The Washington Stand—Recent years have seen a number of Hollywood stars toss out their soapboxes and urge their fellow celebrities to simply shut up about politics.
During President Donald Trump’s first term, superstar and then-“it” girl Jennifer Lawrence was an outspoken critic, frequently weighing in on political matters, describing the Trump presidency as “the end of the world.” In an interview with The New York Times late last year, Lawrence shared that she intends to keep her political opinions to herself during the second Trump administration.
“The first Trump administration was so wild, and just—how can we let this stand? I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off,” Lawrence said. She observed that the vocal political opinions of celebrities make no difference “whatsoever” to the outcome of elections, asking, “So then what am I doing? I’m just sharing my opinion on something that’s going to add fuel to a fire that’s ripping the country apart. We are so divided.”
Lawrence further noted that the left-wing political opinions voiced by many of Hollywood’s elites are likely a turn-off to most Americans, who the film industry relies on to buy movie tickets. “If I can’t say something that’s going to speak to some kind of peace or lowering the temperature or some sort of solution, I just don’t want to be a part of the problem. I don’t want to make the problem worse.”
Now, several prominent Hollywood figures are urging their fellow film industry elites to follow Lawrence’s example and just stop talking.
Ahead of this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, Sharon Osbourne, wife of the late rock star Ozzy and a frequent guest star in films and on television shows, called on award winners to keep their politics to themselves. In a podcast appearance with her son, Osbourne said that “everybody needs relief from what’s going on in the world,” and that most people turn to entertainment for an “escape.”
“I understand that people get really emotional about things politically,” she continued, turning her attention to the Academy Awards. “So, when they are on TV knowing that there’s 15 [to] 16 million people in this country alone watching, they want to use that platform to show everybody how emotional they personally are about a situation… And I get it, but they’ve also got to get that Joe Public needs a f****** break.”
Most Americans, Osbourne observed, have had it “up to here” with politics and don’t need the rich and famous to bring up more political anger and anxiety. She suggested that actors and actresses limit their political diatribes to their personal platforms—conversations, social media posts, interviews—and check their political opinions with their hats and coats at the door when taking their seats for the Academy Awards ceremony.
Vince Vaughn, often considered one of Hollywood’s rare conservative voices, also took a shot at Hollywood political preaching in a podcast interview with comedian Theo Von last week.
The actor summarized Hollywood’s mindset on political debate as, “We’re smart and got it figured out, and if you don’t agree then you’re an idiot.” Vaughn said that it’s fine for celebrities to feel strongly on political matters, “but it’s a strange thing when you start [thinking you’re] better than someone. That’s when it gets weird.”
He added, “It’s one thing to say ‘This is where I’m at. And then here’s someone else’s point of view. Disagree or agree.’ It’s another thing to be like, ‘I’m so right, and I’m going to help you or condescend to you.’” He quipped, “No one wants to hang out with that.”
Vaughn also suggested that the culture in Hollywood has not become more political, but that celebrities “got rewarded” for embracing left-wing politics and ostracized or canceled for adhering to more conservative or less politically correct values. “They started to come out there and do it, and I don’t even know how much everyone even is informed on everything, but they really like to get out there and do it,” he said of celebrities who promote their political views.
“And they’re hypocrites, too, a lot of times, like anybody is,” he added. “People my age, we disagree, agree, we’d change our minds, we’d laugh, we joke. … But there was definitely a culture that if you didn’t agree with these ideas, you were looked at as bad for sure.”
Hollywood executives made it “too complicated” to make and promote comedy films, Vaughn suggested, instead relying on stand-up comedy specials. When producing a stand-up special, he said, producers and studios could put the blame for any politically incorrect material on the featured comedian. “But the studios weren’t going to produce a [feature-length comedy film] and be more responsible for supporting the making of that film,” he said. “They were trying so hard not to offend anybody.”
In an appearance on former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly’s podcast, movie star Josh Duhamel also castigated celebrities for airing their unsolicited political views. “I have real strong opinions about things, but I don’t really talk about them,” he said. “Why would I alienate half my audience? Because I respect their views on things, but I’m not going to preach to them. They can believe what they want,” he added.
Duhamel anticipated that it “should be” a growing trend for celebrities to keep their political opinions to themselves. “It makes perfect sense. If you really want to be a success in this business, why would you make half of your audience despise you [because of] your political beliefs? Maybe they don’t care? I don’t know. I look at it like a business decision,” he said, comparing himself to a “court jester” who is paid for his entertainment value, not his political insight. “I’m just here to make cool stuff.”
During Trump’s first term in office, celebrities frequently spoke out against his administration and the Republican Party. One of the most controversial moments was when actress and self-styled comedienne Kathy Griffin posted a photo to social media holding what looked like the president’s bloodied, severed head.
Recently, Griffin has shared that she’s learned to accept more conservative viewpoints. “I think it’s accepting that people don’t change,” she said in an interview. “I think I spent a lot of my life, whether it was romantically or career-wise, thinking somebody would change or I could maybe skew someone’s perspective. And now look, believe it or not, I have quite a few Trumper friends,” she continued. “I think it’s important to be around people [who] do have different opinions, and we get along. So there’s an understanding.”
Originally published by The Washington Stand.
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