Seth Meyers isn’t the only one telling the <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/late-night-gaslighting-seth-meyers-portland/">tallest of tales about Portland violence</a>.
The far-left talker insists 60-plus days of riots in the city are, all together now, “mostly peaceful.” Eh, it’s just some graffiti and “light property damage,” the highly paid NBC talent told his viewers earlier in the week.
The latter evokes a tipped-over lamp, a shattered end table or framed art that fell to the ground and splintered.
Want the truth? Here it is:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
For 2 months as rioters attacked federal officers &amp; buildings in Portland, we called on local leaders to do their job &amp; work with us to quell violence. Finally OR is stepping up. DHS surge forces will stay until we know our officers &amp; facilities are safe. <a href="https://t.co/vbq3Vgo0AH">https://t.co/vbq3Vgo0AH</a>
— Acting Secretary Chad Wolf (@DHS_Wolf) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHS_Wolf/status/1288957959570169856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
SUPERCUT:<a href="https://twitter.com/RepJerryNadler?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepJerryNadler</a> thinks that violence from Antifa in Portland is a &#8220;myth.&#8221;
cc: <a href="https://twitter.com/fleccas?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@fleccas</a> <a href="https://t.co/YwFjnbUwoA">pic.twitter.com/YwFjnbUwoA</a>
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1287841034932715521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Portland was left &#8216;looking like downtown Baghdad&#8217; after violence erupted at protests and a homemade bomb exploded in a fireball outside a federal courthouse.&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PortlandRiots?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PortlandRiots</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/antifa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#antifa</a> <a href="https://t.co/pWPUNdGBpe">https://t.co/pWPUNdGBpe</a>
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1288199180800778240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Attorney General Barr on the violence in Portland:
“What unfolds nightly around the courthouse cannot reasonably be called protest. It is, by any objective measure, an assault on the government of the United States.” <a href="https://t.co/22HAmFXoqc">pic.twitter.com/22HAmFXoqc</a>
— Trump War Room &#8211; Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1288181732253085696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
Need more? Here’s what <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/contraband-portland-rioters-bleach-molotov-cocktail-feds">federal officers confiscated</a> from the “protesters” recently outside the federal courthouse.
“Contraband such as gasoline, hockey sticks, defense shields, leaf blowers, paint sprayers, cans of paint, and a jar prepped for a Molotov cocktail have been confiscated by federal law enforcement from violent agitators outside the federal courthouse in Portland&#8230;”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Contraband such as gasoline, hockey sticks, defense shields, leaf blowers, paint sprayers, cans of paint, and a jar prepped for a Molotov cocktail have been confiscated by federal law enforcement from violent agitators outside the federal courthouse in Portland <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/portlandprotest?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#portlandprotest</a> <a href="https://t.co/seXs2uIPDZ">pic.twitter.com/seXs2uIPDZ</a>
— U.S. Attorney Oregon (@USAO_OR) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAO_OR/status/1287883448862912512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
John Oliver virtually locked arms with Meyers last weekend to pretend all of the above isn’t happening. Instead, the far-left Oliver attacked Fox News for the wrongful narrative that violence is engulfing parts of Portland.
Sean Hannity hit back hard against Oliver’s overt gaslighting, courtesy of the “Jim Norton &amp; Sam Roberts” show on SiriuxXM radio.
“Well, John Oliver, number one, he’s got a couple of problems,” Hannity began. “His big problem is he’s not funny. If you’re funny, I don’t care what you say…”
Hannity then went for the jugular, also known as reality.
“I don’t really expect John Oliver to know facts or truths, and I’m sure he’ll selectively pick out ‘Well, these are the peaceful protestors,’ and ignore the rocks, the bottles, the bricks, the Molotov cocktails, the gunshots, the fireworks, and everything else being hurled at officers around the country.”
So how did various media outlets cover Oliver’s gaslighting?
“John Oliver Exposes Sean Hannity’s Lies About Portland Protesters” – the far-left <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-oliver-exposes-sean-hannitys-lies-about-portland-protesters">Daily Beast headline roared.</a> The article in question even put the word “violence” in quotes, as if our own eyes cannot be trusted.
Spoiler alert: They can.
The Daily Beast uncritically shared more of Oliver’s spin:
“Protests had been mostly peaceful there… it’s about one block that was actually starting to see fewer confrontations between protesters and police before federal agents moved in.”
Left unsaid:
<ul>
<li>Does Oliver support violence?</li>
<li>Is violence the answer to societal woes?</li>
<li>Should a city let its citizens attack government buildings without a response?</li>
<li>Why aren’t local law enforcement in a liberal city doing their jobs?</li>
<li>What about the businesses near the war zone? Do their livelihoods matter?</li>
</ul>
The far-left Deadline.com took a <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/07/sean-hannity-john-oliver-siriusxm-hes-not-funny-1203000861/#comments">cutesy approach</a> to the Hannity/Oliver skirmish. The site noted Hannity’s criticism of “Last Week Tonight” and its fact-challenged host.
“Sean Hannity Has A Problem With John Oliver: Why So Serious?”
The odd title evokes the classic Joker line from “The Dark Knight.” The rest of the article is neutral in tone, with the writer avoiding the obvious.
Who’s right? Is there unrelenting violence in Portland … or not? The site likely knows the answer and avoids sharing it with readers.
The Hollywood Reporter, as biased as its competition, at least repeated some of Hannity’s substantive attacks on Oliver’s credibility.
The new liberal talking point, embraced by late night comics and the corporate media, is that Trump’s troops made matters worse. Yes, riots that went on for weeks and weeks got worse when federal agents stepped in to protect government buildings at long last.
It’s like saying the Japanese fought harder against Allied forces during World War II after the U.S. reluctantly joined the war following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
A version of this article appears on HollywoodInToto.com.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

John Oliver

TOTO: John Oliver Lies About Portland Violence, Reporters Run To His Defense

Donald Trump

Portland

Riots

“SNL” and the rest of our once reliably entertaining late-night shows gave up being funny years ago when they went all in on going woke, forcing us all to look elsewhere to get that much-needed comedic hit. The good news: several independent, and more independent-thinking, comedians have stepped up to fill the void, offering comedy sketches that rival even classic late-night television. Below are some of the best.  
“Saturday Night Live” did something three years ago that had half the nation cheering (and the rest laughing between clenched teeth).
The liberal show created a fake commercial for Levi “Woke” jeans. Style-less. Gender neutral.  Gender non-conforming denim. Hilarious.
<iframe title="Levi&#039;s Wokes - SNL" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/adPXDTvADD0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
And that, more or less, has been it from “SNL” on the woke front. Late-night comedy is a similar story. Progressive comics care more about working in their latest tired President Donald Trump joke than anything else.
Enter YouTube-based comedians willing to spot a rich comic vein and exploit it. They declared war on woke, generating millions of downloads in the process.
Some of the following comedians are nationally recognized. Others are rising stars you’ll soon hear plenty about. They all understand why woke culture deserves a serious ribbing.
 “When Wokes and Racists Agree on Everything”
Canadian comic Ryan Long moved to New York City recently, but he hasn’t given up tweaking targets others refuse to even consider. Long hit viral video gold last month (1.6 million and growing in just over two weeks) with this clip, an uproarious look at what racists and Social Justice Warriors have in common. Spoiler alert: Quite a bit, actually.
<iframe title="When Wokes and Racists Actually Agree on Everything" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ev373c7wSRg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The sketch, like most of Long’s work, is impeccably edited and features sharp comic performances. They could easily appear on any late-night show, and no one would blink an eye regarding their content or quality. Some may be astounded that a Kimmel or Bee attempted to take down woke culture, though.
<iframe title="Every Silicon Valley Company Right Now" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pZy4QXLKHlI?start=59&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
It’s hardly Long’s only woke assault. He also whipped up “Every Silicon Valley Company Right Now,” a sketch smashing social justice groupthink, and “Woke Scold Hotline.”
Enough said on the latter.
<iframe title="Woke Scold Hotline" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uiYGIFJ-VEE?start=25&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/ryan-long-interview-wokes-racists/">Long keeps political labels at arm’s length</a>, allowing him to smite the Right or Left as needed. Lately, his woke comic attacks have been unrelenting, and he’s not asking anyone for clapter. The laughs flow on their own, thank you. Watch a few of Long videos, and you get the sense he’s just warming up.
“My Three Year Old Son Is a Girl Now”
What seems like an anti-trans sketch is nothing of the sort. The bit, by the Libertarian-leaning troupe We The Internet TV, uses humor to ask an important question.
Should we really let toddlers call the shots, especially ones involving lifelong gender choices?
“Who am I to question my three-year-old child,” an extremely woke parent says in the sketch.
<iframe title="My 3-Year-Old Son is a Girl Now | We The Internet TV" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jZ5_4c_eg0M?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Another bravura clip from the group mocks personal pronouns gone awry.
<iframe title="ESL Students Learn New Gender Pronouns | We the Internet TV" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IzNGkwGYE4E?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
We The Internet isn’t hateful or cruel, but the group delivers side-splitting videos that make you think. That’s the best kind of satirical comedy, even if a growing number of Americans would love to see such clips erased from the Web … and elsewhere.
“Out of Touch”
Kevin James’ TV and film bona fides require no explanation. Lately, he’s turning his attention to YouTube where he shares a variety of funny sketches. A recent one struck a nerve, or more like set up camp on one and planted an American flag.
<iframe title="Out Of Touch | Kevin James Short Film" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wfGAktuU93s?start=12&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
More than three million views later, James joined the elite club of comics telling jokes you’re not supposed to tell. Watching it now, given the mask mania engulfing the culture, makes the clip even more subversive.
Naturally, some media outlets clutched a sizable grouping of pearls over the sketch, missing the point entirely.
James’ other clips are geared for a wider, apolitical demographic, although they all boast Hollywood-style production values. The “Out of Touch” sketch makes it clear James is willing to push humor in challenging directions.
“How to Be a Woke White Person”
Comedian J.P. Sears is a YouTube machine, generating a massive number of clips poking fun at progressive groupthink, spirituality and more. His recent “Woke White Person” sketch is typical Sears. Dry, with a considerable bite.
<iframe title="How to Be a Woke White Person" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gHSVjmO4iJY?start=64&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“As a woke white person your mission it to attack as many other white people for being racist online as you possibly can. But don’t worry. Them being a racist isn’t a prerequisite for you attacking them for being racist.”
The tone is pleasant, sweet and uplifting, which makes the satire sting.
Another video, “How to Be a Social Justice Warrior,” offers a barrage of yuks you won’t hear on “Weekend Update” or “Jimmy Kimmy Live.”
<iframe title="Being a Social Justice Warrior - Ultra Spiritual Life episode 88" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZBdnyrzq96s?start=66&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Here’s how Sears’ warrior character dishes out “justice.”
“I turn my CAPS LOCK key on once you start standing up for your own free will.”
“Brands That Need to Be Cancelled IMMEDIATELY”
Comedian John Crist offers a crush of video content on his channel, but he occasionally dings the woke mindset in his work.
<iframe title="Brands that need to be cancelled IMMEDIATELY" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LMQu4q0IHPU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The “Brands” sketch is the next logical step after the Land o Lakes mascot gets thrown into the dustbin of history.
“We got rid of Uncle Bens, but I am wildly triggered by the brands and the photos I see in this grocery store,” a frantic Crist says in the opening moments.
“Paw Patrol Mac &amp; Cheese?” he asks, his mouth curled in disgust.
Other Crist videos include the “Millennial Institute,” where he encourages us to “adopt” a Millennial to cover their expenses (Core Power Yoga memberships, Uber treks, beard wax and more).
“SNL” and late-night TV. It’s your turn now.
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-7-leftist-hollywood-myths-that-need-a-serious-debunking">7 Leftist Hollywood Myths</a>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

71st Emmy Awards &#8211; Show

TOTO: 9 Anti-Woke Comedy Videos That Put ‘SNL’ To Shame

Comedy

Hollywood

Saturday Night Live

Celebrities routinely make the trek to Capitol Hill, attracting shutter bugs along the way.
Everyone from Ben Affleck to <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/adam-carolla-aoc-insane/">Adam Carolla</a> drops by the nation’s capital to testify and, they hope, leverage their fame to help society. The results are mixed, of course, but their efforts generate plenty of headlines.
That wasn’t the case when a veteran movie star testified before a Senate committee June 30 on China-U.S. relations.
Richard Gere’s “virtual” appearance didn’t draw a crowd. Nor did entertainment reporters, who normally pounce on any politically outspoken star, deem what Gere said worthy of news coverage.
And he said plenty.
Gere has been a persistent China critic, using his celebrity cache on and off screen to support Tibet over the years. He said he’s <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/richard-gere-china-tibet-career/">been punished for that stance</a>, coaxing mainstream movie studios to <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000152/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">all but ignore him</a>. Unbowed, Gere continues to work in independent cinema – think movies like “Norman,” “The Dinner,” and “Three Christs,” routinely drawing strong reviews along the way.
And, at 70, Gere remains as dashing as ever.
Gere testified before the “Censorship as a Non-Tariff Barrier to Trade” hearing held by the Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness.
Gere addressed the difficult ties between China and Tibet, noting “the Chinese government highly restricts access to Tibet for Americans—including journalists and politicians—like no other areas of China.”
He then turned his attention to <a href="https://savetibet.org/richard-gere-testifies-in-senate-about-chinese-censorship/">Hollywood’s subservient relationship to China</a>, which impacts more than just what we see on screens across the globe.
“There’s no doubt that the combination of Chinese censorship, coupled with American film studios’ desire to access China’s market, can lead to self-censorship and to avoiding social issues that great American films once addressed…”
“Imagine Marty Scorsese’s ‘Kundun,’ about the life of the Dalai Lama, or my own film ‘Red Corner,’ which is highly critical of the Chinese legal system. Imagine them being made today. It wouldn’t happen.”
Disney helped bring Scorsese’s 1997 film to the big screen. Later, Disney CEO Michael Eisner apologized to the Chinese government for the film, calling it a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/15/business/international/china-disney.html">“stupid mistake.”</a>
Gere then noted why Chinese film workers cannot afford to collaborate with him in any fashion.
One Chinese director “was in tears with me having to call me up and say that he couldn’t work with me,” Gere said, “that his career would be over, and his family could not travel. So this is personal to a lot of people.”
How did this reporter learn of Gere’s testimony? It’s buried in a <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-is-increasingly-normalizing-censorship-china-report-finds-1305935?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=THR%27s%20Today%20in%20Entertainment_2020-08-05%2007:10:00_aweprin&amp;utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie">recent story</a> about PEN America similarly castigating Hollywood for genuflecting before Chinese censors.
On Aug. 5, PEN America published an explosive report that may put Hollywood on the defensive.
Titled “Made in Hollywood, Censored by Beijing,” the 94-page study details how the major studios and A-list directors increasingly are making decisions — including cast, plot, dialogue and settings — “based on an effort to avoid antagonizing Chinese officials.”
That report generated some media coverage, which is surprising given how entertainment journalists aren’t comfortable critiquing Hollywood from this perspective. That feeling intensified in recent months as the Trump administration ratcheted up the rhetoric against China due to its connection to the pandemic.
The Chinese government has been in the headlines, again, in recent weeks after <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/chinese-ambassador-to-uk-pressed-over-video">footage leaked</a> of “Uyghur prisoners being herded into trains.” It’s only one of several Chinese policies that are alarming human rights activists.
Gere remains focused on China, its treatment of Tibet, and how U.S.-based movie studios bend over backward to appease their censors. It’s a shame it took weeks for news consumers to get Gere’s comments in full.
The rest of Hollywood? Virtual silence. Even the most progressive, outspoken stars can’t spare a word critiquing China, its policies or conditions on the ground routinely compared to concentration camps.
A version of this article appears on <a href="http://HollywoodInToto.com">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-fallon-meyers-purposely-ignore-tiktoks-toxic-side-effects-to-slam-trump">Fallon, Meyers Purposely Ignore TikTok’s Toxic Side Effects To Slam Trump</a>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Richard Gere

TOTO: Reporters Ignored Richard Gere Slamming U.S. Studios For China Appeasement

Censorship

China

Chinese Communist Party

Jimmy Fallon’s re-education is coming along nicely.
The press initially battered the “Tonight Show” host, the least partisan comic on the late night scene, for <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/media-bullied-fallon-hating-trump/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">daring to humanize</a> then-candidate Donald Trump. More recently, social justice warriors <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/cancel-culture-howard-stern-jimmy-kimmel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">slammed Fallon</a> for a blackface sketch he performed 20 years ago.
In response, the “Saturday Night Live” alum has been hammering President Trump on a nightly basis like his more aggressive peers.
Here, Fallon attacks President Trump for going to war against TikTok, a Chinese social media platform with billions of users worldwide.
<iframe title="Trump Wants to Ban TikTok | The Tonight Show" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XmDkAYTkCq8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<blockquote>Fallon: What is he doing, the president of the United States or the preacher from “Footloose “? This is a real national security threat, the knowing which Americans can and can’t dance. I am sure it has everything to do with national security and nothing to do with the TikTok teens that sabotaged his Tulsa rally.</blockquote>
Not to be outdone, the host of “Late Night with Seth Meyers” trotted out random information to suggest a president can’t do more than two things at once, a strawman of the first order.
<blockquote>Meyers: The death toll is climbing, wait times for tests are rising and tens of millions of Americans struggling to survive the worst economic crash since the Great Depression just lost a $600 unemployment benefit because Republicans couldn’t be bothered to extend it or, God forbid, make it permanent. And Trump couldn’t care less about any of that. Time is running out on his presidency and all he can hear is — TRUMP: “TikTok.”</blockquote>
Why would big, bad Trump want to cancel TikTok?
Fallon and Meyers won’t say, of course. They’d rather keep that information from you. So would much of the press.
A few media outlets have shared the alarming details. Here’s a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/enriquedans/2020/06/28/tiktok-beneath-its-fun-exterior-lies-a-sinisterpurpose/#3765a4803b79" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">warning from Forbes.com</a>, hardly a right-wing site, on the wildly popular platform.
<blockquote>
… the US armed forces have forbidden personnel from using it and describes it as a threat to cybersecurity. Israeli cybersecurity company Check Point has investigated it and concludes it has backdoors and major vulnerabilities, as well as overall security issues. The US government is also investigating it. Meanwhile, Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman describes it as a “fundamentally parasitic app that is always listening” and warns against installing what he calls “spyware”. Several child advocacy groups say it poses a clear risk to children. Apple claims it has caught TikTok using clipboard capture mechanisms to spy on millions of users.
</blockquote>
Odd that none of that information made it into the late night monologues, right?
Stephen Miller, a right-leaning journalist, <a href="https://spectator.us/media-tiktok-blindspot-national-security/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">shared more worrisome information</a> recently on the subject.
<blockquote>It’s understood to be hacking and using data collected from its users’ phones. Everyone from the Department of Defense, to the US military to the Joe Biden campaign has banned it. The app is now in talks to sell its US operations to Microsoft in order to abate the controversy, a move backed by Chuck Schumer which Trump says he ‘wouldn’t mind.’</blockquote>
Later, Miller spells out why the platform, which appears both creatively challenging and harmeless, is anything but for parents.
<blockquote>It took a random developer on Reddit to dig into exactly what TikTok does to a user’s phone. He reverse engineered the application and posted what he found saying ‘TikTok is a data collection service that is thinly-veiled as a social network. If there is an API to get information on you, your contacts or your device…well, they’re using it.’</blockquote>
Team Late Night went for the easy laugh, and for some in the audience it worked.
Those looking for reality, though, came away hungry for information.
Hope their kids choose their social media apps wisely.
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-late-night-gaslighting-host-seth-meyers-ignores-portland-riots-chaos-to-hit-trump">Late-Night Gaslighting: Host Seth Meyers Ignores Portland Riots, Chaos To Hit Trump</a>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Jimmy Fallon

TOTO: Fallon, Meyers Purposely Ignore TikTok’s Toxic Side Effects To Slam Trump

Seth Meyers

TikTok

We often look at today’s Hollywood product with a “they don’t make ‘em like that anymore” shrug. The same can be said of the modern action spectacle. Blockbusters are often interrupted by virtue signaling, CGI overload and rail-thin heroines who outmuscle men triple their weight. That wasn’t how things went down in the 1980s. The Reagan era gave rise to masculine heroes who saved the day without regret or apology. The decade’s female warriors could be just as tough, but their heroism came grounded with their strengths, like motherhood, and physical limitations. They still gave as good as they got. Ask Sarah Connor.
The following films could be played at a movie theater next week and still draw sizable crowds. Classic action movies don’t come with expiration dates.
Predator
“If it bleeds, we can kill it …
“Get to the choppah!”
“I ain’t got time to bleed…”
“C’mon, kill me now! I’m here!”
Few action movies spat out so many choice, and cheesy, lines as 1987’s “Predator.” Arnold Schwarzenegger and a muscle-bound battalion stumble upon an alien life form during a jungle raid. The creature systematically picks them off in epic fashion, hiding in not so plain sight.
Director John McTiernan (“The Hunt for Red October”) used the alien’s invisible nature to his benefit, letting a sense of mystery shroud the feature until the epic third act.
Self reliance is the overriding message here, from the preparation needed to take on an enemy encampment to Ah-nold’s ingenuity in defeating the title character.
Schwarzenegger’s rise to the A-list came, in part, because he collaborated with the best directors in the business, from James Cameron to Ivan Reitman. He did it again with “Predator,” a sci-fi actioner that screams ‘80s goodness.
<iframe title="🎥 PREDATOR (1987) | Full Movie Trailer in Full HD | 1080p" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X2hBYGwKh3I?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Road Warrior
Forget the over-rated “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Tom Hardy’s Max is barely the star of his own movie. This slab of post-apocalyptic doom boasts one of the best action sequences of all time and a somber, conflicted hero in Mel Gibson.
The film’s pacing may lose modern viewers, addicted to near-constant mayhem. The dystopian set-up matters, as does the road race that caps the film in a bravura finish. The shooting location, an Australian town where the ore mines had dried up, lent the film a realistic air of desperation and decay.
The rest, including costumes partly cobbled together from leather specialty shops, completed the surreal picture. It’s how director George Miller staged it all, including humanity at its worst, that makes this the ultimate “Max” movie.
The story seems ripped out of a liberal nightmare, with dwindling oil supplies sparking global unrest. However, another, more robust theme emerges from the smoke and mayhem – appeasement won’t work. It’s why Max and co. finally stand up to Lord Humungus and his colorful thugs.
<iframe title="Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) Mel Gibson Post-Apocalypse Movie HD" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UlwtiOyaoo0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Aliens
It might be the best sequel of all time without the word “Godfather” in the title, especially considering how it extends the first film’s story while shifting gears to all-out action.
Cameron knew star Sigourney Weaver could carry an action film, but he gave her plenty of colorful support, including strong turns by Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen and especially Paul Reiser.
Together, they deliver some of the decade’s white-knuckle highlights, goosed by James Horner’s hypnotic score. The first alien bombardment shows the power of waiting, and waiting, for the villains to enter the frame.
Or, as Paxton’s character memorably says, “Game over, man!”
Best of all? Weaver’s patented blend of moxie and maternal spirit save the day, along with little Newt, from the Mama Alien’s clutches. Any remake might remove that essential element of the story in favor of a more “empowered,” progressive heroine.
<iframe title="Aliens (1986) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oSeQQlaCZgU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
RoboCop
Peter Weller turned down a lucrative role in what turned out to be the disastrous “King Kong Lives” to play a doomed cop named Murphy in this 1987 gem. And he didn’t have to audition, per se, for the role. Instead, he performed a dance-like sequence to show director Paul Verhoeven he had the moves to play a man trapped in a robotic shell.
“RoboCop” blended comedy, social satire, FX wizardry, shoot ‘em action and a big ol’ heart for its blue steel theatrics. Weller’s tragic hero added the final, bravura touch, but Verhoeven didn’t let the crush of genres interrupt the action.
The movie oddly resonates with today’s world, where the public is realizing why we need police officers in the first place. RoboCop represents the ultimate in police reform, as long as its creators don’t exploit his supreme firepower.
The 2014 remake, naturally, lacked the charm and wit of the source material, and the sequels proved increasingly inferior.
<iframe title="RoboCop (1987) Official Trailer - Cyborg Police Sci-Fi Movie HD" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6tC_5mp3udE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Die Hard
It’s merely the gold standard for the modern action film. Take a cranky, indefatigable hero (Bruce Willis), a charismatic baddie (Alan Rickman) and odds stacked so high they dwarf Nakatomi tower, and you have the prototypical actioner.
McTiernan, again, fuses familiar genre beats with Willis growing into his movie star status — even though he was simultaneously shooting ABC’s “Moonlighting” while working on the project. Some of the film’s best moments were created at the last minute, like the first physical meeting between Rickman and Willis, inspired by the former’s impression of a California dweller.
Willis’ John McClane doesn’t get political in the film, but is there any doubt which lever he pulls when he enters the voting booth?
And, for the record, it’s not a Christmas movie.
<iframe title="Die Hard (1988) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jaJuwKCmJbY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Return of the Jedi
Many people refuse to forgive the third film in the original “Star Wars” trilogy for its fuzzy, kid-friendly heroes, the Ewoks.
Understood.
Look past the product placement jamboree. This 1983 sequel moves, from the spectacular battle on Jabba the Hut’s floating palace to the finale featuring not one or two but three epic fights happening all at once.
Director Richard Marquand, an odd but perfect choice, corrals so much mayhem into the third act without losing clarity of the saga’s soul, which revolves around a commitment to courageously confronting evil while also remaining open to the potential of personal redemption.
<iframe title="Return of the Jedi: Theatrical Trailer 1982" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7L8p7_SLzvU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Hidden
This under-valued sci-fi affair casts a pre-“Twin Peaks” Kyle MacLachlan as an FBI agent on the trail of a curious crook. Turns out the pair have something in common, much to the confusion of the Earth-bound officer (Michael Nouri) assigned to the case.
Call “The Hidden” a sly genre blend in the “RoboCop” mold, a lo-fi thriller brimming with action, mayhem and an otherworldly glow.
<iframe title="The Hidden (1987) Official Trailer - Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Nouri Alien Crime Movie HD" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bl-iB4WAB0o?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Lethal Weapon
If “Die Hard” cemented the action movie template, Richard Donner’s 1987 film nailed the buddy cop genre for years to come.
Mel Gibson stars as a cop on the edge, tempered by an older, wiser Danny Glover who’s getting too old for … eh, you know the rest.
Slick action, sharp comic asides and a gonzo finale featuring, who else, Gary Busey as the heavy, made this popcorn movie perfection. Gibson’s Riggs character is all alone at the start of the movie, but by the finale he’s embraced a new nuclear clan courtesy of his older, wiser partner.
<iframe title="Lethal Weapon (1987) Official Trailer - Mel Gibson, Danny Glover Action Movie HD" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bKeW-MGu-qQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Raiders of the Lost Ark
This 1981 ode to cliffhangers of yore is nearly perfect. Where to even start cataloging the stunning action scenes?
The opening sequence, as good as any Bond adventure can summon? What about Indy versus the gargantuan Nazi, a fight settled by those spinning propeller blades?
By the time our hero lowers his body under a speeding car, you know you’re watching one of the greatest action films of all time.
The film’s FX-heavy finale explores Christianity in a way many blockbusters either avoid or downplay.
One of the most iconic scenes turns out to be a satirical twist on the standard action setup, with a weary Jones facing off against a scimitar-wielding villain but wisely opting for the pistol over the whip.
<iframe title="Indiana Jones vs. The Swordsman" width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3I_Ds2ytz4o?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Yes, the second part of the franchise has its glaring flaws. Kate Capshaw’s lounge singer shtick is no match for Karen Allen’s gritty heroine. The film’s gross out dinner sequence proved both unnecessary and culturally inaccurate.
But what a finale.
The film’s final 45 minutes simply do … not … stop. It’s classic Steven Spielberg, dragging us along from the mining caves to the edge of a mountain. Harrison Ford does the rest, scrambling to save the children enslaved by the film’s evil cult.
Indy saves the day, of course, but he also realizes “fortune and glory” matters little if he can’t use his skills to help his fellow man.
<iframe title="Indiana Jones - Official Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HqOSLZl9GUo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Rocky III
The Italian Stallion stares down not one but two super-sized foes in this colorful sequel. The match against Hulk Hogan is just for fun, except no one told the gargantuan wrestler that. Clubber Lang (Mr. T in full grimace mode) is all business from the opening bell.
The challenger whups Rocky in their first confrontation, but you know there’s going to be a rematch. Sylvester Stallone, doing triple duty as star, writer and director, knows exactly what we expect from a Rocky movie. And he delivers, wearing his old pal Apollo’s red, white and blue trunks, of course.
The best part? A third fight between Rocky and Apollo Creed, teased in the film’s final seconds without a hint as to who came out on top. Perfect.
<iframe title="Rocky III Official Trailer #1 - Sylvester Stallone Movie (1982) HD" width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gbRDCWKqvEc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Terminator
It’s Cameron, again, teaming with Schwarzenegger for a film that affirmed his status as an elite action auteur (his preachy screenwriting side emerged later). The results are more rugged than you remember, courtesy of a smaller budget and modest expectations.
The film delivers anyway, from the classic police station massacre (“I’ll be back”) to the unlikely romance between Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and her protector (Michael Biehn). Today’s female action heroes owe plenty to Hamilton’s stoic turn.
<iframe title="The Terminator (1984) Official Trailer - Arnold Schwarzenegge Movie" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k64P4l2Wmeg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/greg-gutfeld-rise-to-fox-fame-countering-cancel-culture">EXCLUSIVE: Greg Gutfeld Gets Candid About His Rise To FOX Fame, Countering Cancel Culture</a>
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Mel Gibson Mad Max 2

The Best Action Movies of the ‘80s

Ronald Reagan

In the latest exclusive Daily Wire interview, Fox News star Greg Gutfeld discusses his unorthodox rise to media prominence and how to counter the &#8220;bully machinery&#8221; of Cancel Culture.
Greg Gutfeld remembers the time in high school where he feared he was a fraud.
The future Fox News superstar entered a debate on nuclear energy confident he could defend his anti-nuke bona fides.
“Bombs are made for killing,” the young Gutfeld said en route to what he predicted would be a sure victory on the nuclear freeze topic.
Not exactly.
“In the middle of it I realized I was a fraud. I didn’t know what I was talking about. I was a superficial clown on this topic,” Gutfeld says.
“I think I won, but It was so obvious that I didn’t,” Gutfeld recalls of the applause-driven metrics, adding his opponent “beat me to death” during the debate.
Years later, when he became a print journalist, he learned the rigorous research required to share data with the public. And, along the way, he discovered too many reporters weren’t much better than his teen self at getting the facts straight.
“I’ve been on every side of an interview. People look for stories to shape and match their assumptions,” he says. “It taught me to be super skeptical.”
And careful, of course, particularly when writing medicine-based stories for publications like Prevention Magazine.
“You make a mistake in these magazines, and you could kill somebody,” he says.
Today, the TV star draws a sizable crowd on both his Saturday night Fox News program, “The Greg Gutfeld Show” and “The Five” weekday roundtable. The latter crushed all of CNN’s daytime and prime time programming as well as most MSNBC shows for July, averaging 3.3 million viewers (including 489,000 in the 25-53 age demographic), according to Fox News.
“The Greg Gutfeld Show” lapped the combined audiences of MSNBC and CNN during the same period in total viewers. It also was the second most-watched late night program in all of television behind CBS’s “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert.
Former President George W. Bush White House Press Secretary Dana Perino credits Gutfeld for coaxing her out of her Beltway-built shell. “The Five” co-host wasn’t the only one Gutfeld helped along the way.
“He’s very good about spotting talent early and helping grow that talent,” Perino says, citing rising Fox News stars like Kat Timpf and Tyrus. “He really does give people opportunities. He doesn’t push them too far or too fast. He brings them along. It’s a skill that not that many people have.”
Her co-host also connects with audiences in a way that’s both plainspoken and pure.
“He doesn’t use big, fancy words to make his points,” she says. “He’s really honed skills over the last several years in terms of persuasion.”
Gutfeld’s irreverent presence, snarky but substantive, took root during his childhood.
“I was kind of a weirdo. My interests were pretty eclectic,” says Gutfeld, recalling how punk music “consumed” him. He cherished “Monty Python,” Mad Magazine and the group known as <a href="http://www.srl.org/">Survival Research Laboratories</a>, which created moving sculptures from mechanical doodads.
He longed to hang with people from the proverbial fringes but simultaneously learned how to understand people along the way.
“It’s a weird combination of traits,” says Gutfeld, who once played “Candyland” on air with the <a href="https://lbj.utexas.edu/he-was-human-tape-measure-ex-navy-seal-who-killed-bin-laden-says-they-confirmed-his-identity-asking">man credited with killing Osama bin Laden</a>, Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill.
Gutfeld credits his late mother, Jackie Gutfeld, for forging core elements of his personality. She got him hooked on the “usual gang of idiots” at Mad Magazine, encouraged him to write what he calls “crazy little short stories.” In turn, he made her a part of his professional journey.
She contributed a tips column to Stuff Magazine (where her son increased circulation from 750,000 to 1.2 million) and even served as a “senior” correspondent on “Red Eye.”
Those days in the print magazine trenches, including stints at Men’s Health, Prevention and Maxim magazines, prepared him for his Fox News duties. He thought he was ready for the gig long before he actually landed it, though.
“Dude, I can really work here,” he recalls telling a Fox News contact after the network had him on as a guest. He laughs at his chutzpah now, but it took another gig for the Fox News connection to take root.
He started writing columns for The Huffington Post, mocking the people who wrote for the liberal site. That caught the attention of Breitbart News founder Andrew Breitbart, who had connections with a Fox News affiliate in Los Angeles.
That led to his first Fox News gig, hosting the late, late night show known as “Red Eye.”
He trusted his curious instincts, and it paid off in unexpected ways. Consider the recurring bit around “<a href="https://redeyebonusroom.fandom.com/wiki/Pinch">Pinch</a>,” a puppet made of old New York Times newspapers meant to mock the liberal news outlet.
“I learned there are people as weird as I am,” he says. So he trotted out unusual bits without trying to over-explain them. Audiences, at least those on a similar wavelength, bonded with him and the show.
He also received “tons of hate mail,” he notes, letters pleading with his bosses to fire him.
The gig came with heaping helpings of anxiety, even if the on-camera Gutfeld took it all in stride.
“You’re getting up there and doing it without a net, making a fool out of yourself on TV,” he says. “I hadn’t performed [before]. I’ve never gone on stage and done bits. People assume that I did, but I was always a print dude.”
The “print dude” racked up impressive ratings for a 3 a.m. EST production, routinely topping competitors’ shows airing at much more friendly time slots.
The usual suspects didn’t immediately savage the show. In fact, the progressive Slate.com wrote a <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2007/04/the-bouncy-pleasures-of-red-eye-w-greg-gutfeld.html">tempered love letter</a> to “Red Eye” months into its improbable run. The site called it “a tabloid gabfest and a dumbfounding frat party—a production so light and crude that it seems to have been adapted from the margins of a spiral-bound notebook, right down to its hair-metal-indebted logo and that indifferent w-slash.”
That’s a compliment. So is this:
“[Gutfeld] tries to play the boor here, with Sarah Silverman shock tactics and one eye on the gutter, but there’s a nerdish twist to his sense of humor and a good-natured twinkle in his eye.”
Fox News eventually retired “Red Eye,” leaving Gutfeld with both “The Five,” and later his self-titled show. The host’s predilection for the printed page never faded. Best sellers like “Not Cool,” “The Joy of Hate” and “How to Be Right” showcased his wit in a retro, albeit familiar, format.
The older, wiser Gutfeld’s new book, “The Plus,” offers a different side of the media personality. His publishing contact targeted a 2021 release date for a new Gutfeld tome, but he saw too many culture fissures that demanded his attention now.
Cancel Culture. The pandemic. Mobs gone wild. Social media rage-a-thons.
“If I wait any longer on this it’ll be old,” he feared. Only he didn’t want to merely recite the modern ills damaging society. He had ways to deal with them, ways to put our best selves forward.
Meet “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Plus-Self-Help-People-Who-Hate/dp/1982149914">The Plus: Self Help for People Who Hate Self Help</a>.”
<div id="attachment_134241" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-134241" class="wp-image-134241" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Greg-Gutfeld-The-Plus-378x576.jpg" alt="Greg Gutfeld The Plus" width="500" height="762" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/08/Greg-Gutfeld-The-Plus-378x576.jpg 378w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/08/Greg-Gutfeld-The-Plus-197x300.jpg 197w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/08/Greg-Gutfeld-The-Plus-768x1170.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/08/Greg-Gutfeld-The-Plus.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" />Courtesy Greg Gutfeld</div>
The comedic book offers tips for navigating social media, supporting those pulled over by the P.C. police and more. Risk sharing, where we rally behind those unfairly “canceled,” is just one strategy highlighted in the book.
“If the person is innocent you have to help them,” he says, adding the more people who rush to someone’s aid, the less likely anyone will be officially “cancelled.”
The “Cancel Culture” passages in the book read as if they were written last week given the tenor of the times. It’s “bully machinery,” he says of the cultural movement.
Other chapters get more personal, with Gutfeld sharing how he evolved on a number of fronts. One painful episode shows the personality bombing with an opening joke, a reminder to be both humble and aware of the crowd before you.
A sidebar/rant on “How to Read a Never Trumper,” from a personality who took time to warm to the atypical leader, is similarly on target. So is his comic assault on “binary thinking,” offering clever ways to avoid that intellectual mouse trap.
Gutfeld shares “The Five” with liberals like Juan Williams, and he’s equally willing to knock back a few cold ones with progressive pals.
”I have friends who are liberals in rock bands, and they totally disagree with me on everything,” he says. “We go out and we have fun.”
That camaraderie isn’t always mutual these days, but Gutfeld has an ace in the hole.
His fans.
Those friends may loathe his politics, but chances are “their parents don’t,” he says. “It happens a lot,” he notes, including one liberal comic whose mother likes Gutfeld more than him, the Fox News star jokes.
Or is he?
He once nearly landed an artist on his Fox News show who initially turned down his invitation in no uncertain terms.
“Faux News!” the artist all but shouted via an email exchange. Then the artist had a change of heart.
“Two days later, ‘you know, um, I was telling my Dad I got an email from you and he totally flipped out,’” Gutfeld recalls.
“Whatever they feel toward me, there’s somebody in their family that likes me,” he says. “They have to deal with that.”
More exclusive content from The Daily Wire: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-progressive-comic-judy-gold-on-cancel-culture-the-left-is-eating-its-own">Progressive Comic Judy Gold On Cancel Culture: The Left Is Eating Its Own</a>
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Greg Gutfeld

EXCLUSIVE: Greg Gutfeld Gets Candid About His Rise To FOX Fame, Countering Cancel Culture

Fox News

In a way you can’t blame Seth Meyers.
The far-left host of “<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/seth-meyers-uses-hillary-scandal-smite-john-mccain/">Late Night with Seth Meyers</a>” likely feasts on the same corporate news his Hollywood peers read. That means alternate voices, be it The Daily Wire, National Review or other respectable, right-of-center sites, rarely crack his news feed.
It’s one possible explanation for his extreme gaslighting earlier this week regarding the raging Portland riots. Or, he’s a stone cold liar.
What riots, you say? The media has done all it can to <a href="https://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/nicholas-fondacaro/2020/07/23/nets-portland-coverage-evaporates-after-antifa-attempted" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cover them up</a> or <a href="https://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/clay-waters/2020/07/24/ny-times-propaganda-right-wing-media-not-nuanced-portland-riots" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">explain them away</a>. For those counting at home, the riots have gone on for <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/07/24/portland-protests-have-no-goal-except-violence-and-anarchy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">nearly 60 days now.</a>
<blockquote>Day after day, hundreds and even thousands take to the streets and claim the territory as theirs. They cycle through a number of chants like “All cops are bastards” and “F- -k the police.” A large number of them participate in violent criminal acts such as arson and assault. They’ve made it a game to lure law-enforcement officers out of buildings so they can assault them with blinding lasers, paint, rocks and other weapons.</blockquote>
Luckily, brave reporters like Andy Ngo are doing the essential, dangerous work to capture the violence. That helps defuse the late-night gaslighting attempting to twist the truth into a pretzel.
<a href="https://grabien.com/story.php?id=298659?utm_source=cliplist20200723&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=cliplist&amp;utm_content=story298659" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Meyers’ first mistake</a> is leaning on MSNBC to get the full scope of Portland’s woes. The far-left news channel, much like CNN and other outlets, downplays the violence caused by BLM and Antifa activists.
MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes described the fallout from the protests as “graffiti” and “light property damage” in the clip Meyers’ show shared. If it’s your house, your business or your property, the word “light” might sound like a slap in the face. And it should.
Meyers used that farcical news byte to savage President Donald Trump.
“You’re going full dictator over some graffiti,  What’s next, sending Seal Team Six to arrest love struck teens carving their initials into a tree,” Meyers cracked.
“Our government used graffiti to justify sending secret police to an American city to abduct protesters in unmarked vans without telling them who they are, where they’re going or why they’re being arrested,” he continued, echoing both the media and the Democrats’ new talking points on the subject.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-rules-federal-agents-dont-have-to-identify-themselves-while-making-arrests-in-portland" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A legal process</a>, by the way.
“What they’re actually doing is even worse. They’re snatching peaceful protesters off the street. They’re kidnapping people and not even telling them what they’re being charged with.”
Again, Meyers turns to MSNBC to buffer his outrage.
What’s missing? Context, the law and a heaping helping of violence.
Yes, the corrupt press continues to call the riots plaguing several major cities “protests,” and often “mostly peaceful” ones at that. It would be laughable if the consequences weren’t so profound … and deadly.
National Review’s Rich Lowry<a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/07/the-portland-dhs-operation-is-legal-and-proportionate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> offers the insights</a> Meyers’ writing team refuses to even consider regarding Portland’s plight.
The officers are operating under clear legal authority. 40 U.S. Code § 1315 says that the DHS secretary “shall protect the buildings, grounds, and property that are owned, occupied, or secured by the Federal Government (including any agency, instrumentality, or wholly owned or mixed-ownership corporation thereof) and the persons on the property.”
These aren’t gentle protesters shouted slogans and waving placards. It’s a mob intent on destroying as much property as possible, including the federal courthouse.
Let Andy Ngo, one of the bravest journalists alive today, offer more proof via his essential Twitter feed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Rioters broke the barrier protecting the Portland federal courthouse again. They rush inside but are chased out by federal law enforcement. However, one person is arrested and dragged inside. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/antifa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#antifa</a> <a href="https://t.co/WdgD4LnyIc">pic.twitter.com/WdgD4LnyIc</a>
&mdash; Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1286210079352479744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Mostly peaceful,” eh, Meyers? Need more? Ngo has it, and then some.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
War-like scenes again as federal officers stand guard outside the Portland federal courthouse and are hit with projectiles thrown by rioters. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/antifa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#antifa</a> <a href="https://t.co/7GpBsINcJq">pic.twitter.com/7GpBsINcJq</a>
&mdash; Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1286946911648284674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Rioters are using a circle saw to cut apart the fence protecting the federal courthouse. Video by <a href="https://twitter.com/livesmattershow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@livesmattershow</a> <a href="https://t.co/okZ56jpH5B">pic.twitter.com/okZ56jpH5B</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PortlandRiots?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PortlandRiots</a>
&mdash; Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1286915433828724736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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The same peaceful protesters that Meyers fears are the target of the new Gestapo also attacked Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler earlier this week.
The progressive leader hoped to show support and encouragement to those tearing up his own city. Let that sink in.
Instead, the<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-trump-slamming-mayor-visits-protesters-to-offer-support-gets-cursed-out-told-to-resign-teargassed" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> rioters cursed him out</a>, threw projectiles at him and demanded he resign.
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Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is entering the protest crowd right now. People are already confronting him. <a href="https://t.co/H7uJSGYlma">pic.twitter.com/H7uJSGYlma</a>
&mdash; Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) <a href="https://twitter.com/ByMikeBaker/status/1286151667780476930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Remember what <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/adam-carolla-aoc-insane/">Adam Carolla</a> warned us about the far-left in society today – “<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/carolla-prager-pc-police/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">you retreat, they encroach</a>.”
Wonder if that footage will be part of a hilarious Meyers bit coming soon?
Need even more proof of <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2020/07/24/there-are-no-peaceful-protesters-in-portland/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">surging violence</a> far greater than mere graffiti? Here’s the Dept. of Homeland Security describing some of the “mostly peaceful” folks in action.
<blockquote>Consistent with tactics employed in previous nights, rioters attacked federal officers’ eyes with lasers – which can cause permanent blindness
Around 10:30 p.m. local time, rioters attempted to push over the fence while rioters also started to throw flaming objects over it. Mortar-style fireworks continued to be launched at federal property and officers as well.</blockquote>
It’s also worth noting Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who inexplicably blamed her city’s soaring crime rates on President Trump, just agreed to let Trump’s “stormtroopers” <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/07/23/trump-chicago-mayor-lori-lightfoot-agree-to-deployment-of-feds/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">help quell the Windy City’s violence.</a>
Is Mayer Lightfoot a dictator now, too?
UPDATED: Far-left British comic John Oliver<a href="https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/07/27/john-oliver-downplays-violent-protests-in-portland-as-mostly-peaceful/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> joined the gaslighting movement</a> on his latest episode of “Last Week Tonight.” Oliver similarly downplayed the extreme violence roiling the city for weeks. Instead, he blamed the police and President Trump for the mayhem.
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-nick-cannon-reminds-us-why-cancel-culture-is-a-joke">Nick Cannon Reminds Us Why Cancel Culture Is A Joke</a>
A version of this piece was also published on HollywoodInToto.com
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Late Night with Seth Meyers

TOTO: Late-Night Gaslighting: Host Seth Meyers Ignores Portland Riots, Chaos To Hit Trump

Comedian Judy Gold thought she was immune from Cancel Culture. She doesn’t feel that way anymore. “I always knew about it,” Gold, an Emmy-winning writer, actress and author told The Daily Wire in reference to the toxic trend. “You came to this point and you think you’re safe.”
Now, a comedian’s context or intent can be downplayed, or even ignored. Suddenly, they’re the next victim.
Gold’s new book, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Yes-Can-Say-That-Cant/dp/0062953753">Yes, I Can Say That: When They Come for the Comedians, We Are All in Trouble</a>,” explains the folly of that thinking. Part memoir, part history lesson, “Yes, I Can Say That” chronicles the early free speech battles fought by comedians Lenny Bruce and George Carlin.
Both comics found themselves on the wrong side of the law for spinning R-rated punchlines.
The book also explores how the best comics coax us to explore race, class, religion and, of course, politics. Comedy can heal and educate. It also convinces us to let our guards down.
Cancel Culture stands in the way of that progress, she warns.
Gold, an avowed progressive, ties Cancel Culture to a less openly destructive force. Call it “Everybody Gets a Trophy.”
“This person won the tournament, but you were smiling when they won,” she cracks, citing the 2018 book, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Coddling-American-Mind-Intentions-Generation/dp/0735224897">The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure</a>” as a source on the subject.
“Your feelings are the only feelings that matter… When did we get so powerless?” she asks. “You don’t wanna hurt people’s feelings, but comedy isn’t pretty.”
Gold’s book cites a 2018 incident in which an Indian-American comic, Nimesh Patel, told a progressive joke at Columbia University about how hard it is to be both black and gay in America.
The group overseeing the event quickly unplugged his microphone, despite the joke’s overtly progressive spirit.
Intent didn’t matter. A select group of attendees were “triggered” by the subject matter, including the folks who hired Patel in the first place.
“The bit is brilliant,” Gold says, furious that the audience missed the punchline’s point. “Are we really thinking in 280 characters, too?”
It can’t be easy for a progressive to blame her own side for Cancel Culture’s rise, but Gold isn’t backing down from that position. She stated it during a recent interview with podcaster Adam Carolla, and she told The Daily Wire a similar message.
“It’s really upsetting that the progressive left has stifled free speech … we’re eating our own,” says Gold. “It’s not progressive … to not acknowledge someone who has evolved or shutting someone down.”
She compares speech police efforts to telling a painter he or she can’t use a certain color and expecting the finished portrait to look like it should.
Cancel Culture also means the Academy Awards can’t find a comic host who could survive a woke vetting.
“That says a lot to me,” she says. Comic actor Kevin Hart’s brief fling with Oscar <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kevin-hart-confirms-he-will-not-reconsider-hosting-paul-bois">ended after old jokes insensitive to gay people</a> resurfaced.
“The progressive left wants people to evolve … to change their viewpoints. When they do, we should acknowledge that and not bring up sh** they said 15 years ago,” she says.
Gold also defended comic Michelle Wolf who caught flak from both sides of the ideological aisle after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-smacks-comedian-who-mocked-sarah-sanders-james-barrett">her withering 2017 set at the White House Correspondents Dinner</a> as well as Kathy Griffin’s ISIS-like image with the president’s decapitated head.
Some of Gold’s fellow comics fear Cancel Culture’s wrath, self-censoring their material to protect themselves — and their careers. A well-structured joke is no longer a viable defense.
“You trust your craft and your point of view,” she says. “Now? Nope, sorry, that’s not valid anymore… We can’t trust ourselves. Someone is gonna take it the wrong way, so I can’t say it.”
Few entertainers loathe President Donald Trump like Gold, which she demonstrates repeatedly throughout her new book. She still sees free speech as an area where liberals and conservatives can, and should, come together.
“I don’t believe that conservative people should be stopped from giving speeches at liberal colleges,” she says, referencing how Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro, and other high-profile conservatives, require security just to speak on select campuses – if they’re allowed at all. “Who are you to tell me that? You have to hear every side of something.”
“Yes, I Can Say That” challenges conservatives with its anti-Trump passages. It also shares warm stories of comedians who directly addressed their fears with humor, like former “Facts of Life” actress Geri Jewell, who has cerebral palsy.
The book lets Gold join a short but impressive list of comedians who vocally oppose Cancel Culture.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gervais-says-the-woke-mob-wants-to-shut-you-up">Ricky Gervais</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-adam-carolla-gets-raw-about-our-all-woke-no-joke-culture-friendship-with-jimmy-kimmel-truth-about-trump">Carolla</a> speak out the loudest on the issue, but so do Bill Maher, Nick Di Paolo, Dennis Miller (he called them <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/dennis-miller-bill-burr-cancel-culture-mccarthy/">“McCarthy hearings with a search engine</a>”), <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-video-released-of-dave-chappelles-fierce-hilarious-defense-of-first-amendment">Dave Chappelle</a> and to some extent, Bill Burr.
“Comedians love to push the envelope because it feels so rewarding to lead people into a state of discomfort and then release them from it with a smart and unexpected punch line,” she writes in the book.
Gold, like her peers, is itching to share her comic perspectives about the pandemic and so much more, but of course there’s a catch.
“It’s the perfect storm for stand-up but there’s no place for us to perform,” she says regarding the pandemic. “We’ve been through such hell. We need to f***ing laugh. That’s where the hope is — living without the arts, people are appreciating them a little more.”
More exclusive content from The Daily Wire: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-adam-carolla-gets-raw-about-our-all-woke-no-joke-culture-friendship-with-jimmy-kimmel-truth-about-trump">Adam Carolla Gets Raw About ‘All Woke, No Joke Culture,’ Friendship With Jimmy Kimmel, Truth About Trump</a>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Judy Gold

EXCLUSIVE: Progressive Comic Judy Gold On Cancel Culture: The Left Is Eating Its Own

Cancel culture

Political Correctness

The 1980s will always be associated with President Ronald Reagan, and for very good reason. It was “morning in America” again, a time when optimism roared back after President Jimmy Carter’s patented “malaise.” Pop culture often reflected that spirit, brimming with muscular heroes who saved the day without handwringing.
Stallone. Willis. Schwarzenegger. Van Damme. Norris.
The era also featured pop culture characters who embodied, in one shape or another, the decade’s conservative mien. Some thrived on the small screen. Others made their mark (and their day) on theaters nationwide.
Here are ten characters who left an indelible mark on the culture, and did so while embracing smaller government and the American Dream. They weren’t all heroes, though, but each captured a component of conservatism in engaging ways.
1. ​Alex P. Keaton
The minds behind the NBC sitcom “Family Ties” created the character as the perfect foil for his hippie parents. Michael J. Fox upended those plans, much to the producers’ delight. Yes, Alex didn’t win every battle with progressive Ma and Pa, but he became the show’s breakout star. Fox’s swift wit and indefatigable spirit left even liberal viewers laughing with, not at, the character.
Liberal Slate noted how Fox “made conservatism seem at once upstanding and rebellious.”
<div id="attachment_132597" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-132597" class="wp-image-132597" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Family-Ties-883x576.jpg" alt="FAMILY TIES -- 'Be True to your Preschool' Episode 1 -- Pictured: (l-r) Justine Bateman as Mallory Keaton, Michael J. Fox as Alex P. Keaton, Marc Price as Erwin 'Skippy' Handleman -- Photo by: Ron Tom/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank" width="800" height="522" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Family-Ties-883x576.jpg 883w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Family-Ties-300x196.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Family-Ties-768x501.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Family-Ties.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Ron Tom/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images</div>
2. Thornton Melon
Rodney Dangerfield proved an unlikely conservative hero in the 1986 comedy &#8220;Back to School.&#8221; The film’s focus stuck to the ultimate sight gag – the gray, out of shape stand-up acting like a college freshman.
Thornton Melon delivered more than killer one-liners. He was a self-made man who built his small business into an empire of “Big and Fat” stores. He hoped his son Jason (Keith Gordon) would follow in his footsteps, but with a twist. Thornton’s immigrant parents bemoaned his academic failures, and he didn’t want Jason to repeat those mistakes.
It’s why he “bribed” his way into college and, later, caused comic chaos in the grand Dangerfield tradition.
<iframe title="Back to School Official Trailer #1 - Burt Young Movie (1986) HD" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bnvwN8yntok?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
3. “Dirty” Harry Callahan
Clint Eastwood’s rule-smashing cop stormed box offices during the 1970s, drawing shrieks from liberal film critics like Pauline Kael. She called Eastwood’s no-nonsense cop a fascist, and worse. Audiences ignored her pleas, turning Dirty Harry into a cultural force alongside Charles Bronson’s “Death Wish” anti-hero.
“Dirty Harry” spawned four sequels, pushing the character’s story deep into the Reagan era. In fact, Dirty Harry’s most famous line came from the 1983 film “Sudden Impact.”
“Go ahead … make my day.” Does that sound like a progressive’s approach to crime?
<iframe title="Sudden Impact - Theatrical Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8AnAgwxJk0Y?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
4. John McClane
Bruce Willis’ character smoked, cracked wise and saved hundreds of lives after terrorists commandeered Nakatomi Plaza in 1989’s “Die Hard.” The character’s blue collar bona fides, from his tattered undershirt to his quest to reunite with his feminist bride, are unquestionable.
His self-given nickname? “Roy,” as in Roy Rogers. He spouted western catchphrases and proved more heroic than his estranged wife’s beta co-workers.
The only thing conservatives argue about “Die Hard” now is whether it’s an official Christmas movie or not.
<iframe title="Die Hard (1988) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jaJuwKCmJbY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
5. George Jefferson
The patriarch of the beloved long-running sitcom &#8220;The Jeffersons&#8221; (1975-1985) is another example of the American dream in action.
Jefferson, played with panache by Sherman Hemsley, used an insurance settlement to fund his own business, one that eventually led him to a “deee-lux apartment in the sky.”
The show, as well as the characters, explored race and class far more than politics. “The Jeffersons” sprang to life after successful appearances on “All in the Family,” including a 1974 episode where George ran for local office on the Republican ticket.
<div id="attachment_132600" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-132600" class="wp-image-132600" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-Jeffersons-752x576.jpg" alt="The cast of the TV sitcom 'The Jeffersons' (L-R Berlinda Tolbert, Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, Franklin Cover, Roxie Roker and Marla Gibbs (seated)) circa 1977 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)" width="800" height="613" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/The-Jeffersons-752x576.jpg 752w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/The-Jeffersons-300x230.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/The-Jeffersons-768x588.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/The-Jeffersons.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images</div>
6. Gordon Gekko
The man who proclaimed, “Greed is good” gave 1987’s “Wall Street” its outsized villain. The role also delivered Michael Douglas his first and only Best Actor Oscar (to date).
Director Oliver Stone created Gordon Gekko to critique Wall Street excess, and he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. The slick hair. The suspenders. The take-no-prisoners attitude.
For better and worse the image stuck. Gekko didn’t put conservatism in a positive light, but you couldn’t take your eyes off him. It pained co-writer Stanley Weiser that some embraced the character as a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/2008/10/wall-street-s-co-writer-on-gordon-gekko-the-man-and-the-misunderstood-legend">hero of sorts</a>, in the years following the film’s release.
<iframe title="Wall Street (1/5) Movie CLIP - The Art of War (1987) HD" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-TLCaDbBv_s?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
7. The “Ghostbusters”
Few films show the folly of government overreach quite like this 1984 comedy classic. There’s nothing political about Bill Murray flirting with Sigourney Weaver, or Harold Ramis tinkering with ghostly traps. Still, the quartet’s war against New York bureaucrats, and their self-determination, make them unofficial Libertarians at the very least.
That was <a href="https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/18/18682991/ghostbusters-original-reboot-sequel-director-ivan-reitman-interview">no accident</a>, according to the film’s director, Ivan Reitman.
“I’ve been sort of a Libertarian,” Reitman says. “I’m actually a double immigrant. Coming to Canada from Czechoslovakia and then immigrating to America from Canada did make me believe in the power of capitalism and the power of the intelligent individual which has been a theme from many of my films.”
<iframe title="Ghostbusters (1984) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6hDkhw5Wkas?start=20&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
8. Rocky Balboa
The Italian Stallion’s 1976 debut proved Manna from Heaven for conservatives, especially coming in the wake of President Nixon’s calamitous fall. Sylvester Stallone’s unlikely hero stood toe-to-toe with the champ, capturing the American dream via a sweaty, if imperfect, metaphor. The star fashioned the character’s journey on Christian principles.
“This is a story of faith, integrity and victory. Jesus is the inspiration for anyone to go the distance,” <a href="https://www1.cbn.com/700club/sylvester-stallone-faith-integrity-and-rocky-balboa">commented</a> Stallone.
Rocky Balboa’s cinematic arc eventually took him to the Soviet Union in 1985 where he squared off against Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) in “Rocky IV.” The brawler proved the Italian Stallion’s toughest foe, but the athlete stood for more than boxing greatness.
Drago fought for Mother Russia, and Rocky entered the ring wearing his old pal Apollo Creed’s red, white and blue trunks. Audiences responded by making it the highest grossing “Rocky” film to date.
Rocky didn’t win the Cold War. It took President Ronald Reagan to make that happen. However, Stallone’s most iconic character did all he could to rally conservatives stateside with his most patriotic effort to date.
<iframe title="Rocky IV Official Trailer #1 - Burt Young Movie (1985) HD" width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mIE5HYkzvV0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
9. Arthur Fonzarelli
The coolest character on TV from 1974 to 1984 cared more about chicks than trickle-down economics. Still, when “Happy Days” got political on one combustible episode the key characters had to pick sides.
Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) went with Adlai Stevenson, the well-spoken ‘50s Democrat. Why? Richie had a crush on a local girl who also supported the Democrat’s campaign.
Fonzie (Henry Winkler) threw his support behind the Republican in the race, incumbent Dwight D. Eisenhower. Why?
“Hey, he won the war for you, didn’t he?” Fonzie told the crowd. “If Ike loses, the Fonz is gonna be maaaaaad.”
<iframe title="The Fonz · Top 10 Entrances" width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X4DYmZJj_x8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
10. Arthur Carlson
The “big guy” at “WKRP in Cincinnati” gave this workplace comedy its weekly villain, but the show’s writers afforded him his humanity along the way. Carlson, a former Marine, wasn’t a monster. He epitomized corporate buffoonery, no doubt, and he often seemed clueless compared to his underlings.
Gordon Jump’s character also believed in a higher power and often stood up for his motley crew of DJs and assorted talent.
The far-left AV Club breaks down a critical episode where Carlson comes up big in the battle for free expression. A Jerry Falwell type (Richard Paul) threatens to lead a boycott against the station for its so-called naughty playlist. Carlson was a man of faith, but he <a href="https://tv.avclub.com/10-episodes-of-screwball-hilarity-and-social-commentary-1798269228">stood up to the attacks</a> on his station’s behalf.
“But it’s Carlson—an uptight conservative who had disapproved of rock ’n’ roll since season one — who finds the moral courage to stand up for the station’s freedom of expression.”
<div id="attachment_132602" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-132602" class="wp-image-132602" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/WKRP-873x576.jpg" alt="WKRP IN CINCINNATI featuring (from left) Richard Sanders (as Les Nessman); Frank Bonner (as Herb Tarlek); Gordon Jump (as Arthur Carlson, 'Big Guy'); Loni Anderson (as Jennifer Marlow), sitting on lap of: Howard Hesseman (as Johnny Caravella 'Dr. Johnny Fever'); Gary Sandy (as Andy Travis); Tim Reid (as Gordon Sims, 'Venus Flytrap); and Jan Smithers (as Bailey Quarters). Image dated 1980. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) " width="800" height="528" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/WKRP-873x576.jpg 873w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/WKRP-300x198.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/WKRP-768x507.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/WKRP.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />CBS via Getty Images</div>
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-7-leftist-hollywood-myths-that-need-a-serious-debunking">7 Leftist Hollywood Myths That Need A Serious Debunking</a>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Clint Eastwood in Sudden Impact

TOTO: 10 Unforgettable Conservative Characters From The ‘80s

Clint Eastwood

Conservatism

Listening to what Nick Cannon said on his own podcast may take your breath away.
Here’s a popular entertainer trafficking in the kind of racial hatred and ignorance hardcore bigots might keep to themselves.
Cannon didn’t, though, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-nick-cannon-white-people-are-a-little-less-closer-to-animals-true-savages">here’s a sample:</a>
“When we talk about the power of melanated people,” he said on the program. “Melanin is so power[ful], and it connects us in a way, that the reason why they fear black … is because the lack that they have of it.”
Cannon argued that this lack of pigment in their skin leads white people to fear genetic annihilation.
“When you have a person that has the lack of pigment, the lack of melanin, that they know that they will be annihilated,” he said. “So, therefore, however they got the power, they have the lack of compassion. Melanin comes with compassion, melanin comes with soul. We call it soul. Soul brothers and sisters. That’s the melanin that connects us. So the people that don’t have it, and I’m going to say this carefully, are a little less.”
Good thing he spoke carefully.
Later, Cannon called white people “barbaric” and “true savages.” Black actor Terry Crews <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/terry-crews-cites-nick-cannons-racist-anti-white-comments-i-told-ya-so">warned us about this line of thinking</a> in the wake of Black Lives Matter’s emergence. It didn’t take long for him to be proven right.
Cannon also <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/07/15/891422809/fired-over-anti-semitic-comments-nick-cannon-wants-wild-n-out-ownership">excoriated Jewish people</a> in the same episode, which featured a chat with notorious <a href="https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2010/09/altschuler-launches-jewish-studies-lecture-series">anti-Semite and ex-Public Enemy musician Professor Griff.</a>
Cannon engages in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, asking why “we give so much power to the ‘theys,’ and ‘theys’ turn into illuminati, the Zionists, the Rothschilds,” — referring to the wealthy Jewish family often used as a dog whistle for anti-Semitism.
The same media outlets which mostly avoided <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/ice-cubes-long-disturbing-history-of-anti-semitism">recent anti-Semitic remarks from Ice Cube</a>, Chelsea Handler, and other celebrities [The Daily Beast proved a notable exception] couldn’t suppress Cannon’s story. They omitted some of the worst comments in his rant, though, providing some cover for the entertainer.
ViacomCBS eventually <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/viacomcbs-terminates-nick-cannon-over-anti-semitic-remarks-does-not-mention-anti-white-remarks">severed ties with Cannon</a> following the imbroglio. The story doesn’t end there, though.
Hardly.
<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/media/507602-nick-cannon-apologizes-to-jewish-community-i-feel-ashamed">Cannon apologized</a> for his anti-Semitism. Later, an emboldened <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nick-cannon-responds-viacomcbs-firing-lengthy-facebook-post-1303292">Cannon fired back</a> at the mega-company, demanding full ownership of his MTV “Wild ‘N Out” improv series.
“I am deeply saddened in a moment so close to reconciliation that the powers that be misused an important moment for us to all grow closer together and learn more about one another,” Cannon wrote. “Instead, the moment was stolen and highjacked to make an example of an outspoken black man.”
Meanwhile, Fox says it <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/nick-cannon-apology-anti-semitic-remarks-masked-singer-fox">won’t remove Cannon</a> from its popular show “The Masked Singer” where the star serves as host.
Cannon’s “cancellation” proved only partially successful despite comments that would have sent other stars to Hollywood’s purgatory.
In fact, music mogul <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-are-for-our-people-first-diddy-defends-nick-cannon-invites-him-to-join-truly-black-owned-revolt-tv">P Diddy swiftly reached out to Cannon</a> with a job offer.
“[Nick Cannon] come home to [Revolt TV] truly BLACK OWNED!!!” tweeted Diddy. “We got your back and love you and what you have done for the culture. We are for our people first!!! For us! By US! Let’s go!!!”
Popular radio personality <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/charlamagne-tha-god-nick-cannon-getting-fired-for-anti-semitic-remarks-proves-jews-have-the-power">Charlamagne tha God doubled down</a>, saying Cannon’s ViacomCBS fall spoke to a larger truth.
“That’s what you can do when you have the power. … Listen, Nick is my guy, I hate it had to be him, but that’s what you can do when you have the power. And if there’s one thing Jewish people have showed us, it’s they have the power,” said Charlamagne.
And then there’s Roseanne Barr. The sitcom pioneer, a comedienne who shattered glass ceilings in her wake, remains a Hollywood outcast.
Her 2018 tweet against Valerie Jarrett, both ugly and racially charged, convinced ABC brass to<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/roseanne-tom-arnold-hypocrisy/"> cancel her massively successful “Roseanne” reboot.</a> Barr, who at the time appeared friendly toward Trump supporters, instantly apologized for the single tweet, but it was too late.
She hasn’t had a mainstream Hollywood gig ever since, although she very briefly toured with fellow comic <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/andrew-dice-clay-roseanne-not-racist/">Andrew “Dice” Clay</a> last year.
She’s not alone.
Apolitical comedian Kevin Hart<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/kevin-hart-oscar-host-homophobic/"> lost his Oscar hosting gig</a> for decade-old jokes deemed homophobic. Author J.K. Rowling is under continuing Cancel Culture assault for arguing against a small portion of the trans community’s platform.
Will anything similar happen to Ice Cube, Charlamagne tha God, Handler, or P Diddy? If it didn’t happen yet, it’s likely never going to happen.
Cancel Culture isn’t about improving the culture, let alone providing any moral consistency. It’s about political power.
It’s also a flat-out joke.
A version of this article was also published on HollywoodInToto.com.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Nick Cannon

TOTO: Nick Cannon Reminds Us Why Cancel Culture Is A Joke

Anti-Semitism

Racism

Rep. <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/media-protect-alexandria-ocasio-cortez/">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</a> doesn’t have a “Get Out of Comedy Jail” card in her purse or pocket.
She doesn’t need one.
The far-left congresswoman can do, or say, virtually anything with little fear of comic reprisal. Instead, modern comedians either ignore her gargantuan gaffes or fawn over her social media prowess.
Right on cue, comedians gave the freshman representative a pass after she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ocasio-cortez-nyc-crime-surge-maybe-due-to-people-being-scared-to-pay-their-rent-dont-have-jobs">uncorked this explanation</a> for the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-de-blasio-halts-nypd-reform-bill-as-violence-murders-skyrocket">crush of violence engulfing the Big Apple</a>.
“So why is this uptick in crime happening?” Ocasio-Cortez asked. “Well, let’s think about it. Do we think this has to do with the fact there’s record unemployment in the United States right now? The fact that people are at a level of economic desperation that we have not seen since the Great Recession. Maybe this has to do with the fact that people aren’t paying their rent and are scared to pay their rent, and so they go out and they need to feed their child and they don’t have money so you maybe have to, they’re put in a position where they feel like they either need to shoplift some bread [emphasis added] or go hungry that night.”
“Maybe it’s the fact that unemployment provisions have not been given to [everyone],” Ocasio-Cortez claimed. “Maybe it’s because the fact that people, some people still haven’t gotten their stimulus checks yet.”
<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/carolla-not-taco-bell-material-interview/">Adam Carolla</a> doesn’t follow the progressive comedy playbook. The comic excoriated Ocasio-Cortez on the latest episode of “<a href="https://adamanddrdrewshow.com/1301-who-has-dominion-over-you/">The Adam and Dr. Drew Show</a>” podcast. A show caller asked Carolla and co-host Dr. Drew Pinsky what will happen following the wave of violent protests targeting several major cities.
“AOC would say, ‘that’s a question from privilege,&#8217;” Dr. Pinsky cracked before Carolla seized on Ocasio-Cortez’s dubious explanation for the crime wave.
“She seems insane to me, or maniacal, there’s something wrong with her. She doesn’t connect things,” Carolla said after referencing her attempt to tie rising gun violence to a lack of carbs.
“Hey, what’s happened to all the bakery trucks?” Carolla asked. “I was down at Nabisco, and I was going down through the Keebler factory there, was that covered in the news, the stealing of carbohydrates?”
Carolla’s common sense solution is one kept out of reach by today’s Democratic politicians and media outlets.
“The only thing that works is law and order, and sadly, re-imagining things doesn’t work, otherwise we would have figured it out over the thousands of years,” Carolla said, referencing talk of “re-imagining” modern law enforcement if not downright stripping departments of their funding.
The podcaster and <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/uppity-review/">documentary filmmaker</a> predicted a dark future for cities teeming with protesters and chaos.
“A larger group will move out of mismanaged cities and off to places where they simply have freedom and safety and can afford it,” he said. “Who’s gonna be left behind? ‘Escape from New York.&#8217;”
“It’s gonna be a f***ing hellscape of people who can’t afford to get out. It’ll be like Katrina. Everyone with a running car and some money in their pocket is gonna split, and everyone else is just gonna hang out and the tide’s just gonna drown ’em,” he said.
Dr. Pinsky chimed in on the other side of the issue &#8212; politicians who believe the status quo is sustainable.
“What are the government officials thinking? Where do they think the money comes from for the government they’re running?” Dr. Pinsky asked. “In California, they keep shutting things down … their tax revenue is nil. How do they think this works? What are they thinking? I can’t figure it out.”
Carolla suggested they’re not thinking at all.
“When you’re sitting in air conditioning and looking out the window, and people are toiling in the sun and mopping their brow … they go, ‘huh, someone should do something about that.’ As long as its 71 [degrees] where you’re standing, it’s just like, ‘It’s 71 man, I’m fine.&#8217;” Carolla said.
A version of this article was also published on HollywoodInToto.com.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

TOTO: Adam Carolla On AOC: She’s ‘Insane, Maniacal’

Adam Carolla

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Larry Elder often lets filmmakers interview him at his radio studio, but the syndicated talker rarely sees the results.
Well-intentioned filmmakers get distracted or come up short on the funding front, Elder explains.
Director Justin Malone, eager to capture what it’s like to be a black conservative in America, was different. Malone shared his footage with the best-selling author and talk show host.
“It was beautifully shot in black and white. I liked the angles,” Elder recalls. So he asked Malone how far along he was on the project. If this were a baseball game, Malone explained, he’d be in the top half of the first inning.
That didn’t scare Elder. He offered to help raise funds for the documentary. Two years later, “Uncle Tom” is available for rental at <a href="http://uncletom.com/">UncleTom.com</a> and has made back its modest budget and then some, says Elder, who co-wrote and produced the film.
“Uncle Tom” showcases the abuse black conservatives like Elder receive from the Left, something the L.A. native begrudgingly accepts as part of modern culture.
“I’ve been called an Uncle Tom for 35 years,” Elder says. Malone asked him the critical question on the subject.
Why? Why can’t liberals have an open discussion with black conservatives? Why does common sense scare them? Why slam black conservatives as “coons,” or worse?
“The more he said, ‘why,’ the more I thought, ‘this is pretty asinine’ … that was the tone of the whole documentary,” says Elder, whose self-titled radio show can be heard from noon to 2 p.m. PT weekdays on CRN with a rebroadcast from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on KRLA AM 870 in Los Angeles.
“Uncle Tom” features familiar faces like Herman Cain, Candace Owens, and Lt. Col. Allen West sharing why they believe in smaller government and more freedom. The film also interviews blue-collar black conservatives who favor the American dream over &#8220;handouts.&#8221;
That describes Chad Jackson, a contractor from Texas featured in the film. He was a lifelong Democrat who had a change of heart after reading the specific platforms of both political parties.
You may not know much about “Uncle Tom,” though, if you only read mainstream U.S. media outlets. Elder says he’s been interviewed by reporters from Sweden, Australia, and England about the film.
The response stateside? Mostly crickets save select conservative outlets. Newsweek ran a piece on the film prior to its June 19 release, Elder notes. A conservative pundit covered it for the Chicago Tribune.
Elder can’t hide his disgust that the L.A. Times, his hometown paper, ignored the film, too. It’s part of a noticeable pattern.
“Not a single one of my books has been reviewed by the L.A. Times,” he says. “I’m a hometown boy and I can’t get arrested by the L.A. Times.”
<div id="attachment_131642" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-131642" class="wp-image-131642" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Allen-West-973x576.jpg" alt="Allen West" width="800" height="474" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Allen-West-973x576.jpg 973w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Allen-West-300x178.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Allen-West-768x455.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Allen-West.jpg 1351w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Courtesy Larry Elder</div>
So how could a film with little media coverage or film critic interest recoup its costs so quickly? The film’s talking heads, from Elder to Owens and Brandon Tatum, spread the word via their sizable social media accounts.
The film’s audience did its share, too. “Uncle Tom” has more than 2,000 reviews at imdb.com, most of them raves. The film’s overall rating stands at 9.4 out of 10.
Even liberals are giving the movie a chance, Elder says. Some say they were “suckered” into watching the documentary. No matter the explanation, the results are similar.
“I had no idea the grief that people like Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams get for having a different point of view,” he says.
Here’s one dramatic example from IMDB.com:
<blockquote>As a young black male who was psychologically entrenched in the &#8220;liberal sunken place&#8221; throughout his formative years, this documentary was the finalization of my red pill moment.
Uncle Tom provides all Americans a holistic understanding of when, how, and why Democratic policies have damned black America since the 60&#8217;s bringing a nuanced perspective to the issues plaguing black Americans today.
Uncle Tom is a must see documentary!</blockquote>
It wouldn’t be the first time Elder changed some hearts and minds. His long-running radio show likely does that on a regular basis. He also famously coaxed author and YouTube star Dave Rubin to leave the progressive movement following their famous dustup on race relations, captured in Rubin’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-read-dave-rubins-dont-burn-this-book-before-its-too-late">“Don’t Burn This Book.”</a>
“Uncle Tom” isn’t Elder’s first foray into filmmaking. He previously wrote and directed 2005’s “Michael &amp; Me,” an attempt to correct far-left auteur Michael Moore’s Oscar-winning film, “Bowling for Columbine.”
<div id="attachment_131643" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-131643" class="wp-image-131643" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Herman-Cain-1003x576.jpg" alt="Herman Cain" width="800" height="459" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Herman-Cain-1003x576.jpg 1003w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Herman-Cain-300x172.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Herman-Cain-768x441.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Herman-Cain.jpg 1392w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Courtesy Larry Elder</div>
“I had no idea what I was doing. It’s a mediocre project at best,” he says. “‘Uncle Tom’ is light years better than that.”
“Uncle Tom’s” success has Elder thinking about a sequel among other possible film projects. And he’s not alone. He says other conservatives are getting into the film business – witness recent triumphs like “<a href="https://nosafespaces.com">No Safe Spaces</a>,” powered by talkers Adam Carolla and Dennis Prager.
“If we don’t make our own fare it’s not gonna be made,” Elder says, adding actor Antonio Sabato, Jr.’s <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/07/16/antonio-sabato-jr-plans-conservative-movie-studio/5456728002/">experience with the Hollywood Blacklist 2.0</a> reflects a growing body of frustrated conservative talent.
Dinesh D’Souza, the author and conservative pundit, considers himself a full-time filmmaker now, Elder notes, following films like “Hillary’s America” and the upcoming “Trump Card.”
“I think he’s on to something. It is that profound a medium,” Elder says.
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-adam-carolla-gets-raw-about-our-all-woke-no-joke-culture-friendship-with-jimmy-kimmel-truth-about-trump">Adam Carolla Gets Raw About ‘All Woke, No Joke Culture,’ Friendship With Jimmy Kimmel, Truth About Trump</a>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Larry Elder

EXCLUSIVE: Larry Elder Says U.S. Media Is Ignoring His Film On Black Conservatives

Candace Owens

Herman Cain

Thomas Sowell

Tim Allen

Hollywood is in the myth-making business by design. The industry tells tales tall and small, hoping to keep us engaged for two hours, maybe more if the story is set in a galaxy far, far away. Myth making is in the town’s DNA, and while conservatives bemoan much of Hollywood’s recent messaging, it’s hard to argue with the prime directive. Some Hollywood myths, though, exist for other reasons. They confuse rather than clarify, suggesting an industry that isn’t being fully honest with itself. The following seven Hollywood myths demand a debunking. They’ve gone on too long and convinced too many people they’re the real deal.
1. It’s Show Business, Remember?
La La Land is all about return on investment. A bad movie crushes the competition at the box office? A franchise is born. A found-footage thriller with no stars and a microscopic budget slays the competition, and Hollywood will crank out a half-dozen more movies just like it.
That’s all true, but it’s not the whole story.
What about movies like 2015’s “Truth,” Robert Redford’s attempt at reviving disgraced anchor Dan Rather’s career? Did anyone think that would trounce the competition?
Or the recent “Terminator: Dark Fate,” a film following up a sequel that did a belly flop at the box office?
The HBO series “Girls” never brought in big ratings numbers, but if show creator Lena Dunham asked the pay channel for a half-dozen new seasons, who thinks Team HBO wouldn’t give in?
<div id="attachment_130346" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-130346" class="wp-image-130346" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Terminator-Dark-Fate-961x576.jpg" alt="Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger attend the Japan premiere of 'Terminator: Dark Fate' on November 6, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jun Sato/WireImage)" width="800" height="480" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Terminator-Dark-Fate-961x576.jpg 961w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Terminator-Dark-Fate-300x180.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Terminator-Dark-Fate-768x461.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Terminator-Dark-Fate.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Jun Sato/WireImage via Getty Images</div>
Why would studios greenlight movie after movie denigrating the U.S. war effort, which is what happened during the Bush years, when each one bombed worse than the last?
Or why does the industry stick to gender swap remakes when most under-perform or outright flop?
What about how swiftly ABC canceled both Roseanne Barr and her signature sitcom, a ratings juggernaut, after one racially toxic tweet? Conversely, why would the same broadcast company cancel Tim Allen’s “Last Man Standing” when it drew steady, muscular ratings?
Best of all, how could any studio hear the phrase, “get woke, go broke” and double down on the sentiment?
Hollywood is all about money, but only to a point. Messaging and virtue signaling often trump the bottom line.
2. Bravery, Hollywood Style
The entertainment industry throws the word “brave” around with abandon. An actor is “brave” for gaining weight/losing weigh for a role. Another star is “brave” for speaking truth to power on screen, even if it means sharing a talking point 98 percent of his or her peers already cheer.
That’s not bravery.
Terry Crews, a black actor, critiquing Black Lives Matter is the epitome of bravery. J.K. Rowling, standing up to Cancel Culture despite a multi-pronged assault against her good name, is bravery on steroids.
These two examples have limited company, but they’re rarely cited by those pointing to Hollywood’s brand of courage.
<div id="attachment_122104" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-122104" class="wp-image-122104" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/BFCB94B3-295D-4501-BDBA-585D1B87F52E-1024x576.jpeg" alt="Actor Terry Crews attends the premiere of &quot;The LEGO Ninjago Movie&quot; at Regency Village Theatre on September 16, 2017 in Westwood, California." width="800" height="450" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/BFCB94B3-295D-4501-BDBA-585D1B87F52E-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/BFCB94B3-295D-4501-BDBA-585D1B87F52E-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/BFCB94B3-295D-4501-BDBA-585D1B87F52E-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/BFCB94B3-295D-4501-BDBA-585D1B87F52E-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/BFCB94B3-295D-4501-BDBA-585D1B87F52E-2048x1152.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic via Getty Images</div>
3. Actors Really, Truly Care
Now, this is partly true. During the current pandemic many stars opened their wallets and purses, wide, to help those in need. The same happened following the 9/11 attacks and recent weather tragedies.
Plus, stars routinely write checks for worthwhile charities. That cannot be discounted or overlooked.
Yet the industry remains silent when the cause doesn’t align with its worldview or threatens the bottom line. Where is the empathy for Chinese citizens stuck in an authoritarian state, be it citizens whose voices are muted or those hoping to worship as they choose?
What about the minority-owned business devastated by the George Floyd riots?
More recently, some of Hollywood’s biggest names demanded we start <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/megan-rapinoe-john-legend-lizzo-more-celebs-sign-open-letter-to-defund-police?%3Futm_source=twitter">defunding the police</a>, all the while <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/riots-violent-crime-defund-police-push-surged-in-june-gun-sales-exploded-to-all-time-high-fbi-data-suggests">gun violence surged</a> in multiple American cities.
Empathy matters, and it should be applauded in Hollywood when it rises up. Still, the disparate approach stars bring to their charity must be noted.
4. Hollywood’s Racial Imbalance Reflect a Racist Nation
Let’s face it. Many think Hollywood’s current woke obsession has already gone too far, but the industry has done a lousy job up until now giving all voices a chance to be heard.
The number of black artists directing films or calling the shots behind the scenes remains pathetically low. It’s improving, of course, but it’s taken a very long while.
The same holds true for female directors. When Kathryn Bigelow won the Best Directing Oscar for 2010’s “The Hurt Locker” it marked the first time a woman walked home with the category’s statuette.
That’s embarrassing.
So when the semi-annual “Oscars So White” campaign appears, it’s implied America is as “problematic” as Hollywood. That seems both unfair, since Joe and Jane Sixpack don’t do the voting, and inaccurate.
Americans routinely support actors of color. Eddie Murphy was one of the biggest movie stars of the ‘80s. Few celebrities could enter the presidential race with a better chance of winning than Oprah Winfrey.
The last movie star who guaranteed fannies in seats? Will Smith. Comic actor Kevin Hart comes the closest to that promise these days.
This year’s box office champion, at least until the pandemic shut down America? “Bad Boys for Life” starring Smith and Martin Lawrence.
One can pick apart Hollywood for its racial issues, but the American public has no qualms embracing artists of color.
<div id="attachment_48939" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-48939" class="wp-image-48939" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/kevin_hart_gi.jpg" alt="Kevin Hart visits &quot;Sway In the Morning&quot; on &quot;Shade 45&quot; with host Sway Calloway at SiriusXM Studios on May 22, 2019 in New York City." width="800" height="477" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/09/kevin_hart_gi.jpg 902w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/09/kevin_hart_gi-300x179.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/09/kevin_hart_gi-768x458.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Roy Rochlin/Getty Images</div>
5. Hollywood Hates Blacklists
The industry cranked out film after film eviscerating Sen. Joe McCarthy’s deeply flawed fight against ‘50s era Communism. They don’t lose any sleep over the current version targeting conservatives, though.
6. Film Festivals Heart Diversity
Independent film events support, promote and extol diverse points of view, or so they say. That means more people of color behind the scenes, more women directors submitting projects and a greater variety of stories being told.
The recently wrapped AFI Docs event shared this celebratory note about its honorees:
<blockquote>With 58 films from 11 countries, the 18th edition of AFI DOCS presented stories that delved into of-the-moment issues including policing, immigration and gun violence; honored luminaries of the past; and looked to the new guard of rising activists and politicians.</blockquote>
The Sundance Film Festival even has its own “<a href="https://www.sundance.org/initiatives/diversity">diversity initiative</a>.”
When was the last time a right-leaning film made a splash, let alone gained entrance, to Sundance or related festivals? For years the terms “conservative documentaries” were mutually exclusive. Now? Indie storytellers like Phelim McAleer (“FrackNation”), John Sullivan (“2016: Obama’s America”) and Justin Folk (“No Safe Spaces”) are making films that can stand tall next to mainstream indie fare.
The recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-uncle-tom-film-allows-people-to-hear-from-black-americans-freed-from-the-democrats-playbook?%3Futm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=dwtwitter">“Uncle Tom</a>,” executive produced by Larry Elder,” is a prime example of a feature that belongs in any festival obsessed with diversity. The documentary celebrates the strong voices black conservatives bring to the GOP.
Let’s see if any festival deems it worthy.
<iframe title="Uncle Tom - Official Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QVLj-zARCv8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
7. Hollywood is Liberal (asterisk)
This may be the biggest myth of all. Yes, the industry is overwhelmingly progressive from a political perspective, with most conservative voices shunned into silence (save stout souls like Nick Searcy, Robert Davi and Kristy Swanson).
Still, the industry is the other kind of conservative. Risk averse. Tentative. Afraid of change. Unwilling to embrace foreign concepts or leave successful blueprints behind.
Yes, small elements of these drives exist throughout the industry, but they’re in short supply.
Conservative-thinking Hollywood clings to brand names like the Rev. Al Sharpton to a racial scandal. It’s why we see endless “Batman” derivations, movies borne from beloved board games and sequels/remakes/reboots in the place of original fare.
Taking chances is frowned upon in Hollywood, and the proof is in the product.
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-jon-stewart-chris-rock-and-rosie-dont-want-you-to-know-they-hate-cancel-culture-too">Jon Stewart, Chris Rock And Rosie Don’t Want You To Know They Hate Cancel Culture, Too</a>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

&#8220;Once Upon a Time&#8230; in Hollywood&#8221; &#8211; Lena Dunham

TOTO: 7 Leftist Hollywood Myths

Feminism

Progressivism

Race

Ricky Gervais isn’t alone anymore.
This week another stand-up comedian decided enough is enough when it comes to Cancel Culture. Only this comic sounded a tad insincere.
Iliza Shlesinger, star of several Netflix comedy specials along with a self-titled sketch series on the platform, took her turn guest-hosting on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Monday.
Shlesinger used the opportunity to do something Kimmel himself rarely does on the show — speak out against Cancel Culture. Only the comedienne’s attempt to defang the woke mob came with a caveat.
More than one, actually. And anyone familiar with Kimmel’s hard-left monologues or Shlesinger’s progressive shtick may see it coming.
<div class="lyte-wrapper" title="Iliza: Unveiled | Official Trailer | Netflix">
The comic gives us a quick history of online commentary during her monologue, complete with yuk-yuk lines and self-deprecation. Plus, she slams astronaut Neil Armstrong’s iconic “one small step for man” line for not including “women.”
To be fair, he didn’t mention LGBTQ souls, either. Let the cancellation commence!
<div class="lyte-wrapper" title="Iliza Shlesinger’s Guest Host Monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live" data-slot-rendered-dynamic="true">
She finally gets to the heart of the matter.
“But here’s what I’ll say to the Internet. Internet, people should be allowed to evolve and not have their career ended by something they drunkenly tweeted in an uberx after a Fallout Boy concert in 2015. Hypothetically.”
<div class="mv-video-target mv-video__featured mv-video__optimized mv-video__embedded" data-video-id="nfirs5ugypr09lxqv7sm" data-autoplay="true" data-automobile="true" data-muted="true" data-sticky="true" data-autoinsert="true" data-disable-jsonld="true" data-video-placement-inited="true">
So far, so good, and she actually made a semi-funny a joke in the process. No clapter here!
Just wait.
“And look, there are people who actually want to hurt others and have a pattern of saying horrible things and using a social platform to spread hate. So, yeah, roast those people over the open flames of social judgment. Roast them, roast them right out of the Oval Office.”
You see, she turned a tepid attack on Cancel Culture into a real assault on Orange Man Bad!
It gets worse.
She begs the woke mob to stop punishing people if they’ve evolved from their past, Neanderthal-like takes. What does that mean? Well, she gives a quick clue.
“We need to chill with canceling everyone because soon … there will be no one. I think we should support people who change their opinion for the right reasons. It means they cared enough to read a book, or to talk to a person who’s different from them, and they’re trying to do better. But like, low key, if you used to think Climate Change wasn’t real and now you do, I still don’t wanna hang out with you.”
<iframe title="Iliza Shlesinger’s Guest Host Monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vvE56CJAJJU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
It’s funny because she’s intolerant!
In short, Shlesinger had no bone to pick with Cancel Culture until it started zeroing in on fellow liberals … like <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/cancel-culture-howard-stern-jimmy-kimmel/">Jimmy Kimmel.</a>
Maybe even woke female comics, for that matter.
Gervais remains the loudest, most sincere voice fighting Cancel Culture. Shlesinger just wants to redirect the pitchfork-wielding mob to the folks next door.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gervais-says-the-woke-mob-wants-to-shut-you-up">Ricky Gervais Says The Woke Mob ‘Wants To Shut You Up’</a>
A version of this article was also published on HollywoodInToto.com.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.
</div>
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Iliza Shlesinger

TOTO: Jimmy Kimmel Guest Host Iliza Shlesinger Gently Scolds Cancel Culture … To Attack Trump

Jimmy Kimmel

Hollywood stars have little to say about China, and for very good reason.
The film industry relies on the Communist nation to bolster its box office fortunes. At a time when expensive, IP-driven properties aren’t a sure thing, that matters.
Case in point: 2018’s “Tomb Raider” reboot, budgeted at $94 million. The Alicia Vikander film earned an <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1365519/?ref_=bo_se_r_1">anemic $58 million stateside</a>. Its Chinese theatrical haul? An impressive $78 million.
The franchise would have gone back into hibernation without the Asian country’s backing. Now, <a href="https://deadline.com/2019/09/tomb-raider-sequel-ben-wheatley-director-alicia-vikander-lara-croft-mgm-march-19-2021-release-1202710550/">MGM is prepping a sequel</a> for a franchise few U.S. audiences care about in the first place.
Hollywood hearts China, now more than ever given the uncertainty surrounding the global pandemic. And if it means editing out “offensive” scenes, inserting Chinese propaganda into Marvel movies, or ignoring the country’s human rights abuses, so be it.
All of the above makes watching “Ask No Questions” infuriating.
The documentary from directors Jason Loftus and Eric Pedicelli examines a critical event in modern Chinese history. In 2001, five members of Falun Gong set themselves on fire at Tiananmen Square, a devastating blow to the meditation practice’s reputation.
Did it really happen exactly as we were told, though? Were these actually members of a practice made illegal in China despite its peaceful mien?
The film suggests Chinese government officials staged the self-immolation, presenting a series of damning details that point to propaganda, not an actual event.
It gets worse.
CNN reporter Lisa Rose Weaver, on the scene during the self-immolation tragedy, questions the government narrative. The film also introduces us to a Chinese state TV insider, Chen Ruichang, who thinks he knows the truth behind the incident, and he refused to stay silent.
The Chinese resident shares how the government imprisoned and tortured him to make him submit to its wishes. It’s a peek at an authoritarian regime’s surreal approach to keeping its preferred narrative in line. It’s also a portrait of a man with an infinite supply of courage.
It’s impossible to watch “Ask No Questions” and think well of the Chinese government, above and beyond the other <a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/china-and-tibet">human rights abuses on its ledger.</a>
Could George Clooney view “Ask No Questions” and continue working on projects with Chinese connections? What about Ben Affleck or Chadwick Boseman? Can Hollywood’s biggest stars remain silent on China’s abuses – past, present, and future? Would basketball great LeBron James hit the floor wearing a jersey with Chen Ruichang’s name on it?
It all makes “Ask No Questions” an eye-opening experience for the viewer.
The film isn’t alone, of course, in depicting Chinese human rights abuses. The 2012 documentary “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry” captures the ongoing battle between the heroic Chinese artist and his home country.
Or one could watch “Human Harvest,” another project Loftus helped bring to theaters. The film explores China’s success in the human organ field, one powered by the inhumane practice of taking organs from healthy, living residents.
A personal note. This reporter <a href="https://justthenews.com/nation/free-speech/western-filmmaker-probes-chinese-propaganda-gets-taste-long-reach-regime-censors">interviewed Loftus</a> for a feature story at JustTheNews.com. Loftus shared how China punished him for making “Ask No Questions.”
During the conversation, the director explained how Chinese officials often neglect to tell people why they’ve been targeted by the government.
That’s a strategic move, he suggested. By keeping the offense a mystery, it forces people to self-censor more aggressively. If you’re not sure what triggered the government’s punishing response, you’ll avoid any number of actions to prevent it from happening again.
The same appears true of Big Tech’s censorship techniques in the U.S.
Social media users often wonder why their particular post caused them to be suspended from YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter.
It’s why PragerU still doesn’t know why some of its videos, featuring right-leaning but squeaky clean lessons, are <a href="https://www.prageru.com/playlist/restricted-by-youtube/">“restricted” by YouTube censors</a>. Or how often conservative comedian <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/conservative-comics-facebook-banning/">Steve “Mudflap” McGrew</a> gets thrown in Facebook jail without knowing exactly why.
Americans should watch “Ask No Questions” to get a better sense of China in the modern world. The film, and its backstory, double as a cautionary tale for what might happen in America … and what’s happening here right now.
A version of this article appears on <a href="http://HollywoodInToto.com">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Chinese flag

TOTO: ‘Ask No Questions’ Shows Horrors Of Communist China; Hollywood, LeBron James Should Take Notice

LeBron James

Some of the biggest names in comedy are rallying to Judy Gold’s side. Think Chris Rock, Rosie O’Donnell, Lewis Black, Kathy Griffin, Jon Stewart and Margaret Cho.
They’ve all given blurbs for Gold’s upcoming book, one with a title tied to the Cancel Culture zeitgeist.
“Yes, I Can Say That: When They Come for the Comedians, We Are All in Trouble” shares a welcome message for free speech supporters – from a rock-ribbed liberal, no less.
The aforementioned comics clearly cheer Gold on, both for her decades in show business and, more importantly, her vital message.
Consider:
&#8220;Judy Gold’s years of blazing free speech trails serve her well in this thoughtful funny book.&#8221; (Stewart )
“The fact that the world needs a book like Yes, I Can Say That is appalling. That the marvelous Judy Gold has written it is a gift.&#8221; (Black)
“Judy Gold warns us all what happens when they come for the comedians. She shows how urgent and critical it is that we, as comics, speak truth to power—before it&#8217;s too late. Yes, I Can Say That is funny and insightful—pure Judy!” (O&#8217;Donnell)
What do these comedians all have in common?
Yes, they’re all reliably progressive. Lewis is a <a href="https://www.dispatch.com/article/20160418/entertainment/304189804">self-described socialist</a>.
That’s not the connecting tissue that matters. Each has been virtually silent on free speech, Cancel Culture and a society in recent weeks, a time when simply sharing an opinion can get you fired or, in the case of New York Times writer Bari Weiss, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gadfly-bari-weiss-quits-new-york-times-savages-them-if-you-speak-your-mind-youll-be-hung-out-to-dry">bullied out of a gig</a>.
Let’s start with Stewart. The former “Daily Show” host has been mostly off the radar in recent years, toiling on feature films instead of his signature Comedy Central platform.
<div id="attachment_120563" style="width: 710px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-120563" class="wp-image-120563" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Stewart.jpg" alt="NEW YORK - JUNE 17: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest Jon Stewart during Monday's June 17, 2019 show." width="700" height="467" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/Stewart.jpg 594w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/Stewart-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images</div>
Yet he’s been making the press rounds for the last few weeks to promote “Irresistible,” his mostly fair and balanced satire starring Steve Carell and Rose Byrne as D.C. swamp creatures.
Surely Stewart could have spared a word or two about Cancel Culture, media groupthink and the pressure comics face to tell the “right” jokes. Heck, the best way to promote a film that’s ideologically neutral is for an avowed progressive like Stewart to rush to Conservative Nation’s defense.
Nothing doing.
If Stewart said anything like this, it’s been buried by the press. Instead, we watched as Stewart slammed the Trump administration and <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jon-stewart-why-joe-bidens-humility-makes-him-right-leader-us-1300362">reluctantly backed Joe Biden</a> during various interviews.
The most he could muster on the vitally important subject of free speech, alas, is a book blurb for a pal.
The same holds true for Black, Cho, Griffin and O’Donnell. They’ve been on the free speech sidelines while <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gervais-says-the-woke-mob-wants-to-shut-you-up">Ricky Gervais</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-adam-carolla-gets-raw-about-our-all-woke-no-joke-culture-friendship-with-jimmy-kimmel-truth-about-trump">Adam Carolla</a> do the heavy lifting.
Griffin’s Trump Derangement Syndrome can’t be measured by man-made instruments. Here’s part of her book plug:
&#8220;In this staunch defense of comedians, Judy skewers a corrupt administration that regards the First Amendment as a nuisance.”
Remember when Griffin ran to the rodeo cowboy’s defense when he got fired for poking fun at President Barack Obama?
No one can … because it never happened.
<div id="attachment_13409" style="width: 710px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13409" class="wp-image-13409" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/gettyimages-691580938-1024x683.jpg" alt="Kathy Griffin speaks during a press conference at The Bloom Firm on June 2, 2017 in Woodland Hills, California. Griffin is holding the press conference after a controversial photoshoot where she was holding a bloodied mask depicting President Donald Trump and to address alleged bullying by the Trump family. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)" width="700" height="467" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/09/gettyimages-691580938.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/09/gettyimages-691580938-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/09/gettyimages-691580938-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images</div>
Still, Griffin could side with those being canceled for saying the “wrong” thing. She’s lived that tale herself, thanks to her cruel, laugh-free image holding Trump’s severed head in grand ISIS style.
Why not take a page out of J.K. Rowling’s pristine playbook and become a warrior for free speech, not just a single Trump term?
She’d rather summon all of her courage for a single book blurb, apparently.
Rock may be the worst offender on the list. The revered comic is perfectly situated to speak out on Cancel Culture. He’s a legend in the field, and as a comic of color he has more gravitas than his white peers in the social justice universe.
Plus, he previously spoke out about why many comics don’t play colleges anymore. Students are too easily triggered.
Then again, Rock shared those views in 2014, a lifetime ago in cultural terms and an era when speaking back to the woke mob had few consequences.
Yet Rock is mum these days. Even worse? When fellow comic Jimmy Fallon got hammered for a 20 year old “blackface” sketch Rock didn’t rally to Fallon’s side.
Why would he? Well, Fallon was doing an impression of Rock and added face paint to complete the illusion. Surely Rock could have supported a peer and said something like, “yes, blackface is now off limits, but clearly Fallon meant the moment to poke fun at me in good humor.”
Instead, Rock stayed silent while Fallon groveled for forgiveness. Repeatedly.
Imagine the blow to Cancel Culture Rock could have struck with one sharp, sincere statement.
The Amazon page for Gold’s book indicates she’s targeting conservatives with her tome, but a recent interview with Adam Carolla suggests something else.
The Progressive Left, she told Carolla, bares the blame for <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/judy-gold-progressive-left-free-speech/">corrupting free speech</a>. We can also blame the progressive left, with but a few exceptions, for standing down when free speech needed a helping hand.
<div id="attachment_83304" style="width: 710px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-83304" class="wp-image-83304" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Jimmy-Fallon-965x576.jpg" alt="Jimmy Fallon arrives to the 2019 E! People's Choice Awards held at the Barker Hangar on November 10, 2019 -- NUP_188989 (Photo by: Amy Sussman/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank)" width="700" height="418" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/01/Jimmy-Fallon-965x576.jpg 965w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/01/Jimmy-Fallon-300x179.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/01/Jimmy-Fallon-768x458.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/01/Jimmy-Fallon.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />Amy Sussman/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images</div>
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-resistance-actor-channels-trump-swipes-at-halle-berry-for-caving-to-cancel-culture">‘Resistance’ Actor Channels Trump, Swipes At Halle Berry For Caving To Cancel Culture</a>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Chris Rock

TOTO: Jon Stewart, Chris Rock And Rosie Don’t Want You To Know They Hate Cancel Culture, Too

Jon Stewart

Kathy Griffin

Rosie O'Donnell

Michael Rapaport forged a career from slipping in and out of different people’s skins.
He’s played a Southern mobster on “<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/5-reasons-miss-justified-raylan-givens-fx-season-6/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Justified</a>,” a boorish man-child in “Beautiful Girls” and the father of an autistic teen in “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atypical" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Atypical</a>.”
His latest role? <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/23/sports/michael-rapaport-podcast.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Political pundit.</a>
The part isn’t always a snug fit. He’s been belligerent at times, doling out dubious hot takes on the latest headlines. For example, he celebrated Mother’s Day by <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/05/10/michael-rapaport-uses-mothers-day-to-attack-trump-family/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">savaging First Mother Melania Trump. </a>
He <a class="broken_link" href="https://www.newsweek.com/who-michael-rapaport-actor-slammed-ariana-grandes-appearance-1266057" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">critiqued Ariana Grande’s looks</a>, earning the ire of the Woke Police.
Rapaport is a loud and proud member of the Hollywood Resistance, slamming President Donald Trump at every possible turn.
<iframe title="Michael Rapaport Talks Trash On Trump, LeBron James &amp; Jay-Z&#039;s 4:44" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5lypbhnPGhU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This week, the actor took a page out of Trump’s playbook.
The president dedicated part of his <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/trump-cancel-culture-mt-rushmore-hollywood/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mt. Rushmore speech to Cancel Culture</a>, what he called a scourge on western culture. Part of Cancel Culture is making actors turn down roles that could otherwise go to marginalized groups, a vague explanation with considerable side effects.
For example, Scarlett Johansson accepted and then turned down the chance to play a trans character in the fact-based film <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/scarlett-johansson-casting-woke/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">“Rub and Tug.”</a> The superstar’s decision effectively sank the project.
More recently, Halle Berry flirted with a gig playing a trans character, but after Social Justice Warriors rose up on social media <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/halle-berry-apologizes-backs-out-of-transgender-role-after-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">she backpedaled.</a>
<blockquote>“As a cisgender woman, I now understand that I should not have considered this role and that the transgender community should undeniably have the opportunity to tell their own stories.”
“I am grateful for the guidance and critical conversation over the past few days and I will continue to listen, educate and learn from this mistake,” added Berry. “I vow to be an ally in using my voice to promote better representation on-screen, both in front of and behind the camera.”</blockquote>
Rapaport thinks she made the wrong decision, and he shared why on Twitter:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We need REAL GANGSTERS in MOB films. Real Boxers in Boxing films. 
Fuck Denzel,DeNiro &amp; all actor’s&#8230;. get real people to ACT in films. 
Dummies
— MichaelRapaport (@MichaelRapaport) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelRapaport/status/1280279693615230977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-shouldnt-hamilton-get-canceled-next">Shouldn’t ‘Hamilton’ Get Canceled Next?</a>
A version of this article appears on <a href="http://hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Halle Berry

‘Resistance’ Actor Channels Trump, Swipes At Halle Berry For Caving To Cancel Culture

Transgender

If you trust the corporate press you’d think Americans have all but given up on the whole patriotism thing.
Night after night we see rioters tear down statues, hear major news channels reduce the Founding Fathers to “slave owners” and watch pundits say it’s time to shake America like an Etch-A-Sketch and start anew. Mt. Rushmore? That’s the next statue to be toppled if <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nyt-lays-out-the-case-against-mount-rushmore-critics-remind-paper-of-its-own-problematic-past">The New York Times</a> has any say on the matter.
The media narrative couldn’t be more obvious, but is it real?
We’re seeing three examples from the pop culture world suggesting just the opposite.
Last week the military saga “The Outpost” hit VOD services. The film, co-starring Scott Eastwood (son of Clint), scored the top slot on iTunes’ American movie list. The film also gave its company, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Inc., its largest opening day in company history.
The film also snared the top spot on FandangoNow’s movie streaming service, topping “Trolls World Tour,” “The King of Staten Island” and Jon Stewart’s “Irresistible.”
Director Rod Lurie’s fact-based film, co-starring Orlando Bloom and Caleb Landry Jones, follows a small unit of U.S. soldiers battling a massive Taliban force in a coordinated assault.
The <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2020/05/21/watch-the-first-trailer-for-the-battle-of-kamdesh-film-the-outpost/">numbers from the Battle of Kamdesh are staggering</a> – “a 13-hour assault by nearly 400 Taliban forces on a detachment of only 50 American soldiers at Combat Outpost Keating.”
While Hollywood routinely cranks out films critical of the U.S. Military, particularly true during the Iraq War, “The Outpost” takes a different path. Like “American Sniper” before it, “The Outpost” treats soldiers with respect and honor. These aren’t oppressors or imperialists. They’re men and women fighting valiantly for their country.
The film even features three soldiers who fought in the battle in question, including Medal of Honor recipient Ty Carter (played by Jones in the film).
<iframe title="The Outpost Trailer #1 (2020) | Movieclips Trailers" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m2RebNGTqjM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The folks behind “The Outpost’s” press division didn’t downplay the film’s patriotic bona fides. It leaned into them.
“We are excited to release The Outpost and are very honored to bring this true story of American heroism and valor to U.S. audiences on the Fourth of July weekend,” David Fannon, president of Screen Media Ventures said in a press statement.
Hardly sounds like a must-watch movie for the Antifa crowd … or Don Lemon.
Another pro-America film is enjoying healthy returns over at Netflix.
“Patriots Day,” an underrated homage to the Americans who caught the Boston Marathon bombers, recently joined the streaming platform. It didn’t take long for it to jump to the number one title on the service.
Earlier today “Patriots Day” slumped to number five, a still-impressive showing for a four-year-old movie that hardly caused a commotion in theaters. The film’s weak box office tally &#8211; $33 million despite the combined star power of Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon and John Goodman.
And then there’s “Hamilton.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s blockbuster musical made its small screen debut July 3 on Disney Plus. Any attempt to portray the Founding Fathers as heroes could draw the PC Police to the scene. Right on cue, #CancelHamilton began trending on Twitter shortly after its debut.
The film adaptation of the Tony winner <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/hamilton-drives-disney-plus-app-122613753.html">still drew a crowd</a>, above and beyond the lavish press coverage afforded the event. The platform’s app got a 74 percent download boost over the weekend.
From Friday through Sunday, the Disney Plus app was downloaded 752,451 times globally, including 458,796 times in the U.S., according to analytics firm Apptopia.
Perhaps American consumers who watched “The Outpost,” “Patriots Day” or “Hamilton” came away with a better appreciation for their homeland … at least until a news outlet tells them differently.
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meet-the-few-the-proud-the-free-speech-heroes-of-hollywood">Meet The Few, The Proud, The Free Speech Heroes of Hollywood</a>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Scott Eastwood

TOTO: Pro-American Military Film ‘The Outpost’ Crushes The Competition

Military

Patriotism

Entertainers bow in near-unison to Cancel Culture dictates. We see it everywhere, from white actresses quitting voice roles for biracial characters to celebrities denouncing their white privilege in cringe-worthy videos.
When the most popular movie of all time, “Gone with the Wind,” got temporarily pulled from HBO Max, no prominent star spoke in its defense.
No Spielberg, Coppola or Tarantino rose up to say, “enough is enough.”
The atmosphere in La La Land couldn’t be more tense following the rise of Black Lives Matter and the fallout from George Floyd’s death at the hands of a white police officer. Stars probably fear a “problematic” tweet from their past, one long since forgotten, could resurface to wreck both their present and future.
Their concern is justified given the ferocity of the speech police, but it’s hardly the portrait of bravery we often hear from the glitterati, like when Charlize Theron <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/may/07/charlize-theron-is-being-called-brave-for-gaining-weight-for-a-role-heres-why-thats-a-problem">“bravely” gained weight</a> for a film role.
The following figures deserve to be called “brave” … and then some.
Terry Crews
The muscle-bound star of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Idiocracy” is no culture warrior. Or, at least he didn’t start out that way.
Crews simply got dragged into current events – twice. Following Harvey Weinstein’s precipitous downfall, Crews revealed a man had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-terry-crews-details-sickening-incident-when-paul-bois">sexually groped him</a> years earlier, and he finally felt comfortable speaking about it.
More recently, Crews dared to suggest BLM’s rhetoric may not be as unassailable as the press insists. The far-left group, he suggested, “<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/celebrity/terry-crews-slammed-suggesting-black-lives-matter-could-morph-black-n1232549">must ensure #blacklivesmatter doesn’t morph into #blacklivesbetter</a>.”
That caused a media firestorm, with most outlets presuming Crews had uttered classic “wrongthink.”
The former football star could have apologized and/or cut a large check to BLM to atone for his sins.
He did neither.
Instead, he correctly noted a frightening number of <a href="https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jul/6/terry-crews-declares-all-black-lives-matter-after-/">black children have died</a> in the wake of BLM’s ascendance. He also acknowledged the cultural forces lined up against him, and gently told them <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/terry-crews-doubles-down-on-desire-to-unite-people-despite-leftist-outrage-i-decide-to-die-on-this-hill">to pound sand</a>.
“Are all white people bad? No. Are all black people good? No. Knowing this reality – I stand on my decision to unite with good people, no matter the race, creed or ideology. Given the number of threats against this decision – I also decide to die on this hill.”
He offered nuance, positive thoughts and, most of all, didn’t immediately beg for forgiveness like 99 percent of his peers might have done.
<div id="attachment_125956" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-125956" class="wp-image-125956" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Terry-Crews-1024x576.jpg" alt="Terry Crews arrives for the 72nd Annual Directors Guild Of America Awards at The Ritz Carlton on January 25, 2020 in Los Angeles, California." width="800" height="450" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Terry-Crews-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Terry-Crews-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Terry-Crews-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Terry-Crews-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Terry-Crews-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Frazer Harrison/Getty Images</div>
J.K. Rowling
The mind behind the Harry Potter realm may be the toughest person on this list. Why? Cancel Culture, and the media, have done everything they can to punish her for speaking her mind.
Rowling is both an ardent liberal and full-throated supporter of trans individuals. Still, she stepped off the LGBTQ reservation when she spoke against <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/threats-to-cancel-j-k-rowling-grow-amid-transgender-controversy">erasing the concept of sex</a> and questioned elements of the far-left’s platform on trans issues.
For that she was assaulted in the press, mocked by peers like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stephen-king-swipes-jk-rowling-trans-women-are-women">Stephen King</a> and denounced by the very stars she made famous, including Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe.
This week she doubled down on her views via a lengthy series of Tweets. She’s not backing down, even after news outlets reach out to her publisher and film studio contacts to see if they’ll be canceling her officially next.
It’s a not too subtle pressure campaign, but so far it’s not working.
<div id="attachment_122840" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-122840" class="wp-image-122840" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/GettyImages-1061228896-818x576.jpg" alt="J.K Rowling attends the UK Premiere of &quot;Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald&quot; at Cineworld Leicester Square on November 13, 2018 in London, England." width="800" height="563" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/GettyImages-1061228896-818x576.jpg 818w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/GettyImages-1061228896-300x211.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/GettyImages-1061228896-768x541.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/GettyImages-1061228896.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images</div>
Adam Carolla
Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel bonded years ago and, by all accounts, remain the best of chums. Kimmel followed a more traditional path and found fame via “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Carolla, in turn, failed to duplicate Howard Stern’s radio fame and found himself out of a terrestrial radio gig in 2009 following a format flip.
Then Carolla channeled his inner entrepreneur.
He created “The Adam Carolla Show” podcast and blazed his own trail. In the process he created what he calls his “pirate ship,” a company immune to the PC Police or, later, Cancel Culture.
Only Carolla can fire himself.
The Libertarian-leaning comic essentially gave that crowd the finger via this summer’s “I’m Your Emotional Support Animal: Navigating Our All Woke, No Joke” culture. The hilarious book starts with a disclaimer-slash-promise. No apologizing for jokes. Ever.
Cancel Culture knows not to knock on his door.
<div id="attachment_118942" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-118942" class="wp-image-118942" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Adam-Carolla-959x576.jpg" alt="Adam Carolla performs onstage at the International Myeloma Foundation 13th Annual Comedy Celebration at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 17, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Araya Diaz/Getty Images for International Myeloma Foundation)" width="800" height="480" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/Adam-Carolla-959x576.jpg 959w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/Adam-Carolla-300x180.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/Adam-Carolla-768x461.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/06/Adam-Carolla.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Araya Diaz/Getty Images</div>
Ricky Gervais
The British comic’s take-no-prisoners approach isn’t new. He’s been slaying and flaying his targets for some time, but he’s grown bolder in recent years.
We all know why. He takes extra pleasure angering the PC scolds, and it’s infectious.
Earlier this year he torched woke Hollywood at the Golden Globes, and he’s regularly rejecting calls to censor his stand-up. He broke down why Cancel Culture exists and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gervais-says-the-woke-mob-wants-to-shut-you-up">its true purpose.</a> during an illuminating podcast chat.
He also refused to budge during a woke Hollywood Reporter roundtable most recently, when far-left comic Kumail Nunjani worried his comedy would <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/kumail-nanjiani-ricky-gervais-comedy-harmful-actor-roundtable-a9599156.html">embolden hate</a>.
<div id="attachment_77481" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-77481" class="wp-image-77481" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-08-at-6.31.52-PM-917x576.png" alt="n this handout photo provided by NBCUniversal Media, LLC, host Ricky Gervais speaks onstage during the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 5, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California." width="800" height="503" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-08-at-6.31.52-PM-917x576.png 917w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-08-at-6.31.52-PM-300x189.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-08-at-6.31.52-PM-768x483.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-08-at-6.31.52-PM.png 942w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal Media, LLC via Getty Images</div>
Anthony Cumia/Dave Landau 
The duo’s very existence on a platform Cumia created warrants their inclusion on this list. It doesn’t end there, though.
Cumia, repeatedly fired from terrestrial and satellite radio for his brash antics, finally had enough in 2014. He created his own “pirate ship,” to paraphrase Carolla, letting his fans directly access his material sans middle men on what he later dubbed Compound Media.
The result? The kind of unexpurgated comedy that once was the norm. Anything goes, with Cumia and Landau embracing the notion that jokes are just that – jokes. The duo treats “The Anthony Cumia Show” like a comedy workshop, riffing through ideas that are often as funny as they are tasteless.
Don’t like that brand of humor? No one is forcing you to sign up. Ain’t that America?
Their uncensored commentary on the relentless riots, in particularly, offer a tonic to those aghast at the corporate media’s gaslighting on the matter.
<div id="attachment_126589" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-126589" class="wp-image-126589" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Anthony-Cumia.jpg" alt="Anthony Cumia at Carolines On Broadway on April 17, 2014 in New York City." width="800" height="495" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Anthony-Cumia.jpg 926w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Anthony-Cumia-300x186.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Anthony-Cumia-768x475.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Cindy Ord/Stringer/Getty Images</div>
Dean Cain
The erstwhile Superman uses social media to share uplifting messages, chat with fans and, occasionally, share his right-of-center views.
He did more than that recently. During a Fox News appearance Cain slammed Cancel Culture and worried he wouldn’t be able to say, “Truth, justice and the American way” if he played the Man of Steel now.
He’s right, of course. The 2006 film “Superman Returns” <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/dean-cain-superman-american-way/">stripped “American way” out of that iconic phrase 14 years ago.</a>
Honorable Mention: Actors Nick Searcy and James Woods routinely stand up to the PC police no matter the cultural conditions.
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-shouldnt-hamilton-get-canceled-next">Shouldn’t ‘Hamilton’ Get Canceled Next?</a>
<div id="attachment_126591" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-126591" class="wp-image-126591" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Dean-Cain-965x576.jpg" alt="Executive producer Dean Cain attends the premiere of 'Architects Of Denial' at Taglyan Complex on October 3, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tara Ziemba/Getty Images)" width="800" height="477" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Dean-Cain-965x576.jpg 965w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Dean-Cain-300x179.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Dean-Cain-768x458.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Dean-Cain.jpg 1002w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Tara Ziemba/Getty Images</div>

Terry Crews

Meet The Few, The Proud, The Free Speech Heroes of Hollywood

Free Speech

JK Rowling

Ricky Gervais

Few would deny the modern “Star Trek” universe is hopelessly woke.
The team pulling the “Star Trek” strings today <a href="https://www.startrek.com/videos/we-support-black-lives-matter">quickly bowed down to Black Lives Matter</a>. That’s above and beyond the new “Trek’s” overt progressive agenda, from re-imagining Sulu as a gay man to episodes appealing to social justice scolds.
As <a href="https://decider.com/2018/02/22/star-trek-discovery-is-woke-af/">Decider</a> puts it, &#8220;Discovery has a lot to say about The Way We Live Now. It’s the most on-message TV show this side of Black-ish or Broad City. They might as well call it Star Trek: The Woke Generation.&#8221;
Sir Patrick Stewart, Mr. “Make It So” himself, described his “Picard” series as a response to both <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/patrick-stewart-star-trek-picard-a-response-to-the-fed-world-of-brexit-trump">President Donald Trump’s existence and Brexit.</a>
Most cultural observers say the original “Star Trek” series was uniformly progressive, too. They have many solid points, from episodes about race relations to the concept of a UN-style body “boldly going where no man had gone before.” (That patriarchal phrase got the heave ho in recent years.)
The series famously featured TV’s first interracial kiss between William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols. That’s real progress, the opposite of virtue signaling.
It’s comical that “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a multi-race crew living in harmony suddenly clashes with the modern Left’s identity politics.
Still, the show’s progressive roots are considered canon … like furry Tribbles and Montgomery Scott’s dramatic time estimates.
Look closer.
A number of classic “Trek” episodes spotlight conservative themes and concepts above and beyond ‘60s era platitudes. In fact, some of the stories wouldn’t pass muster today if a “Trek” scribe sent them to the powers that be for approval.
1. “Charlie X” (Ep. 2, Season 1)
What happens when a young man (Robert Walker), dizzy from hormones and zero family ties, can literally make anything he wishes a reality? His emotions take over, with disaster and death the natural byproduct.
Enter Captain James T. Kirk (Shatner), the Alpha Male figure poor Charlie needs.
Kirk can’t fully control Charlie, but he commands the lad’s respect and buys the crew time to deal with his god-like powers. The unchecked Charlie has no one to explain life to him, let alone place vital boundaries in his path. Without a father figure he revolts, not unlike what we’re seeing nationwide as the spoiled children who make up the Antifa crowd drag statues to the ground.
Kirk’s uber-masculine guidance can’t prevent a sad ending for Charlie, but the captain ensures no more Starfleet personnel will die by Charlie’s hands.
<div id="attachment_125965" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-125965" class="wp-image-125965" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Charlie-X-1-884x576.jpg" alt="Robert Walker Jr. as Charlie Evans and William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk in the STAR TREK episode, &quot;Charlie X.&quot; Season 1, episode, 2. Original air date September 15, 1966. Image is a screen grab. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)" width="800" height="521" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Charlie-X-1-884x576.jpg 884w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Charlie-X-1-300x195.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Charlie-X-1-768x500.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Charlie-X-1.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />CBS via Getty Images</div>
2. “The City on the Edge of Forever” (Ep. 28, Season 1)
Kirk falls in love, hard, during this time travel episode considered the series’ zenith. His crush is a budding pacifist (Joan Collins) who delays the U.S. from entering the second World War after Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) saves her from a life-threatening accident.
Now, Kirk and Spock must make sure that doesn’t happen again … or the Germans will develop the atomic bomb first and change the course of history.
“Star Trek’s” level-headed approach to war, when to wage it and under what terms, can be both admirable and deeply conservative.
<div id="attachment_125964" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-125964" class="wp-image-125964" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/City-on-the-Edge-of-Forever-1-986x576.jpg" alt="Star Trek, The Original Series, episode &quot;The City on the Edge of Forever&quot; first broadcast on April 6, 1967. From left, Joan Collins (as Edith Keeler) and William Shatner (as Captain James T. Kirk) in year 1930. Image is a screen grab. (CBS via Getty Images)" width="800" height="467" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/City-on-the-Edge-of-Forever-1-986x576.jpg 986w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/City-on-the-Edge-of-Forever-1-300x175.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/City-on-the-Edge-of-Forever-1-768x449.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/City-on-the-Edge-of-Forever-1.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />CBS via Getty Images</div>
3. “Balance of Terror” (Ep. 14, Season 1)
Spock is no war monger, but he takes a neo-con-like stand in this tense episode. Some enemies, like the Romulans threatening war along the Neutral Zone, cannot be talked out of combat. They must be defeated at all costs.
A battle between two shrewd captains ensues, leaving just enough time for a lecture on bigotry. The takeaway? Sometimes a good offense is the best defense.
4. “Space Seed” (Ep. 22, Season 1)
The episode that set the stage for “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” introduced us to a swaggering, super-human Ricardo Montalban. The episode has aged as well as the 1982 film, but a deeper look into the story reveals something else.
Khan represented a misguided attempt to perfect humanity, granting some with extra strength and intelligence. Khan and his ilk felt they knew better than everyone else, and therefore must lead by any means necessary. One wonders what Fidel Castro thought of this episode… Another problematic element for a feminist audience: the female lead (Madlyn Rhue) initially finds herself swept away by Khan&#8217;s masculine appeal.
<div id="attachment_125960" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-125960" class="wp-image-125960" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Khan-945x576.jpg" alt="Madlyn Rhue as Lt. Maria McGivers (the ship's historian), Ricardo Montalban as Khan Noonien Singh (a genetically engineered human from the 20th century) and William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode, &quot;Space Seed.&quot; Original air date February 16, 1967. Image is a frame grab. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)" width="800" height="488" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Khan-945x576.jpg 945w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Khan-300x183.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Khan-768x468.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Khan.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />CBS via Getty Images</div>
5. “The Enemy Within” (Ep. 5, Season 1)
Modern progressives would recoil at the core of this potboiler. Kirk is split into two distinct selves, a calm, compassionate soul and a raging Id. The latter causes chaos on the ship, including a tough to watch assault on Yeoman Rand (Grace Lee Whitney). Still, we learn that Kirk isn’t the strong, capable leader we’ve come to know without a dose of “toxic masculinity.”
Removing that element would cripple the Enterprise and turn Kirk into just another, lesser captain.
<div id="attachment_125966" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-125966" class="wp-image-125966" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Kirk-852x576.jpg" alt="William Shatner, as split versions of Captain James T. Kirk in STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES episode, &quot;The Enemy Within.&quot; Season 1, episode 5. He is seen here as the good self, (approaching at left), and the evil version (lying down, in sick bay). Original air date is October 6, 1966. Image is a screen grab. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)" width="800" height="541" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Kirk-852x576.jpg 852w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Kirk-300x203.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Kirk-768x519.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Kirk.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />CBS via Getty Images</div>
6. “Dagger of the Mind” (Ep. 9, Season 1)
The unmissable message of this anti-progressive episode: “Curing” mankind of our sinful behavior and errant thoughts through science and forced rehabilitation is not just futile. It’s inhumane.
7. “Mudd’s Women” (Ep. 6, Season 1)
Gloria Steinem must loathe this episode.
Women want to feel beautiful, or at least have a man who views them that way.  The cartoonish Harry Mudd (Roger C. Carmel) knows this all too well, and he exploits it to keep himself one step ahead of the law.
The episode assumes distinct gender roles in male-female relationships while acknowledging how men’s visual senses can be overloaded by beauty and grace. And, shockingly, that isn’t deemed disastrous by the episode’s ending.
Speaking of gender themes, another classic episode the title of which alone would get it canceled by today&#8217;s politically correct crowd: &#8220;What Little Girls Are Made Of&#8221; (Ep. 7, Season 1).
<div id="attachment_125967" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-125967" class="wp-image-125967" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/What-Are-Little-Girls-Made-Of-850x576.jpg" alt="Michael Strong as Dr. Roger Korby, Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel, Sherry Jackson as Andrea and William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk in the STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES episode, &quot;What Are Little Girls Made Of?&quot; Season 1, episode 7. Original air date, October 20, 1966. Image is a frame grab. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)" width="800" height="542" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/What-Are-Little-Girls-Made-Of-850x576.jpg 850w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/What-Are-Little-Girls-Made-Of-300x203.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/What-Are-Little-Girls-Made-Of-768x521.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/What-Are-Little-Girls-Made-Of.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />CBS via Getty Images</div>
8. “The Return of the Archons” (Ep. 21, Season 1)
The first of several “Trek” tales where people are considered part of one “body” — a la the Borg — and stripped of their individuality to create a more harmonious society. Kirk talks the machinery behind this “perfect order” into destroying itself, reminding it why free will matters.
It’s a similar story with “The Apple” (Ep. 5. Season 2). Once again Kirk realizes the folly of living in an Edenic state and wrecks the gadgetry that makes it all possible.
9. “Arena” (Ep. 18, Season 1)
Kirk must battle a lizard creature with great strength and lousy mobility in this essential “Trek” tale. The Kirk/Gorn battle is epic by “Trek” standards, but the intriguing element arrives when we learn why Gorn’s comrades attacked Kirk’s landing team. Starfleet encroached on their territory, and they viewed the incursion as an unprovoked attack.
The un-woke lesson: People have a right to defend their territory, be it via a man-made wall or military means.
<div id="attachment_125968" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-125968" class="wp-image-125968" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Arena-768x576.jpg" alt=" STAR TREK William Shatner as James T. Kirk fighting the Gorn in &quot;Arena&quot;. Original air date January 19, 1967, season 1, episode 19. Image is a screen grab. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)" width="800" height="600" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Arena-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Arena-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Arena.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />CBS via Getty Images</div>
10. “Amok Time” (Ep. 1, Season 2)
It’s mating season for Leonard Nimoy’s pointy-eared hero, Mr. Spock, and it couldn’t come at a worse time for Kirk and company.
It leads to a wild fight between the show’s main players, after which Spock echoes a philosophy with a whiff of social conservatism.
&#8220;Having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting,” Spock notes.
11. “This Side of Paradise” (Ep. 24, Season 1)
Kirk and the landing party encounter a settlement teeming with contentment. There’s a catch, of course. Their bliss is provided by alien spores which keep them healthy and devoid of negative emotions.
It’s utopia — and it’s antithetical to the human condition. The society’s leader learns that the hard way after waking from his spore-driven stupor.
“Three years, no accomplishments,” he mutters.
The episode’s portrait of a biologist (Jill Ireland) who just isn’t complete without Spock by her side might drive feminists up a wall. Let’s not forget the drab, gray uniforms the settlers where, right out of the Communist Gift Guide.
Later, Kirk muses on the trouble with so-called paradise.
“Maybe we weren’t meant for paradise. Maybe we were meant to fight our way through, struggle, claw our way up, scratch for every inch of the way. Maybe we can’t stroll to the music of the lute. We must march to the sound of drums.”
Not a bad definition of capitalism.
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-shut-up-the-celebrities-said-hoping-the-pc-police-would-spare-them">‘Shut Up,’ The Celebrities Said (Hoping The PC Police Would Spare Them)</a>

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek’s Stealth Conservatism: 11 Classic Episodes The Woke Crowd Would Cancel Today

Capitalism

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William Shatner

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