career in. She lost her job, her signature show and any chance at a career revival. Her firing happened two years ago. How many Hollywood gigs has she landed since then?
Meanwhile, far-left celebrities routinely, and that’s not hyperbole, wish death on President Trump and various GOP members. Ellen Barkin hoped disgraced comic Louis C.K. would be raped and shot. Singer Noah Cyrus called a black female conservative the same slur that ended Don Imus’ radio career in 2007.
Barr’s Tweet was gross and racist, but she quickly apologized and had a long track record of not just supporting black writers but paving a path for future female comics.
Meanwhile, Nick Cannon shared anti-Semitic, anti-white rhetoric earlier this year and never lost a “Masked Singer” paycheck.
The Guardian can lean as left as it wants but denying reality is hardly a liberal value.
[Cross-posted from Hollywood in Toto.]
