The Hollywood Resistance wasn’t ready for its close-up following the 2024 presidential election.
We didn’t even see starlets donning hats resembling a certain female body part. Trade publications like <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/news/hollywood-fears-trump-president-devastating-1236209319/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Variety</a> and <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/hollywood-trump-resistance-the-sequel-1236076420/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hollywood Reporter</a> fretted that we might not endure a repeat of Hollywood’s posturing during the first Trump term.
Remember the first Trump term? Death wishes. Clunky documentaries. Comedy shows throwing satire to the side to smite the 45th president. And one ISIS-style photography shoot which pummeled a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/election-night-kathy-griffin-retweets-infamous-pic-of-her-with-trumps-severed-head" target="_blank" rel="noopener">D-list star’s career.</a>
Those fears have melted away in President Trump’s first 100 days in office. The Resistance is back and the worst is (likely) yet to come.
Late-night TV never stopped attacking President Trump. Most programs would consider President Joe Biden and his gaffe-tastic Vice President Kamala Harris fodder during the leader’s one term in office.
The jokes could write themselves. Instead, Colbert and co. pretended as if Trump had never left the Oval Office.
<div id="attachment_825621" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-825621" class="size-large wp-image-825621" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2182289102-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK CITY - OCTOBER 17: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest during Thursday's October 17, 2024 show. (Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2182289102-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2182289102-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2182289102-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2182289102.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images</div>
ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel greeted Trump’s re-election with literal tears, and it’s been the same ol’, same ol’ ever since. He referred to Trump administration officials as “animals” in an <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/jimmy-kimmel-trump-late-night-future-interview-1235315906/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unhinged Rolling Stone interview</a>. He also described his comedy platform as a place liberals can go to “scream” in Trump 2.0.
NBC’s Seth Meyers is openly advising the Democrats on how to win back the general public, <a href="https://x.com/alexchristy17/status/1917210840106680431" target="_blank" rel="noopener">throwing caution</a> (and comedy) to the wind:
<blockquote>Now is not the time to nitpick the messaging of other Democrats. Instead of critiquing someone else&#8217;s message, go out there and do your own thing and give voters the choice they were deprived of this last election. Take a cue from the ones who are actually going out there doing [bleep] and getting attention for it.</blockquote>
Amber Ruffin no longer has a late-night show to call her own. So she talked herself out of a gig hosting the White House Correspondents’ Association gala by <a href="https://variety.com/2025/politics/news/whca-drops-amber-ruffin-performance-dinner-1236351795/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sharing what she planned to say</a> on the dais. 
When asked if she would hit both sides of the political aisle, she said doing so would make Team Trump “feel like human beings … ‘cause they’re not.”
“Saturday Night Live” continues to hammer all things Trump while aggressively ignoring Democratic blunders, from throwing support to alleged gang members to goofy stunts like Sen. Cory Booker’s 25-hour filibuster.
<div id="attachment_914075" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-914075" class="size-large wp-image-914075" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209610052-864x576.jpg" alt="SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE -- Episode 1881 -- Pictured: (l-r) Special guest Beck Bennett as Vladimir Putin and James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump during the &quot;White Lotus&quot; sketch on Saturday, April 12, 2025 -- (Photo by: Holland Rainwater/NBC via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209610052-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209610052-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209610052-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209610052.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Holland Rainwater/NBC via Getty Images</div>
Comedian Bill Burr isn’t a political stand-up, but in recent years he’s called out both sides as he sees fit. Now, Burr is targeting Elon Musk, Trump’s right hand DOGE man across multiple platforms. Burr has blasted Musk as a Nazi and raged against billionaires, part of a new Democratic talking point that ignores their deep Soros family ties.
Other stars keep spreading fake Trump stories without fear of repercussion. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/01/amber-ruffin-comedian-white-house-correspondents-dinner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Both Ruffin</a> and “Hacks” star <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/hannah-einbinder-israel-massacre-palestinians-hrc-1236170941/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hannah Einbinder</a> pushed the “very fine people” hoax against Trump in recent weeks, earning zero pushback from Legacy Media outlets or so-called fact checkers.
Celebrities may seem a little less vocal in their anti-Trump posturing for one sober reason. Some decamped from X to Bluesky, the platform of choice for the modern Leftist. Now, when stars like “Two and a Half Men” alum Jon Cryer rage against Trump few people actually hear it.
That’s probably why some liberal stars like Stephen King left X only to come back to it weeks later. They were tired of screaming into the void, apparently.
Others use every available podium to decry President Trump.
Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar (“Bad Education”) used his speech at the 50th annual Chaplin award gala earlier this month to says Trump will, “<a href="https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2025/04/29/spanish-filmmaker-pedro-almodovar-trump-will-go-down-in-history-as-the-greatest-mistake-of-our-time/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Go down in history as the greatest mistake of our time.”</a> Director Steven Soderberg (“Black Bag”) only called the president a <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/entertainment/director-of-che-guevara-biopic-worries-trump-popularity-proves-audiences-have-been-rooting-for-movie-bad-guys-all-along/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“villain”</a> by comparison during a press opportunity.
It’s still a sin in Hollywood to treat President Trump as normal, let alone human. Comedian Bill Maher, one of the president’s loudest critics, made more enemies on the Left by breaking bread with the Commander-in-Chief.
Maher hasn’t pulled any punches since the sit down, but he also saw Trump as, gasp, human and said as much. That was too much for fellow comedian Larry David. The “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star’s New York Times op-ed calling both <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/larry-david-whines-about-bill-maher-giving-donald-trump-a-chance-with-trite-hitler-comparison" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump and Maher Nazis</a> spoke for many of the industry’s dwellers.
<div id="attachment_914179" style="width: 825px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-914179" class="size-large wp-image-914179" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-30-Apr-2025-01-51-PM-1677-815x576.jpg" alt="Credit: Randy Holmes/BILL MAHER. Steve Granitz/FilmMagic/Larry David." width="815" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-30-Apr-2025-01-51-PM-1677-815x576.jpg 815w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-30-Apr-2025-01-51-PM-1677-300x212.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-30-Apr-2025-01-51-PM-1677-768x543.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-30-Apr-2025-01-51-PM-1677-1536x1086.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-30-Apr-2025-01-51-PM-1677-2048x1448.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 815px) 100vw, 815px" />Credit: Randy Holmes/BILL MAHER. Steve Granitz/FilmMagic/Larry David.</div>
Some celebrities insist President Trump will either lock them up or prevent them from returning to America. Rocker Neil Young, who famously tried to get Joe Rogan fired from Spotify during the pandemic, openly worries he won&#8217;t be able to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/apr/02/neil-young-fears-us-ban-donald-trump-criticism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tour the U.S</a>. if he temporarily leaves the country during Trump 2.0.
Stand-up comic Nikki Glaser, who rarely gets political, <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/24/entertainment/nikki-glaser-worried-that-she-could-not-be-let-back-into-the-country-for-trump-jokes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared a similar fear</a>.
Others, like Patti LuPone, embrace big-picture worries, like <a href="https://variety.com/2025/legit/news/george-clooney-patti-lupone-surviving-trump-broadway-pay-1236374131/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">America won’t survive</a> a second Trump term.
What’s missing? Overtly anti-Trump project announcements. They may be in the works, but we’ve yet to hear of any major film or TV show dedicated to tackling Trump.
Screenwriters may work around the edges as part of their Resistance sequel. Take “Mountainhead,” a new satire from the creator of “Succession.” The Max original film, debuting May 31, follows four billionaires on vacation as they react to a global crisis from their posh retreat.
Will the movie be a “Smash the Oligarchy” event targeting the Elon Musks of the world? Perhaps. The film’s rush from production — which began in March — to release date teases just that.
Hollywood has nearly four more years to lash out at President Trump in all manner of forms. Chances are we’ll see new films or TV show tackling the 47th president directly. And, if past is prologue, the eye rolling will be epic.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Saturday Night Live – Season 50

Hollywood Reacts To 100 Days Of Trump

actors

Bill Maher

comedian

Donald Trump

Hollywood

Jimmy Kimmel

Larry David

President Trump

Stephen Colbert

Television

Trump Administration

Help us, George Clooney … you’re our only hope!”
No one actually shared that plea with the Oscar-winner, but he’s been assuming someone did for a while. Over the course of four decades, the 63-year-old went from the mulleted handyman on “The Facts of Life” to an award-winning actor, director and film producer.
Clooney has every right and intention of using his celebrity gravitas. That’s despite the 2024 election proving voters no longer hold stars in high regard. At least at the ballot box.
Plenty of people listened to Clooney last summer, a time when his unofficial Save America tour kicked off. He took to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/10/opinion/joe-biden-democratic-nominee.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the pages</a> of The New York Times to call for President Joe Biden to end his rematch against President Donald Trump.
Clooney’s Op/Ed, and his choice of platform, rocked the Democratic establishment. Clooney shared how the Biden he once knew was no more, and that it was time for a younger Democrat to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/george-clooney-joins-chorus-of-stars-telling-biden-its-time-to-drop-out-of-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">take the fight to Trump</a>.
<blockquote>It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal‘ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.</blockquote>
Breaking News from 2021, right? Except it came on the heels of Biden’s disastrous June 27 presidential debate and endless videos revealing the leader’s rickety health.
When Biden eventually stepped aside ( maybe pushed?), Clooney looked like a Democratic soothsayer.
As a result, the star’s ego grew three sizes. and we’re now getting a good dose of it  during Clooney’s “Good Night, and Good Luck” press tour.
<div id="attachment_912251" style="width: 933px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-912251" class="size-large wp-image-912251" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2198172314-923x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 6: Signage during a press event announcing the cast of the play based on the 2005 film &quot;Good Night, And Good Luck&quot; on Broadway at The Wintergarden Theatre on February 6, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/WireImage)" width="923" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2198172314-923x576.jpg 923w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2198172314-300x187.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2198172314-768x479.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2198172314.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 923px) 100vw, 923px" />Bruce Glikas/WireImage</div>
The actor <a href="https://playbill.com/production/good-night-and-good-luck-broadway-winter-garden-theatre-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brought</a> his 2005 film of the same name to the Great White Way earlier this month. His never-ending publicity for the show, along with the production itself, has given Clooney even more opportunities to lecture reg’lar Americans on The Way Things Ought to Be.
Let’s start with the show, a love letter to journalist Edward R. Murrow during his ‘50s-era battles with Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Their clashes mattered then, and now, and the play (and film) justly honor that.
Except Clooney backloads the production with a clip brigade that touches on everything from the silly to the surreal. It’s meant to remind us why the Fourth Estate matters, even though the clips include video of Elon Musk raising his arm in a manner that some of the far-Left dubbed Nazi-adjacent.
A real journalist wouldn’t suggest the billionaire’s awkward gesture was anything but an awkward hand gesture. Nor would he use that clip as an example of something noteworthy in modern times.
A better example? A shot of a burning Tesla?
<div id="attachment_912255" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-912255" class="size-large wp-image-912255" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2208439058-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 03: George Clooney celebrates on stage with cast during curtain call for &quot;Good Night, And Good Luck&quot; Broadway Opening Night at Winter Garden Theatre on April 03, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Valerie Terranova/WireImage)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2208439058-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2208439058-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2208439058-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2208439058.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Valerie Terranova/WireImage</div>
Clooney has used every media interview to remind us why journalism matters now – more than ever – in the era of Trump.
Here he is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQOvlx8g7fo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">genuflecting</a> to the Fourth Estate:
<blockquote>It’s a subject matter that is very close to our hearts, which is what [the press] does. Telling the truth and holding truth to power. It’s a play we’re very excited to do.</blockquote>
He wagged his perfectly manicured finger at us anew during a chat with CBS about the Broadway show. Once again, he <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/george-clooney-broadway-journalism-60-minutes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defended modern journalists:</a>
<blockquote>Governments don&#8217;t like the freedom of the press. They never have,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And that goes for whether you are a conservative or a liberal or whatever side you&#8217;re on. They don&#8217;t like the press.</blockquote>
<a href="https://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/alex-christy/2025/02/19/clooney-colbert-urge-journalists-stand-right-side-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He played the same note</a> during a chat with the far-Left “Late Show” on CBS:
<blockquote>We have had this issue where power, kind of, hates the fourth estate. They hate journalism and my father’s an anchorman and news man and we’ve always believed in the idea of when the other three estates: the judiciary branch and the executive branch, when they all fail you, you need that fourth estate, right.</blockquote>
<div id="attachment_912281" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-912281" class="size-large wp-image-912281" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-25-Apr-2025-11-21-AM-3980-1024x576.jpg" alt="Screenshot: YouTube/The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. George Clooney." width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-25-Apr-2025-11-21-AM-3980-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-25-Apr-2025-11-21-AM-3980-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-25-Apr-2025-11-21-AM-3980-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-25-Apr-2025-11-21-AM-3980-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-25-Apr-2025-11-21-AM-3980-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Screenshot: YouTube/The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. George Clooney.</div>
He’s right. So where was it during the last four years? Not only did brave, truth-telling journalists ignore President Biden’s mental decline, some actively covered it up. Remember the brief “cheap fakes” era of media damage control?
Biden’s mental decline was like his son’s missing laptop. Nothing to see here. Move along.
That’s journalism at its worst, and Clooney was part of that cover-up. Clooney palled around with President Biden during a June 2024 fundraiser, something he alluded to in that New York Times open letter. He saw Biden’s sorry state and said nothing for weeks until Biden’s poll numbers sank too low to ignore.
Is that what the son of a truth-telling journalist would do? Of course not.
Yet here he was thumping his chest about his play, the state of modern journalism, and his role in boosting both as if he had done nothing wrong.
It took a member of the “new media” to set Clooney straight about his cover-up.
“That’s not journalism, George. That’s cowardice, followed by naked partisanship,” said Megyn Kelly on her self-titled <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eD8glSeIKs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">podcast</a> about his actions.
Clooney remains both handsome and charismatic, and he effortlessly embraced his first major role on Broadway. That’s not easy. He might try putting his partisan blinders on the shelf the next time he waxes philosophical on journalism.
We’ve seen the very worst of it over the past decade, and any attempt to suggest otherwise is just theater.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

George Clooney Announces The Complete Broadway Cast Of “Good Night, And Good Luck”

Exit Stage Left: The Ego And Amnesia Of George Clooney

Broadway

Democrats

Entertainment

George Clooney

Leftists

Legacy Media

Media Bias

Theater

To be true to yourself and stand firm on your values takes courage. I would argue that this is especially true if your values are more based in nature — and even more so the case in the world of Hollywood.
When actors and actresses rise through the ranks of Hollywood, they often conform to the woke social and political image that Hollywood has not only deemed worthy but also silently required of celebrity status. Typically, if an actor’s beliefs aren’t aligned with Hollywood’s, they’ll either be cast out of that world or not even get a starting chance to climb the ranks. But a new actor rising to stardom is defying that preset narrative. Gabriel Basso upleveled to celebrity status after starring in the hit Netflix show “The Night Agent,” and during the 2024 election, he proved he’s not going to be a carbon copy of every other celebrity in the industry.
<div id="attachment_905181" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-905181" class="size-large wp-image-905181" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2195095897-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 13: (L-R) Noah Centineo and Gabriel Basso attends The Recruit and The Night Agent Photo Call at The Plaza on January 13, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Netflix)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2195095897-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2195095897-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2195095897-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2195095897.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Netflix</div>
Basso played JD Vance in the 2020 film “Hillbilly Elegy,” based on the book Vance wrote about his upbringing in rural Appalachia. The film was nominated for two Oscars, but this was before Vance ran as vice president. When Trump announced Vance as his running mate, everyone in Hollywood expected Basso to denounce having played Vance — but he didn’t. In fact, he <a href="https://ew.com/gabriel-basso-says-it-was-weird-to-play-cool-dude-jd-vance-8778261" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> him a “cool dude” in <a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/gabriel-basso-night-agent-season-2-jd-vance-quitting-acting-1236277805/">an interview</a> with Variety after the second season of “The Night Agent” was released. Variety <a href="https://www.instagram.com/variety/p/DFGX53lvVzg/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Instagram that in their feature, “Basso opens up about starring in ‘The Night Agent,’ why he&#8217;s ‘not really a political person’ and playing JD Vance in 2020&#8217;s ‘Hillbilly Elegy.’”
Now, anytime someone says they are not political or don’t care to delve into politics, you can expect a large swath of people to swarm. Sure enough, the comments on Variety’s post proved as much, with some claiming privilege to be the key indicator as to why Basso doesn’t want to discuss politics. But connecting Basso to privilege is incredibly ironic because, as he makes quite clear in all his interviews, he intentionally avoids a privileged lifestyle. Variety writes of Basso:
<blockquote>There’s something fundamentally paleo about Basso, from his out-of-another-era firm handshake to his not carrying a cellphone. (His publicist and I text one another to triangulate his location as he arrives.) “I’m a medieval peasant,” he says. “I reject what I see in society. If a guy was to come into my village and peddle these black mirrors that everyone stares into all day, I’m trying to get this guy out of my village.”</blockquote>
Variety paints Basso as a very different kind of guy, honing in on what they seem to view as out-of-fashion characteristics. The interview reads as though a firm handshake is of a past time and maintaining eye contact is bizarrely uncommon. But these are just basic manners — a few of the exact ones my dad taught me growing up — yet Variety repeatedly mentions Basso’s eye contact and makes him seem like he’s some kind of anomaly.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-comments-section-with-reagan-conrad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Comments Section with Reagan Conrad</a></h3>
What is anomalous is Basso’s commentary; he’s saying what no other actor is saying. Take, for example, the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubf19RcB8yw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> he did with Good Morning America earlier this year. In it, Lara Spencer praised “The Night Agent” as an amazing, addictive show, drawing in staggering numbers of viewers. 
Then, she asked Basso, “What do you think it is about your character, Peter, and the premise of the show that has caught on like this?” 
And Basso responded, “An inherent distrust for government.” 
An audible gasp ripped through the studio. That’s certainly not a statement you hear out of Hollywood, but it’s definitely a statement we all can relate to. With answers like that, he maintains a public-facing apolitical presence. While I don’t actually think he is apolitical, I do know he despises when actors talk as though they are experts in the political field, which he has made clear in other interviews. When Jamie Laing of Great Company <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/great-company-with-jamie-laing/id1735702250" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> Basso about his fame, he said:
<blockquote>I don’t believe that actors should be famous. We’re saying words that we’re told to say, we’re told how to say them, we’re told where to stand, and then we’re telling people how to vote? You should be quiet, you should do your job, you should be a jester, entertain people, then shut the f*** up. You know, we’re the court jesters. We’re there to perform a job, to entertain, and then all the sudden the jester, because he’s in the court room starts to be like, ‘I might want to go sit on the throne.’</blockquote>
He acknowledges the role of an actor and follows that up by acknowledging what evolves with celebrity status: The court jesters suddenly have the power of a king, and that shouldn’t be the case. He’s kept this same energy going on social media, like when he called out Instagram on his story for offering “overpaid actors” ways to “farm” their “audience for money” to then “morally lecture them about donating to causes that you are told to care about.” Then, he told people to buy seeds, chickens, or absolutely anything else. Last week, he deleted his Instagram entirely, a move he made in the middle of the most fame he’s ever experienced in his life.
<div id="attachment_905169" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-905169" class="size-large wp-image-905169" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2193411076-864x576.jpg" alt="THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON -- Episode 2078 -- Pictured: (l-r) Actor Gabriel Basso during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday, January 14, 2025 -- (Photo by: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2193411076-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2193411076-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2193411076-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2193411076.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images</div>
When he went on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@fallontonight/video/7460168448124095790?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Late Night</a>, he couldn’t have seemed less unimpressed by the fact he was sitting in the chair next to Jimmy Fallon. Fallon asked him about doing his own stunts, giving Basso a perfect opportunity to talk openly about his talents. (Let’s be real: It’s objectively cool he doesn’t have a stunt double.) Instead, Basso turned the answer to be about the audience, saying, “I enjoy acting. I don’t like lying. There’s just a difference. And for the sake of audience immersion, for the sake of believability, they like Peter, to watch him take hits, is important.” It’s a simple premise, but it caught Fallon totally off guard. That’s obviously not the kind of answer he’s used to getting from the seat reserved for actors who normally take every opportunity to boast about themselves. But that’s clearly not what Basso’s about. Much of the art of acting is being able to pretend and to deceive, and Basso likes acting, but he doesn’t want to lie if he doesn’t have to. It’s such a refreshing take.
Even though “The Night Agent” soared to number one on Netflix, Basso still thinks it’s important to have a day job. He shared with the hosts of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05XkWKJKoVw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This Morning</a> that he has his DSWA walling license (as in, drystack walls) because he thinks “actors are insulated from reality in a lot of ways” — and he is intentionally choosing to actively engage in reality when we all know he really doesn’t have to. He’s been an actor since childhood, so he’s going out of his way to get these side jobs as his fame is increasing. He told This Morning, “There is something that I think is wrong in today’s day and age where I can retire at 30 years old. I don’t think I should be able to. I think that it’s my responsibility to work, as a man. You know, you get a trade, you become self-sufficient, and it feels wrong to go through life with people getting me water. It feels wrong. I’ll do that when I’m old and can’t get up from the couch.” Again, it’s just refreshing to see an actor who believes that as an actor, his place in society is to act — nothing more. That is why he sees the value in serving his community in other ways, not the value in just being served.
Basso is one of the exceptionally few actors whose mind has broken out of the Hollywood matrix, or perhaps it was never drawn into it in the first place. He will, of course, get pushback from people who want the jesters to entertain and tell us peasants what we should believe. But plenty of people are picking up on it and <a href="https://x.com/friedman_yitz/status/1891935051761303894" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appreciating</a> what Basso is doing — me being one. Americans at large are loving his takes, and I would love to see more of this same behavior from other actors. He appreciates the art of acting, but he isn’t obsessed with the popularity that comes with success. That’s precisely why I hope he has 10 times more success in the future and can serve as a lesson to Hollywood to bring more people like him into the industry.

The Kelly Clarkson Show – Season 6

The Star Of ‘Night Agent’ Offers A Glimmer Of Hope In Hollywood

The Star Of 'Night Agent' Offers A Glimmer Of Hope In Hollywood

Celebrities

JD Vance

Movies

Netflix

Reagan Conrad

Christian Bale pulled a Rachel Zegler before anyone knew the young actress’ name.
Everyone recalled Bale’s work from the “Dark Knight” trilogy, so when director Ridley Scott cast him in 2014’s “Exodus: Gods and Kings” it mattered. Who wouldn’t want the Oscar winner in their next project?
Then Bale dubbed Moses a “<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/christian-bale-says-moses-could-be-considered-a-terrorist/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">terrorist</a>” in publicity interviews for the film.
&#8220;If you&#8217;re not religious, you can look at it as one man&#8217;s freedom fighter is another man&#8217;s terrorist,&#8221; he said of Moses.
<div id="attachment_899039" style="width: 792px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-899039" class="size-large wp-image-899039" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-460174862-782x576.jpg" alt="GOOD MORNING AMERICA - Christian Bale is a guest on &quot;Good Morning America,&quot; 12/5/14, airing on the Walt Disney Television Network. (Photo by Fred Lee/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)" width="782" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-460174862-782x576.jpg 782w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-460174862-300x221.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-460174862-768x566.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-460174862.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 782px) 100vw, 782px" />Fred Lee/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images</div>
Religious audiences, otherwise curious to see a movie featuring Moses, weren’t amused. The film, despite the talents of Scott and Bale, tanked.
Sound familiar?
By now, everyone knows how Zegler helped crush Disney’s “Snow White” at the box office. She’s not alone, though.
Stars routinely damage their own projects with ill-advised comments. That mostly involves stars getting hyper-political on publicity tours, stoking partisan rage. Many movie goers refuse to see movies made by two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn, for example, due to decades of charged comments.
Just look at Robert De Niro. He has spent nearly a decade savaging President Donald Trump from every available platform. His latest film, “The Alto Knights,” opened to a disastrous $3.1 million despite his gravitas in gangster movies and tackling not one but two mobster roles in the film.
Was it something he said? It can’t be ruled out.
The Zegler fallout, though, is different. And it could be the final warning for stars to heed when they talk to the press moving forward. Anger potential fans at your peril.
<div id="attachment_899013" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-899013" class="size-large wp-image-899013" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205296417-864x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: Rachel Zegler attends the World Premiere of Disney's Snow White at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2025. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Disney)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205296417-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205296417-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205296417-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205296417.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Disney</div>
“Snow White’s” slow-moving car crash began two years ago when <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/rachel-zegler-viral-backlash-snow-white-disney-live-action-rcna99848" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zegler trashed the iconic source material</a> on the red carpet.
“I just mean that it’s no longer 1937 … We absolutely wrote a ‘Snow White’ that &#8230; she’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love; she’s going to be dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave and true.”
<div id="attachment_610047" style="width: 690px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-610047" class="wp-image-610047 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/GettyImages-1243085976-copy1.jpeg" alt="D23 EXPO 2022 - The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by VISA - brings together all the worlds of Disney under one roof for three packed days of presentations, pavilions, experiences, concerts, sneak peeks, shopping, and more. The event, which takes place September 9, 10, and 11 at the Anaheim Convention Center, provides fans with unprecedented access to Disney films, series, games, theme parks, collectibles, and celebrities. (The Walt Disney Company via Getty Images) Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot" width="680" height="504" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/GettyImages-1243085976-copy1.jpeg 680w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/GettyImages-1243085976-copy1-300x222.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" />The Walt Disney Company via Getty Images. Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot.</div>
A separate interview found her mocking the story’s male hero, the prince who saves Snow White with a kiss.
“Weird,” she infamously called him, reframing his affection as a “stalker.”
&#8220;It&#8217;s really not about the love story at all, which is really, really wonderful.&#8221;
Tell that to adults who grew up adoring “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the 1937 animated film that helped launch Disney into the pop culture stratosphere. Chances are they introduced the classic story to their children and grandchildren.
That’s the opposite of weird.
Zegler opened her mouth and inserted both feet. Enter an army of YouTube personalities who ran with Zegler’s quotes.
Had she opined in the past, the quotes would have circulated in the press and faded to black. In our digital age, they only got more attention as the months wore on. It got worse when she started braying, “Free Palestine” on social media, another deeply divisive message.
It didn’t help that her co-star, Gal Gadot, is Israeli and served in the IDF.
Then, before the film’s belated March 2025 opening, Zegler raged against President Donald Trump and, more specifically, his supporters. She hoped they would “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disneys-snow-white-actress-attacks-trump-voters-tells-people-to-leave-x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">never know peace.”</a>
Now, we’re seeing the fruits of her warped words. “Snow White” opened to a dreadful $43 million at the U.S. box office, the worst showing to date for a Disney live-action update. The film had other issues, like Disney disavowing dwarfs as problematic before backpedaling and adding CGI little people.
Zegler’s comments made the most noise, to the film’s detriment.
It’s not enough that Zegler helped sink her own film. The industry called her out for doing just that. Variety ran an <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/snow-white-death-threats-zegler-social-media-guru-1236347433/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exhaustive autopsy</a> on the film’s failure, letting anonymous Disney sources trash the young star. An executive from a different studio also chimed in, “You can’t say that a live-action remake of the most iconic film in the vault that cost [$270] million and has been reshot multiple times opening to $50 million is OK. The math does not work.&#8221;
Media outlets couldn’t hide how damaging her comments had been to the film’s box office potential, even though reporters have yet to connect De Niro’s box office tailspin to his anti-Trump diatribes.
<div id="attachment_899055" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-899055" class="size-large wp-image-899055" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2206051478-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 20: Actress Rachel Zegler is seen leaving &quot;Good Morning America&quot; on March 20, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2206051478-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2206051478-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2206051478-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2206051478.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Raymond Hall/GC Images</div>
Even Jonah Platt, son of “Snow White” producer Marc Platt, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2025/03/27/rachel-zegler-snow-white-marc-platt-jonah/82686271007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weighed in</a> against Zegler.
&#8220;My dad, the producer of (an) enormous piece of Disney IP with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, had to leave his family to fly across the country to reprimand his 20 year old employee for dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting the movie for which she signed a multi-million dollar contract to get paid and do publicity for … This is called adult responsibility and accountability. And her actions clearly hurt the film&#8217;s box office.&#8221;
Those Platt quotes also got magnified by legacy media outlets.
Will the Zegler Effect change Hollywood? It could.
Hollywood can&#8217;t afford more “Snow White” debacles. The box office is down, again, this year, and 2024’s numbers suggest pre-pandemic levels of movie going may be gone with the wind.
We&#8217;ll never go back to the Golden Age of Hollywood where the studios controlled what the actors could and couldn&#8217;t say. No one wants or encourages that level of control.
Still, it doesn’t take years of media training to understand a simple policy. Don’t alienate potential audiences when promoting your film or TV show. That shouldn’t be complicated, but apparently it is for some stars.
The Zegler fallout may make some actors think twice before trashing their own films or the people they need to watch them.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

World Premiere Of Walt Disney Studios’ “Snow White”

The Real Cost Of The Rachel Zegler Fallout

Disney

Rachel Zegler

Snow White

Woke Culture

Hollywood is on fire, literally and figuratively.
Dueling strikes shut the industry down in 2023 and it hasn’t fully bounced back. The pandemic chased viewers to the comfort of their couches, pummeling the theatrical experience. YouTube creators are luring eyeballs away from network TV at a fraction of the price point, as are social media platforms and video games.
There’s no better time for a Hollywood Plan B. Could that involve the Lone Star State?
Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey sure think so.
The “True Detective” alums joined forces for <a href="https://x.com/McConaughey/status/1884652597618872439" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a new video campaign</a> tied to Texas-based filmmaking. They’re playing their iconic characters from the HBO series, but this isn’t fiction.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Texas stories deserve a Texas backdrop. That’s why I teamed up with Dennis Quaid, Woody Harrelson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Renée Zellweger for True to Texas. It’s time to bring film and TV productions home! <a href="https://t.co/iMpRMRx2Hj">pic.twitter.com/iMpRMRx2Hj</a>
&mdash; Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) <a href="https://twitter.com/McConaughey/status/1884652597618872439?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It’s a bona fide plea for more Texas movie making. The Oscar-winning actor from “Dallas Buyers Club” starts the pitch.
“Hollywood is a flat circle … this industry is like somebody’s memory of an industry, and the memory’s fading. I’m talking about a whole new hub for film and television. A renaissance. A rebirth.”
“A small fraction of Texas budget surplus to turn this state into the new Hollywood,” Harrelson adds.
“If all these other states are going to offer an incentive, then that’s where we’re going to keep going. I just wish we could bring some of these productions home to Texas.” So says fellow Oscar winner Renée Zellweger.
The spot also features fellow Hollywood heavyweights like Billy Bob Thornton and Dennis Quaid.
<div id="attachment_870649" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-870649" class="size-large wp-image-870649" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2185185061-864x576.jpg" alt="DENVER, COLORADO - NOVEMBER 16: Woody Harrelson attends the Global Down Syndrome Foundation's 16th Annual Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show at Sheraton Downtown Denver Hotel on November 16, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Tom Cooper/Getty Images for Global Down Syndrome Foundation)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2185185061-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2185185061-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2185185061-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2185185061.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Tom Cooper/Getty Images</div>
This isn’t happening in a vacuum.
California has been shedding TV and film projects for some time. States like Georgia and New Mexico teem with new projects, generated in large part by tax-friendly policies and rebates.
That doesn’t factor in the high price of living in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s struggling state. Have you filled up a car in California these days?
The timing couldn’t be better on the cultural front. Entertainment production no longer caters to the coasts. Joe Rogan moved the comedy epicenter from New York City to Austin, Texas, with his Comedy Mothership club and its unwoke ethos.
<div id="attachment_870669" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-870669" class="size-large wp-image-870669" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2179800231-864x576.jpg" alt="AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 20: Joe Rogan looks on in the Paddock prior to the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas on October 20, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Mark Sutton/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2179800231-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2179800231-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2179800231-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2179800231.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Mark Sutton/Getty Images</div>
Stand-up superstars like Tom Segura, Ron White, Tony Hinchcliffe now call Austin home. Others, like Tyler Fischer and Roseanne Barr, also decamped to the state, at least part time.
To many, Hollywood is no longer exclusively thought of as the sole movie-making hub. Other cities and states are leaning into that new normal.
Nashville productions are on the rise, from Daily Wire exclusives to projects via Universal Music Group Nashville. The latter just created a new production arm with plans to create film and TV projects. Oscar winners Jamie Lee Curtis and Nicole Kidman are shooting Amazon Prime’s “Scarpetta,” an episode drama in Nashville <a href="https://wbkr.com/nicole-kidman-jamie-lee-curtis-to-film-crime-series-in-nashville/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">through February</a>.
Superstar Mark Wahlberg wants to make Las Vegas “Hollywood East.” The “Flight Risk” star hopes to spearhead <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mark-wahlberg-wants-las-vegas-210015408.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAN2tOcOAJ2iSv_bSzRVvQNxMSfDXob7TqLVBSfH-dAbH2LxgVos7cZmbLJP9TXKzjd8Dc5xVU61GoT2BkUlWfHSha5E0Pzy4WJGT5aTGgu1M7N2s7DI5UKFFL82FVLnsyIiSQGObDFD8LL-8F5V9xScC2W3v_SZ778RVSQj6u_yy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a $1.8 billion Sony studio</a> in the state to compete with Hollywood.
“I think ultimately that would be the goal. <a href="https://www.fox5vegas.com/2024/10/18/mark-walhberg-wants-california-movie-studios-follow-his-move-nevada/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">They all used to make movies right there in LA</a> and people don’t do it anymore,” Wahlberg said.
He’ll have some company.
Warner Bros. Discovery also has its eye on Las Vegas. Warner Bros. Studios Nevada, a plan dependent on the state’s tax credit structure, would bring more filmmaking to the state.
So why not Texas? 
The state offers endless vistas worthy of a cinematic closeup. Small Town USA? Check! Big, bustling urban centers like Dallas? Covered. Texas’s red-state policies mean cost-of-living issues won’t upend productions, and it’s far less dysfunctional than the Golden State.
And top-tier stars are singing the state’s praises in a very public forum. When a Dennis Quaid, a star for nearly 50 years, suggests a state needs a close-up, people should listen.
Previously, Owen Wilson and Glen Powell joined with McConaughey and Thornton to buoy Texas filmmaking with a similar 2023 video.
<div id="attachment_870645" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-870645" class="size-large wp-image-870645" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2189988716-864x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 14: Billy Bob Thornton attends the SAG Nom Comm screening of &quot;Landman&quot; at DGA Theater Complex on December 14, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Paramount+)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2189988716-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2189988716-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2189988716-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2189988716.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Paramount+</div>
<a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/markets-festivals/yellowstone-mayor-of-kingstown-texas-film-production-1236004446/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The infrastructure is in place</a>, too. The state approved a $200 million grant last year, that runs through August, to entice more projects. That got Taylor Sheridan’s attention.
The biggest name in episodic TV chose Texas for both his home and a sprawling real estate enterprise planning to host film and TV productions down the short road. His latest smash, Paramount+’s “Landman,” filmed in Fort Worth, Texas.
<a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/2025/01/31/matthew-mcconaughey-woody-harrelson-push-for-more-texas-film-incentives-in-ad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sheridan made a personal pitch for Texas</a> last fall before the state’s Senate Finance Committee.
“We desperately need the employees. I would much, much, much rather hire a Texas local than fly in somebody from another state,” Sheridan said.
Some Texas-based Republicans have split feelings about the Hollywood influx. Newsweek reports several officials <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/matthew-mcconaugheys-push-hollywood-texas-divides-republicans-2023842" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recoiled at the thought</a> of Hollywood’s progressive values inundating the state.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller put the brakes on the plan via X. He’s all for Texas-based productions but <a href="https://x.com/MillerForTexas/status/1884987688182268146" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opposes tax rebates to make it possible</a>.
Hollywood is dying. Productions can&#8217;t get out of California fast enough. Texas will benefit without subsidizing the folks that brought us woke, anti-Christian bigotry, socialism, transgenderism, etc.
Hollywood diehards may resist the Texas two-step. Loyalists could prefer to bring production back to La La Land, especially to help those impacted by the wildfires. Others may rebuke red-state values infecting their progressive industry.
Pragmatism may rule the day. If major stars like Quaid, McConaughey and Zellweger want more Texas-based shoots, and the costs aren’t prohibitive, we may be hearing, “Action!” more and more in the Lone Star State.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Clemson v Texas – Playoff First Round

‘A Whole New Hub’: Movie Stars Stump For Filming Deep In The Heart Of Texas

'A Whole New Hub': Movie Stars Stump For Filming Deep In The Heart Of Texas

Film

Matthew McConaughey

Texas

Woody Harrelson

Well, the Oscar nominations are in and I don’t care either. But it is interesting to note that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Other Wastes of God’s Precious Gift of Life, have chosen to nominate movies no one saw, celebrating perversions no one cares about in order to parade a virtue they don’t have to an audience that is no longer there. In doing this, Hollywood is sending a message to the people formerly known as moviegoers.
And the message is this: “Screw you. We hate you. Come and see our movies. Die, you scum. Look how pretty we are in our designer gowns. You stink. You’re stupid. You live in the Midwest which has cooties. Please love us. Please read an article about how we sleep with each other and then break up. We hate you, we hate you, we hate you. Pay attention to us. Look, I’m wearing a dress even though I’m a boy. Don’t I disgust you? Why don’t you love me? Look, I made a movie about boys who sleep with other boys and hate their fathers. Why didn’t you go to see my movie, Daddy? Because you suck, you stink, you’re hateful and awful. Love me, love me, I hate you. Watch my Oscar show where I wear a pretty dress and get a golden statue. Then bugger off and die because you stink, you stink, just like my Daddy. Die, die, die. Love me, love me, die.”
Don’t blame me. That’s the message from Hollywood. I’m just reading it out loud.
Now, to give you an idea of just how few people are going to be watching an award show that was once a shared American cultural moment on the order of the Super Bowl, let me give you a rundown of some of the crappiest nominees.
There’s “The Brutalist,” a three and a half hour movie about an architect named Laszlo Toth, which is also the name of the Hungarian madman who, in 1972, attacked Michelangelo’s Pieta with a hammer because he thought he was God and should therefore be able to destroy everything that humans find holy and beautiful… kind of like Disney with the Star Wars franchise. 
Then there’s “Anora,” a pornographic attempt to normalize what was once called prostitution but is now called “sex work” by Hollywood leftists and pimps, but I repeat myself.
And of course, there’s “Emilia Perez,” a musical about a transexual drug lord that got a twenty-two audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s not a percentage, that’s the actual number of people who made up the audience for “Emilia Perez.”
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Andrew Klavan Show on DailyWire+</a></h3>
Now some of you may be thinking: Oh Klavan, don’t pick on Hollywood. After all, the people there just had everything they own consumed by a conflagration that is the merest hint of what eternity is going to look like for them if they keep making movies glorifying prostitution, perversion and brutalist architecture. And anyway, even though their movies suck, it will still be fun to watch them stand up with their jackpot genes draped in designer gowns and praise themselves for spitting on the values of what used to be their audience until they started spitting on our values by making films glorifying perversion, prostitution and brutalist architecture.
And of course, what could be more edifying than watching one of these uniquely privileged, gifted, and beautiful moral dungheaps in human form, take time off from having sex with his second ex-wife before picking up his abandoned child at rehab to give him a lift home to his soon-to-be THIRD ex-wife before abandoning both of them in order to marry his new girlfriend just as soon as she reaches the age of consent — I say what could be more edifying than watching such a person win a now-meaningless trophy for a morally repugnant movie no one saw and then stand up and give a speech lecturing us on what moral choices we should make if we want to win his approval?
So Hollywood, yes, we’ve received your message. And we’ve filed it — and you — with our Kodak cameras and our Woodstock bell bottoms and other things that used to seem like they would matter forever, but now no longer matter at all.
* * *
This excerpt is taken from the opening satirical monologue of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Andrew Klavan Show</a>.”
Andrew Klavan is the host of “The Andrew Klavan Show” at The Daily Wire. He is the bestselling author of the Cameron Winter Mystery series. The fourth installment, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1613165536?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_thcv_3&amp;storeType=ebooks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A WOMAN UNDERGROUND</a>,” is now available. Follow him on X: @andrewklavan
The views expressed in this satirical article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

FRANCE-FILM-FESTIVAL-CANNES

Hollywood’s Message: ‘Screw You, Moviegoers — Now Go Watch Our Movies’

Hollywood's Message: 'Screw You, Moviegoers — Now Go Watch Our Movies'

Academy Awards

Andrew Klavan

Gender

Humor

LGBTQ

Los Angeles

Oscars

Satire

Transgender

Sitcom stars are supposed to fade away, toil in the reality show trenches or spark sad TMZ headlines.
Justine Bateman hasn’t just shattered those low expectations. She’s become Tinsel Town’s voice of uncommon reason.
Bateman played Mallory on the ‘80s smash “Family Ties.” The NBC sitcom made Micheal J. Fox a superstar and showed a wholesome clash between the Left and the Right during the Reagan era.
<div id="attachment_860471" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-860471" class="wp-image-860471 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Family-Ties-mallory.jpg" alt="Justine Bateman. &quot;Family Ties.&quot; 1982. Episode: &quot;Read It and Weep: Part 2. Paramount Television. Ubu Productions. IMDB." width="500" height="375" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Family-Ties-mallory.jpg 500w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Family-Ties-mallory-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" />&#8220;Family Ties.&#8221; 1982. Paramount Television. Ubu Productions. IMDB.</div>
This wasn’t a “Crossfire” style shooting match but a family pushing past their political differences. The show ran for seven seasons and propelled Bateman into the running for a feature film career.
Her breakout role in “Satisfaction” (1988) didn’t catch fire. She still appeared on the big and small screen for the next two decades.
<div id="attachment_860425" style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-860425" class="wp-image-860425 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Satisfaction-1988.jpg" alt="20th Century Fox." width="350" height="500" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Satisfaction-1988.jpg 350w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Satisfaction-1988-210x300.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" />20th Century Fox.</div>
She eventually switched to gigs behind the camera, writing and directing indie films. She directed the 2008 documentary “Speechless” about the Writer’s Guild of America strike. And 2021’s “Violet” may not have crashed the zeitgeist but it did attract reputable stars like Justin Theroux and Olivia Munn.
She also formed her own production company, Section 5. By 2018 she officially became a published author with the release of “FAME: The Hijacking of Reality.” Her second book, “FACE: One Square Foot of Skin,” would soon follow in 2021.
Still, she was working on her craft and, more importantly, observing the cultural landscape.
Now, she has a lot to say and plenty of people are nodding along. Bateman started speaking out in 2023 against AI’s reach into Hollywood fare.
Along with a host of Hollywood pals, she then launched the non-profit Credo 23 Film Festival, whose stated mission is to support and certify filmmakers who pledge not to use AI in their films. She became a voice during the dueling Hollywood strikes, warning what it meant to <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/11/justine-bateman-sag-aftra-deal-ai-1235616848/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remove humans from the creative process.</a>
“I think generative AI is one of the worst ideas we’ve ever had in this society,” she told Deadline after the SAG AFTRA strike ended in 2023.
<div id="attachment_860829" style="width: 778px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-860829" class="size-large wp-image-860829" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-1734215971-768x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 18: Noah Wyle and Justine Bateman are seen at SAG-AFTRA Strike at Warner Brothers Studios on October 18, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by JOCE/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)" width="768" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-1734215971-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-1734215971-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-1734215971.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" />JOCE/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images</div>
She spoke with confidence and clarity at a time when many stars might have been too afraid to even touch how AI could impact the creative process. She was back in the spotlight but on her terms.
Her breakout moment came last year after the presidential election results poured in.
“Decompressing from walking on eggshells for the past four years,” she posted on X, a line that has now generated more than 6 million views.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Decompressing from walking on eggshells for the past four years.
&mdash; Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustineBateman/status/1854911656289071200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
That cryptic quote touched a nerve. And, like a Hollywood veteran who understands her audience, she leaned into the sentiment. She excoriated Cancel Culture and the “woke mind virus” without using those specific terms. She sensed a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/family-ties-star-justine-bateman-says-trumps-election-lifted-suffocating-cloud-free-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free speech comeback</a> under a second Trump administration without ever putting on a red hat.
<blockquote>I feel like there was this kind of suffocating cloud that was kind of over us… Regular people who had questions about decisions that were being made were threatened subtly or obviously into silence. And I feel like that&#8217;s been broken, that sort of suppression has been kind of broken.</blockquote>
She embraced X and Substack as her platforms of choice, snagging major interviews with the likes of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-gqn0PA5cU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Megyn Kelly</a> along the way.
Through her metamorphosis, she refused to align with a political party. It’s not about politics, she insisted, drawing more fans in the process.
Sometimes common sense has a political bias in the 21st century.
<h3><a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?_gl=1*1lail3r*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3MzIyMDEyNDkuQ2owS0NRaUEwZnU1QmhEUUFSSXNBTVhVQk9JSkM0VnNsMFVreURxYXUxVWVEVWdOdjZkNzR2Y1pEeEZQeHVBcGl2R3BLaTdBMjVzT1p5TWFBdG1nRUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_au*NDUxNDQ0NzYwLjE3MzY3ODI2NDY.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczNjk1NzYwMy4zNDAuMS4xNzM2OTU3NzE2LjYwLjAuMA.." target="_blank" rel="noopener">CELEBRATE #47 WITH 47% OFF DAILYWIRE+ MEMBERSHIPS + A FREE $20 GIFT</a></h3>
She also began a series of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/actress-delivers-brutal-film-critics-take-on-trump-victory-meltdown-videos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tongue-in-cheek video reviews</a> where she assessed amateur filmmakers melting down over the election results. She wasn’t cruel or cutting, but she offered professional advice that similarly went viral.
Hashtag #SocialMediaVideoCritique
Here’s just one example:
“The second major issue is the unpredictability of the camera movements. Because the emotions are high, the scene would have benefitted from a locked-off camera position, or a slow, graceful movement. The jiggling of the camera doubles down on the emotions and is overkill.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&#8211; The second major issue is the unpredictability of the camera movements. Because the emotions are high, the scene would have benefitted from a locked-off camera position, or a slow, graceful movement. The jiggling of the camera doubles down on the emotions, and is overkill. 2/
&mdash; Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustineBateman/status/1854370733624881596?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
She has called out <a href="https://x.com/JustineBateman/status/1859834375904559444" target="_blank" rel="noopener">incompetent California Democrats</a> for the wildfires fiasco while high-profile comedians like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2LFwMKbr5c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jon Stewart spin on their behalf</a>. It’s not partisan to excoriate a mayor who directs those impacted by wildfires to visit “<a href="https://nypost.com/2025/01/09/us-news/la-mayor-karen-bass-blunders-way-through-warnings-on-the-big-one/">URL</a>.”
She even blasted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for depositing themselves in the middle of the wildfires tragedy, dubbing them <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/family-ties-star-justine-bateman-says-trumps-election-lifted-suffocating-cloud-free-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Disaster Tourists.”</a> That label may linger.
She’s even struck a blow against Hollywood ageism. She’s refused to get plastic surgery or Botox, letting the world see her 50-something face without apology. It’s not easy to greet the public as a fresh-faced teen on a hit sitcom and age like the rest of us. She’s proud of her accomplishments over her vanity.
<div id="attachment_860487" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-860487" class="wp-image-860487 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Bateman-filmming-864x576.jpg" alt="Justine Bateman directing her film short, &quot;Five Minutes.&quot; Photo by Steven Meiers." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Bateman-filmming-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Bateman-filmming-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Bateman-filmming-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Bateman-filmming-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Bateman-filmming-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Bateman-filmming-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/Bateman-filmming-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Justine Bateman directing her film short, &#8220;Five Minutes.&#8221; Photo by Steven Meiers.</div>
One irony stands out.
Bateman’s brother, Jason Bateman, has been one of Hollywood’s more popular stars through the years. He, too, cut his teeth on sitcom fare like “Silver Spoons” and “The Hogan Family.” He kept working on high-profile projects, from iconic comedies (“Arrested Development”) to comedic film franchises (“Horrible Bosses”).
His star rose higher when he anchored Netflix’s “Ozark,” and his recent string of successes includes “Air” (2023) and “Carry On,” one of Netflix’s most popular original films. He also co-hosts “Smartless,” one of the podcasting realm’s biggest shows alongside Will Arnett and Sean Hayes.
Jason Bateman has been mostly silent on the culture war front. He’s a Democrat but he hasn’t shouted his views from the rafters. He proved more sly, literally <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UIZER9rMe8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lending his voice</a> to the progressive cause. He appears to be of a different mindset than his older sister, but the two speak fondly of one another in public forums.
He’s been far more “successful” in Hollywood parlance, but Justine Bateman’s cultural impact appears far greater at the moment. She has found her cultural voice, and she’s only warming up.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
This article has been edited for clarity.

MixCollage-17-Jan-2025-01-13-PM-125

Tinsel Town’s Voice Of Uncommon Reason

Tinsel Town's Voice Of Uncommon Reason

California

Cancel Culture

TV mastermind Taylor Sheridan isn’t a conservative. He’s suggested as much in various interviews, and there’s little reason to doubt him.
He just knows how conservatives think and refuses to ignore them. And, sometimes, he lets them speak without a filter. If Hollywood wants to thrive in the Trump 2.0 era, it should watch a Sheridan show.
And take some notes.
<div id="attachment_840069" style="width: 891px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-840069" class="size-large wp-image-840069" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Billy-Bobb-II-881x576.jpeg" alt="Billy Bob Thornton in “Landman.” Photo by Emerson Miller/Emerson Miller/Paramount+. Copyright 2024 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. “Landman” and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom. IMDB." width="881" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Billy-Bobb-II-881x576.jpeg 881w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Billy-Bobb-II-300x196.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Billy-Bobb-II-768x502.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Billy-Bobb-II-1536x1004.jpeg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/Billy-Bobb-II-2048x1338.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 881px) 100vw, 881px" />Billy Bob Thornton in “Landman.” Photo by Emerson Miller/Emerson Miller/Paramount+. Copyright 2024 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved.</div>
Sheridan’s newest series, “Landman,” recently went viral for a character’s screed against the green movement. Billy Bob Thornton plays Tommy Norris, an oil company executive who <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/scene-from-billy-bob-thorntons-new-show-landman-slams-clean-energy-goes-viral-x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">puts a green activist in her place.</a>
<blockquote>You have any idea how much diesel will have to burn to mix that much concrete or make that steel and haul this s*** out here and put it together with a 450-foot crane? You want to guess how much oil it takes to lubricate that f***ing thing? Or winterize it? In its 20-year lifespan, it won’t offset the carbon footprint of making it. And don’t get me started on solar panels and the lithium in your Tesla battery.</blockquote>
That’s just part of Tommy’s stemwinder. Is it any wonder social media ate it up? Can you imagine that dialogue coming from a network TV show? What about an HBO original? A Netflix and Chill affair?
Impossible.
Sheridan is willing to share stories and angles others miss. It’s why he conquered the small screen in dramatic fashion.
It’s not surprising that “Landman,” co-starring Jon Hamm, Demi Moore and Ali Larter, is another Sheridan smash.
The Paramount+ original’s debut drew a <a href="https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/landman-ratings-paramount-plus-views-1236234121/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">total of 14.6 million viewers</a> in one week across the streaming network and the Paramount Network. That’s the <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/landman-paramount-plus-ratings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">biggest debut</a> for a Paramount+ streaming original.
That matters in the highly competitive streaming landscape.
In just six years Sheridan has upended the world of television with his muscular, uncompromised vision. In that span he’s given us “Yellowstone,” “Tulsa King,” “Special Ops: Lioness.” “1883,” “1923,” “Mayor of Kingstown” and now “Landman.”
<div id="attachment_840061" style="width: 872px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-840061" class="wp-image-840061 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-971891732-862x576.jpg" alt="HOLLYWOOD, CA - JUNE 11: Taylor Sheridan, Kelly Reilly and Kevin Costner attend the premiere of Paramount Pictures' &quot;Yellowstone&quot; at Paramount Studios on June 11, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images)" width="862" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-971891732-862x576.jpg 862w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-971891732-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-971891732-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-971891732.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 862px) 100vw, 862px" />Taylor Sheridan, Kelly Reilly and Kevin Costner attend the premiere of Paramount Pictures&#8217; &#8220;Yellowstone&#8221; at Paramount Studios on June 11, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images)</div>
Not every series is a blockbuster, although “Yellowstone” more than qualifies. The series inspired two prequel shows and more spinoffs may be on the way.
“Tulsa King,” starring Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone as a mafioso who brings his thuggish acumen to the Midwest, is another hit. Paramount+ is teasing a deal to bring a third and fourth season of the show to viewers.
The first season found Stallone’s Dwight Manfredi railing against some of the <a href="https://grabien.com/story?id=418091">cultural changes</a> that happened while he was in prison.
“And these pronouns. What the f*** is with the pronouns? He, she, him, they, the, boom, bang, ba, fa, foo. You know what my pronoun is? Guess. Time’s up. It. As in, it can’t take this s*** anymore. I’m all for change. I am. I really am. But somebody keeps moving the goalpost.”
<div id="attachment_840085" style="width: 825px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-840085" class="size-large wp-image-840085" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/MixCollage-06-Dec-2024-04-06-PM-6607-815x576.jpg" alt="Sylvester Stallone in &quot;Tulsa King&quot; (2022). Paramount+. IMDB." width="815" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/MixCollage-06-Dec-2024-04-06-PM-6607-815x576.jpg 815w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/MixCollage-06-Dec-2024-04-06-PM-6607-300x212.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/MixCollage-06-Dec-2024-04-06-PM-6607-768x543.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/MixCollage-06-Dec-2024-04-06-PM-6607-1536x1086.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/MixCollage-06-Dec-2024-04-06-PM-6607-2048x1448.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 815px) 100vw, 815px" />Sylvester Stallone in &#8220;Tulsa King&#8221; (2022). Paramount+. IMDB.</div>
Sheridan isn’t just making up dialogue. He’s listening to both halves of the country. Another sequence found Stallone’s character accusing someone of racially profiling his young black colleague.
It’s precisely how a shrewd operator like Manfredi would shift the balance of power to his advantage. It’s not woke. It’s storytelling.
Keep in mind Manfredi is the story’s anti-hero. Viewers are rooting for him, despite his flaws, much like they rallied behind James Gandolfini’s patriarch in “The Sopranos.”
Conservatives quickly latched onto “Yellowstone” as that rare conservative show early in its run. The saga followed an old-school rancher, memorably played by Kevin Costner, and his complicated brood.
How many shows are set in Montana these days?
<div id="attachment_840111" style="width: 769px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-840111" class="wp-image-840111 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1446611904-759x576.jpg" alt="LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 03: (L-R) Helen Mirren, Taylor Sheridan, and Harrison Ford attend Paramount+'s &quot;1923&quot; Las Vegas Premiere at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas on December 03, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mindy Small/Getty Images)" width="759" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1446611904-759x576.jpg 759w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1446611904-300x228.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1446611904-768x583.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1446611904.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 759px) 100vw, 759px" />(L-R) Helen Mirren, Taylor Sheridan, and Harrison Ford attend Paramount+&#8217;s &#8220;1923&#8221; Las Vegas Premiere at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas on December 03, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Small/Getty Images)</div>
Yet some conservatives railed against progressive elements in the saga, from vegan protesters to a lesbian romance.
<a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/entertainment/yellowstone-director-taylor-sheridan-reacts-claims-show-anti-woke-really" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sheridan politely disagreed</a> with the conservative label some slapped on the drama.
&#8220;And I just sit back laughing. I’m like, ‘Really?’ The show’s talking about the displacement of Native Americans and the way Native American women were treated…about corporate greed…the gentrification of the West, and land-grabbing. That’s a red-state show?&#8221;
He’s right. It’s not a red-meat entrée for a famished heartland. It’s just been so long since conservatives saw themselves on screen they embraced the saga, warts and all.
That’s ultimately Sheridan’s trick. He’s not looking to score cheap partisan points or curry favor with progressives. The story comes first. And he doesn’t seem to care that his apolitical bent may hurt him come awards time.
<div id="attachment_840091" style="width: 745px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-840091" class="wp-image-840091 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1358551240-735x576.jpg" alt="LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 11: Sam Elliott (L) and Taylor Sheridan attend the after party for the world premiere of &quot;1883&quot; at SW Steakhouse at Wynn Las Vegas on December 11, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)" width="735" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1358551240-735x576.jpg 735w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1358551240-300x235.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1358551240-768x602.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1358551240.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" />Sam Elliott (L) and Taylor Sheridan attend the after party for the world premiere of &#8220;1883&#8221; at SW Steakhouse at Wynn Las Vegas on December 11, 2021. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)</div>
“Yellowstone” earned strong reviews and endless audience praise, but to date, it’s snagged just one Emmy nomination for Outstanding Production Design. It’s a populist hit, and that’s more than enough for Sheridan. After all, network executives care more about ratings than awards.
The actor-turned-showrunner is neither Right nor Left, but he certainly isn’t woke. That became clear during a January chat with Spotify superstar <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm9N-lyNQms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Rogan</a>. The two mocked the notion of “toxic masculinity,” with Sheridan revealing the thinking behind his TV empire.
“You need masculinity and femininity,” he explained <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/yellowstone-creator-rogan-scoff-modern-liberal-ideology-demonizing-work-ethic-masculinity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">before taking on the Left’s word police movement.</a>
“It&#8217;s fascinating that language is being reinvented before our eyes. There&#8217;s all these new words that are just meant to keep one person from disagreeing with another person&#8217;s position.&#8221;
Woke is the enemy of creative storytelling. Sheridan, no matter his political leanings, instinctively gets that. His growing body of work captures that philosophy. It’s no wonder he conquered TV in the Age of Woke. He had little competition.
* * *
<h3><a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a></h3>
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

MixCollage-06-Dec-2024-03-41-PM-7843

Running The Show: The Worlds Of Taylor Sheridan

Hollywod

Paramount

Yellowstone

It’s the ultimate virtue signal, and that’s saying something by Hollywood standards.
If Donald Trump wins on Election Day <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/20-stars-who-pledged-flee-country-trump-was-elected-are-they-945888/amy-schumer-9/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I’m leaving</a> the country! That was the 2016 rally cry echoed by stars like Samuel L. Jackson, Cher, Amy Schumer, Lena Dunham, Whoopi Goldberg, Miley Cyrus and Snoop Dogg just before Trump&#8217;s improbable first term.
Spoiler alert. They stayed put. Or, as Schumer inelegantly put it, “just kidding!”
It quickly became a way to mock Celebrity Nation. Oh, you’re leaving if your preferred candidate doesn’t win on Election Day? Don’t let the door hit you where the Good Lord split you!
Mockery aside, the notion of a second Trump term coaxed some stars to make very similar complaints. The stars apparently either didn’t hear the ribbing that ensued the first time around or they didn’t care. Emotions run hot in Hollywood, so the latest election cycle found more celebrities vowing to flee should Kamala Harris’ word salad campaign fail to launch.
Oscar-nominee <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13674371/ALISON-BOSHOFF-Sharon-Stone-pledges-leave-USA-Donald-Trump-elected-President-November.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sharon Stone teased a hasty retreat</a> prior to Election Day. She told The Daily Mail in July she was planning a possible exit in a worst-case scenario.
&#8220;I am certainly considering a house in Italy…I think that’s an intelligent construct at this time. This is one of the first times in my life that I’ve actually seen anyone running for office on a platform of hate and oppression.&#8221;
We haven’t heard an update on her plans as of yet.
<div id="attachment_833127" style="width: 851px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-833127" class="size-large wp-image-833127" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2184692550-841x576.jpg" alt="US actress Sharon Stone arrives for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 15th Annual Governors Awards at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles on November 17, 2024. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)" width="841" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2184692550-841x576.jpg 841w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2184692550-300x205.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2184692550-768x526.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2184692550.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 841px) 100vw, 841px" />VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images</div>
Barbra Streisand hedged her bets when she shared her post-election plans with “The Late Show” on CBS. She told far-Left host Stephen Colbert that she couldn’t keep living in America under a second Trump term, eyeing England as a possible destination.
We’re waiting for the moving trucks to circle her palatial estate.
Last year, Cher said this time she was seriously about leaving the USA should Trump defeat then-candidate President Joe Biden.
&#8220;I almost got an ulcer the last time. If he gets in, who knows? This time I will leave [the country].&#8221;
He’s in. Again. We’ll have to wait and see if Cher’s word is her bond.
<div id="attachment_833129" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-833129" class="size-large wp-image-833129" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2185804631-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 20: Cher visits SiriusXM's 'The Howard Stern Show' at SiriusXM Studios on November 20, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2185804631-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2185804631-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2185804631-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2185804631.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM</div>
The second round of, “I’m leaving the country if Trump wins (again)” is less boisterous than the first. Plus, a tiny number of stars actually followed up on their pledge.
Sort of. To be fair, it’s … complicated.
Ellen DeGeneres, whose behind-the-scenes cruelty crushed her once-popular TV talk show, followed up on the generic, I’m gonna leave threat. She and her wife, “Arrested Development” alum Portia de Rossi, are <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ellen-degeneres-reportedly-moves-to-england-after-trump-victory" target="_blank" rel="noopener">moving to</a> England.
<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/celebrities-panic-on-trump-presidency-after-eva-longoria-now-ellen-degeneres-flees-america-heres-where-she-has-settled/articleshow/115537182.cms?from=mdr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">They’ve sold their Montecito, California, home,</a> a decision allegedly fueled by Trump’s victory. It’s ironic for a comedian to choose England, a nation where free speech has come under serious attack while President Elect-Trump vows to crush the Deep State’s censorship players.
Priorities.
<div id="attachment_833117" style="width: 723px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-833117" class="size-large wp-image-833117" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1386169415-713x576.jpg" alt="SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 17:(L-R) Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are seen as RH Celebrates The Unveiling of RH San Francisco, The Gallery at the Historic Bethlehem Steel Building on March 17, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for RH)" width="713" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1386169415-713x576.jpg 713w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1386169415-300x242.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1386169415-768x620.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1386169415.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 713px) 100vw, 713px" />Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for RH</div>
The press insinuated “Desperate Housewives” alum Eva Longoria also pulled up her stakes and moved following Trump’s victory. She could have leaned into the false narrative, gaining hipster points within her Hollywood community.
Longoria, to her credit, shared <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-a-proud-american-eva-longoria-strikes-new-tone-says-she-didnt-leave-country-over-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the real story</a> behind her move.
“I’ve been in Europe for almost three years… By the way, the article says that. People just grabbed some clickbait stuff to be divisive, which makes me so sad. Everything you say is just meant to be divisive when we can’t be that way right now.”
She <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14107845/Back-soon-Eva-Actress-returns-dystopian-Hollywood-party-moving-abroad-following-Donald-Trumps-election-victory.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">also flew back</a> to California in recent days for an industry party.
Ironically, Longoria blasted <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/11/20/opinion/eva-longoria-moves-to-mexico-and-spain-but-us-will-be-ok/">California’s homeless issues and high taxes</a> as key reasons for her initial departure. Both fall heavily on the state’s one-party rule, not any Trump decisions.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
Some stars are making good on their plans to leave, but it doesn’t mean their nation of origin. <a href="https://deadline.com/gallery/celebrities-who-have-left-x-twitter-election/filming-of-netflixs-upcoming-frankenstein-film-takes-place-in-edinburgh/">They’re fleeing X</a>, the Elon Musk platform which embraced free speech in recent years. It’s far easier to switch to a competing, albeit infinitely smaller, platform than actually selling one’s home and giving up what America offers the very rich and famous.
That ex-X list includes Stephen King, Bette Midler, Rob Reiner, Jamie Lee Curtis, Matthew Lillard, Alyssa Milano, Mark Hamill and Gabrielle Union. More may follow, including far-Left journalists like Jennifer Rubin of The Washington Post fame.
<div id="attachment_833131" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-833131" class="size-large wp-image-833131" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2152083691-864x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 07: Rob Reiner speaks onstage at the HBO Documentary Films Screening of &quot;Albert Brooks: Defending My Life&quot; at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Ted Mann Theater on May 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by FilmMagic/FilmMagic for HBO)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2152083691-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2152083691-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2152083691-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2152083691.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />FilmMagic/FilmMagic for HBO</div>
Most have settled into Bluesky, a newer platform that offers an X-like experience.
That <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2024/11/21/liberal-bluesky-social-media-platform-trump-era-x/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">transition has been far from smooth</a>.
They, too, may eventually come back to the platform formally known as Twitter. Stars often threaten to leave or quit the social media giant before coming back sooner or later. <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/alec-baldwin-twitter-30-rock-nbc-american-airlines-280126/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alec Baldwin is a classic example.</a>
Newer platforms like Threads, dubbed the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jul/10/twitter-killer-threads-app-meta-mark-zuckerberg-elon-musk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter killer</a> in its early days, haven’t caught up with Musk’s digital baby. <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/04/metas-twitter-killer-brands-shun-threads-traffic-plunges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">That’s being kind.</a>
Then again, leaving X wasn’t healing enough for actor/auteur Rob Reiner. The “Misery” director left X, joined Bluesky but says he’s still so crushed by Trump’s victory that he’s <a href="https://thatparkplace.com/rob-reiner-checks-himself-into-a-facility-over-trump-election/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">checked into a “facility” for his mental health.</a>
The actor formerly known as Meathead may have found the smartest way to process Trump 2.0 for Hollywood progressives.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” – Season 19

Exit Stage Left: Celebrities Fleeing Trump And X

Cher

Ellen Degeneres

Rob Reiner

Twitter

Actor, producer, and writer Allen Covert says he spent his “entire adult life” working at Happy Madison, the Adam Sandler shingle that gave us “Happy Gilmore,” “Grown Ups” and more comic hits.
“It’s the only real job I’ve ever had,” said Covert.
Now, following his 60th birthday, he’s decided it’s time to branch out on his own. Covert has a new Hollywood goal after breaking free from Happy Madison – bring back the bawdy comedy.
Covert’s expansive credits include “Little Nicky,” “The Wrong Missy,” “Murder Mystery,” “Hubie Halloween” along with his many comic cameos in Sandler smashes like &#8220;The Wedding Singer,&#8221; “Happy Gilmore,” and “The Waterboy.”
<div id="attachment_829489" style="width: 460px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-829489" class="wp-image-829489 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/MV5BMTg3OTUwNzA3M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNjY0MzA3._V1_.jpg" alt="Allen Covert, Adam Sandler, and Drew Barrymore in &quot;The Wedding Singer.&quot; (1998). Juno Pix. New Line Cinema. Robert Simonds Productions. IMDB." width="450" height="302" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/MV5BMTg3OTUwNzA3M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNjY0MzA3._V1_.jpg 450w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/MV5BMTg3OTUwNzA3M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNjY0MzA3._V1_-300x201.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px" />Allen Covert, Adam Sandler, and Drew Barrymore in &#8220;The Wedding Singer.&#8221; (1998). Juno Pix. New Line Cinema. Robert Simonds Productions. IMDB.</div>
Covert’s comedy resume speaks for itself, but he also has a focus group of four to fall back on. His children.
“They watch old comedies. They literally say to me, ‘Why don’t they make movies like this anymore?’” he said.
They can’t blame Daddy for the comedy drought. Even though fans tell him how much they love his comedies, Covert says, “Not one studio is making one right now. They’re not making comedy, period.”
It’s an exaggeration, but only a slight one. Big-screen comedies are on the decline, with most of the funny stuff heading straight to streaming. Think this year’s “Ricky Stanicky” (Prime Video) or the upcoming “Dear Santa” (Paramount+).
<div id="attachment_829503" style="width: 495px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-829503" class="wp-image-829503 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/MV5BMTM4NDk2NDY5MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMDg1MDU3._V1_.jpg" alt="2536. Alex (Allen Covert) shows his grandma Lilly (Doris Roberts) how to play &quot;Demonik,&quot; the video game he has secretly created. Photo Credit: Darren Michaels. TM and copyright 2005 Level 1 Entertainment LLC. All rights reserved. Not for sale or duplication. Twentieth Century Fox. Happy Madison. IMDB." width="485" height="314" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/MV5BMTM4NDk2NDY5MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMDg1MDU3._V1_.jpg 485w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/MV5BMTM4NDk2NDY5MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMDg1MDU3._V1_-300x194.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 485px) 100vw, 485px" />Allen Covert and Doris Roberts in &#8216;Grandma&#8217;s Boy&#8217;. Photo Credit: Darren Michaels. TM and copyright 2005 Level 1 Entertainment LLC. All rights reserved. Twentieth Century Fox. Happy Madison. IMDB.</div>
Covert grew up on bawdy teen comedies like “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” Their rebellious shtick made Covert and his pals howl. It also gave them a common cultural touchpoint. Now, the veteran film producer laments that Gen Zers lack a similar release valve.
“My daughter just graduated high school. [Her generation] hasn’t had a single comedy that’s theirs. Four years of high school. Not one movie they can look back on and go, ‘Remember when we all saw, ‘Can’t Hardly Wait?’ Now, they get ‘Kissing Booth.’”
The latter is a Netflix original. Covert has no problem with the streaming giant, having worked repeatedly with the platform in recent years. He says nothing can replace the theatrical experience.
“There’s something very bonding about sitting in a room with strangers and laughing your a**es off,” he said. “It’s different than sitting at home with three of your friends.”
<div id="attachment_829473" style="width: 877px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-829473" class="wp-image-829473 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1306440-867x576.jpg" alt="" width="867" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1306440-867x576.jpg 867w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1306440-300x199.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1306440-768x510.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1306440.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 867px) 100vw, 867px" />Allen Covert and Beefy act in a scene from &#8220;Little Nicky.&#8221; (Photo by M. Aronowitz/New Line/Newsmakers)</div>
The veteran comedy producer (“Grown Ups”) and occasional star (“Grandma’s Boy”) wants to do something about it.
So, where did all the comedies go? Covert points the finger at several culprits, including the invincible Iron Man.
“IP and big-budget blockbusters,” he said. “Everyone is like, we want Marvel films where we can create our universe and every movie makes $500 million to a billion dollars,” he said. “Comedies fell by the wayside at studios.”
The Hollywood groupthink stifles genres that fall out of favor, or as he put it, a “small group of people who pick what gets bought.”
Another reason for the big screen comedy vacuum is obvious to most cultural observers. The new woke rules prevent certain jokes and topics from making the final cut.
“That’s 1,000 percent true,” Covert said without hesitation.
<div id="attachment_829481" style="width: 871px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-829481" class="wp-image-829481 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-509577442-861x576.jpg" alt="" width="861" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-509577442-861x576.jpg 861w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-509577442-300x201.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-509577442-768x514.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-509577442.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 861px) 100vw, 861px" />THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO &#8212; Episode 3062 &#8212; Pictured: (l-r) Comedian Allen Covert during an interview with host Jay Leno on December 16, 2005 &#8212; (Photo by: Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)</div>
That explains why some comedy actors, like <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/09/12/will-ferrell-snl-drag-janet-reno/75192512007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Will Ferrell</a> and <a href="https://variety.com/2019/film/festivals/berlin-film-festival-jonah-hill-wants-to-challenge-traditional-masculinity-1203134534/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonah Hill</a>, have apologized for their jokes in recent years.
“If you made a really horrible joke in the past that’s blatantly racist and discriminatory everyone should apologize for that,” he said. “If you made a comedy that’s maybe gotten a little less palatable to the community over time, who cares? I’ll never apologize for a joke.”
“If you do something wrong you get your ass out there and apologize,” he added.
Covert is that rare Hollywood conservative, but he’s been able to produce, write, and co-star in films for years without punishment.
“I’ve never experienced any type of, ‘He’s a conservative. We can’t work with him.’ I was never the lead guy … I was part of a company that was hugely successful,” he said of Happy Madison and his longtime collaborator, Sandler. “My experience in Hollywood as a conservative is probably different than others.”
<div id="attachment_829483" style="width: 819px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-829483" class="size-large wp-image-829483" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-456306578-809x576.jpg" alt="" width="809" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-456306578-809x576.jpg 809w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-456306578-300x214.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-456306578-768x547.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-456306578.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 809px) 100vw, 809px" />MALIBU, CA &#8211; SEPTEMBER 28: Actors Adam Sandler and Allen Covert attend Rock4EB, Malibu, with Jackson Browne &amp; David Spade sponsored by Suja Juice &amp; Sabra Hummus at Private Residence on September 28, 2014 in Malibu, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)</div>
Covert has several scripts in near-ready shape for his new endeavor, but he’s still meeting some resistance behind the scenes.
“’What’s the hook?,’ they ask. ‘It’s kids having fun in high school. That’s the hook,” he said. “Kids need this … kids are depressed and anxious. Everyone’s telling them the world’s ending. I wanna tell kids, ‘Have fun … worry about the world ending when you’re 25.”
He still faces an uphill battle despite his comedy resume.
“A lot of people are ready for this. I just don’t think the people in charge are right now,” he said, noting the swirling winds of change in Hollywood haven’t helped. “It’s such a confusing upheaval time in the business. I don’t think they’re able to concentrate on what people wanna see.”
Covert, whose cult hit “Grandma’s Boy” has him recognized in places as far away as South Africa, said he’s ready to meet the pent-up demand for the next great teen comedy.
“I make raw, crazy movies. I make sweet movies — whatever kind of movie needs to be made.”
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
<h3><a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH&#8217;S &#8216;AM I RACIST?&#8217; NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a></h3>

Netflix Special Screening Of “”The Out-Laws””

‘Grandma’s Boy’ Star Wants Raunchy Comedies Back On The Big Screen

'Grandma’s Boy' Star Wants Raunchy Comedies Back On The Big Screen

Adam Sandler

Comedy

Movie Theaters

There was a mildly successful <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkzAgsOQJQE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commercial</a> back in 2016 where LeBron James was promoting Sprite. He keeps looking into the camera and saying, &#8220;I won&#8217;t tell you to drink a Sprite.&#8221; It&#8217;s supposed to be engaging and funny because you see, normally, when celebrities appear in advertisements, they tell you to buy a product. But here you had LeBron James, appearing in a Sprite commercial, refusing to endorse Sprite. It really subverted everyone&#8217;s expectations.
Reverse psychology like this has become popular in advertising because the typical direct, straightforward celebrity endorsement doesn&#8217;t have the same impact that it once did. This is also why the idea of &#8220;reverse endorsements&#8221; has become a thing. This is when a company puts a celebrity on its board of directors to make them seem really invested in the company, when it&#8217;s basically a no-show job. Derek Jeter had a &#8220;reverse endorsement&#8221; <a href="https://www.lawjournalnewsletters.com/2016/10/18/jeter-endorsement-dispute-examines-role-as-a-director-of-apparel-company/?srsltid=AfmBOopnBt1NPpb0WFiFsazkLNHD4cPHVt___A7Xqh7cNIaYkWtRI7QP&amp;slreturn=20241107193919" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deal</a> with a company called RevolutionWear, that makes some kind of high-tech underwear. It all fell apart and ended in lawsuits when the company collapsed, because the world of high-tech underwear is apparently extremely cutthroat.
But the point is, this underwear company thought they&#8217;d get more value out of presenting Derek Jeter as a &#8220;director&#8221; of the company, rather than just going with the normal, direct celebrity endorsement. There are about a million other examples of this, because the memo has gone out. In the entertainment world, traditional celebrity endorsements aren&#8217;t as interesting as they used to be. If you want a celebrity endorsement to have an impact, you have to get creative with it. And even then, most people probably still won&#8217;t care.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1482-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h3>
The only people who haven&#8217;t gotten this memo are in politics. Political endorsements by celebrities are all the same. They&#8217;re unconvincing, uncreative and patronizing. And yet for some reason, pundits and political strategists on the Left genuinely believe that these endorsements are game-changing. They think that, once the normal person hears one of these endorsements, they undergo a form of mind control where they&#8217;re hopeless to resist.
I&#8217;ve shared part of this clip before, but it&#8217;s worth seeing again because it may be the single best reaction video from MSNBC after they realized Trump was winning. This is Joy Reid trying to process how Donald Trump could have possibly defeated Kamala Harris. After all, Kamala Harris ran a &#8220;flawless campaign.&#8221; And as evidence of the proposition that Kamala Harris ran a &#8220;flawless campaign,&#8221; Joy Reid cites all of Kamala Harris&#8217; celebrity endorsements. This is footage that belongs in a museum for future historians studying the downfall of the Democrat Party and the corporate press. Watch:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
If you still haven&#39;t figured out the problem with the legacy media, this comment by Joy Ann Reid should set you straight. Reid says Harris ran a &quot;flawless&quot; campaign to the point that Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and &quot;even&quot; Queen Latifah who never endorses anyone, endorsed Harris. <a href="https://t.co/N8IwIplhKn">pic.twitter.com/N8IwIplhKn</a>
&mdash; Rupa Subramanya (@rupasubramanya) <a href="https://twitter.com/rupasubramanya/status/1854191530400997546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
There&#8217;s a lot to consider in that clip, but really at this point you can&#8217;t be mad at Joy Reid. Everyone knows she is what we may call, politely, a very special person. What&#8217;s kind of remarkable is that everyone else on the panel — people who are extremely partisan, but not clinically insane — just nod along when she makes this claim. She&#8217;s suggesting that a political endorsement by Queen Latifah is so rare and enigmatic that, if a candidate should ever obtain it, then that candidate must be blessed by the gods. That candidate would be destined to win. I guess that makes sense. She is royalty after all.
But that was a moment that should&#8217;ve been a bridge too far, even for an MSNBC panel. For one thing, the premise isn&#8217;t even true. We&#8217;re talking about the same &#8220;Queen Latifah&#8221; who performed at Obama&#8217;s inauguration after telling people to vote for hope and change. And then she did a skit with Kamala Harris just a few months ago at the &#8220;NAACP Image Awards,&#8221; telling everyone to register to vote because otherwise Trump will win. Yes, this is the Queen Latifah that supposedly never gets involved in politics.
But on top of that, even if we pretend Queen Latifah never gets involved in politics, the idea that her endorsement will sway anyone — or that it&#8217;s a sign of a &#8220;flawless campaign&#8221; — suggests that Democrats are suffering from a level of delusion that is truly unprecedented. And that becomes even more apparent when you look at this vaunted Queen Latifah endorsement they&#8217;re talking about. 
She just sits in a chair and, instead of talking about makeup, she reads off some talking points from Kamala Harris&#8217; campaign. Watch:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Today, so much is on the line.
On one hand, we have HIM, a felon, a comfortable liar, an impeached president, a misogynist, and a non-leader who doesn’t care about anyone, but the top 1%&#8230;which excludes over 300M Americans.
And on the other hand, we have HER, Kamala Harris, a… <a href="https://t.co/6EhUwaa2z9">pic.twitter.com/6EhUwaa2z9</a>
&mdash; Queen Latifah (@IAMQUEENLATIFAH) <a href="https://twitter.com/IAMQUEENLATIFAH/status/1853728277447446780?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
One of the many amusing things about this video is the comments section, and how it differs depending on the platform. If you go on Instagram, a lot of the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/queenlatifah/reel/DB-94jSRJtS/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comments</a> are pretty supportive. There&#8217;s people posting heart emojis everywhere, saying it&#8217;s a powerful message, and how Queen Latifah is their hero and so on. One person wrote, &#8220;I’m going to always love you Queen Latifah ! Never change.&#8221;
And then you go on X, and it&#8217;s a completely different scenario. It&#8217;s like stepping out of a country club and into the Vietnam War. The top <a href="https://x.com/hodgetwins/status/1853816198627999886" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comment</a> is, &#8220;Did you go to the Diddy parties too?&#8221; The next <a href="https://x.com/apst_paul_Adams/status/1853752752205111495" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one</a> is, &#8220;How much were you paid?&#8221; And then <a href="https://x.com/VernonForGA/status/1853770039305945296" target="_blank" rel="noopener">there&#8217;s</a>, &#8220;Another weak man for Kamala.&#8221; It&#8217;s just brutal, if also hilarious, and completely justified.
It&#8217;s yet another reason the Left wants to destroy X. People on X generally reflect what&#8217;s going on in the country. But if you spend all your time on Reddit or Instagram, you might end up like Joy Reid. You might have thought Kamala Harris had this in the bag. After all, Queen Latifah&#8217;s on her side, and everyone else on the platform loves it. And then you go on X and everyone&#8217;s wondering how much she was paid.
Now, to be clear, I&#8217;m not saying Queen Latifah was paid for this endorsement. I would never suggest such a thing. But in general, it is worth noting that the Kamala Harris campaign raised something like $1 billion dollars, and they ended the campaign in debt by $20 million dollars. They had $120 million in the bank just a month ago, and now they&#8217;re in the red. And a lot of that money probably did go to some celebrity performances, like the one Megan Thee Stallion did at a Kamala rally. But in any event, it&#8217;s clear that this was a horribly managed campaign in every respect. So it&#8217;s not exactly unthinkable that these people truly thought an endorsement by Queen Latifah would help them win. They really seemed to think that people wanted to see stuff like this.
That would explain why they courted the endorsement of Cardi B, who&#8217;s so illiterate that it actually caused problems for the campaign. Mid-endorsement, her teleprompter went out, so she couldn&#8217;t say anything until someone ran up with a phone containing her prepared statement. Watch:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🔥🚨BREAKING: Rapper Cardi B’s teleprompter broke when she took the stage at Kamala Harris rally in Wisconsin and Cardi had to wait in front of a live audience for over a minute until a stranger brought her a cell phone with a script. This tells you everything you need to know. <a href="https://t.co/kKL7q1lw35">pic.twitter.com/kKL7q1lw35</a>
&mdash; Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) <a href="https://twitter.com/dom_lucre/status/1852543848959905827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
You have to wonder, again, who this is supposed to impress. Even if she had read all of that perfectly, who exactly is supposed to care about this? What demographic are they targeting?
Whatever they were going for, it didn&#8217;t work. Pretty much the only demographic group that Kamala Harris won on Tuesday, according to exit polls, was the same group Joy Reid belongs to: black women. She won by something like 92%. It&#8217;s a two-percent improvement from Joe Biden two years ago. But both of these numbers are actually low, by Democrats&#8217; standards. Obama got more than 95% of the vote from black women. Hillary Clinton got 94%. So if anything, there&#8217;s some evidence that endorsements like this aren&#8217;t really helping, even among Democrats&#8217; most loyal constituency.
The Guardian certainly seems to think there&#8217;s a good chance these endorsements aren&#8217;t helping anywhere. They just ran a big article that explores the question of why all these celebrities, from Bruce Springsteen to George Clooney to Taylor Swift, may have actually been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/nov/06/celebrity-endorsements-didnt-help-kamala-harris-taylor-swift-beyonce">counterproductive</a>: 
<blockquote>A poll from YouGov shortly after [Taylor] Swift’s endorsement found that only 8% of voters would be &#8216;somewhat&#8217; or &#8216;much more&#8217; likely to vote for Harris – with a surprising 20% saying the endorsement actually made them less likely to vote for her.</blockquote>
Yes, as we talked about at the time, Taylor Swift&#8217;s endorsement might have made people less likely to support Kamala Harris. And there&#8217;s evidence this took the Harris campaign by surprise. 
The article also <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/nov/06/celebrity-endorsements-didnt-help-kamala-harris-taylor-swift-beyonce">states</a>:
<blockquote>Back in July, Charli xcx posted a three-word tweet that some commentators thought might help swing the US election. Arriving the day after Kamala Harris announced her bid for the presidency, Charli’s tweet said simply: &#8216;Kamala IS Brat.&#8217; It was a reference to Charli’s latest album, Brat, which had dominated the pop cultural landscape &#8230; The overall meaning was clear: Kamala was the presidential candidate with the most energy and authenticity. &#8230;. The Harris campaign leaned into the endorsement, changing the backdrop of its official X page to the same garish green colour used on the record’s sleeve. &#8230; Yet as the dust settles on an extremely depressing election result, it appears clear that not only did Charli xcx’s tweet have no meaningful impact on the election result, nor did the endorsement of any celebrity.</blockquote>
This was a big problem for Kamala because, to the extent she had a campaign strategy at all, it hinged almost entirely on endorsements. Kamala was endorsed by all of the most famous celebrities in Hollywood and the music industry. It paid off with a crushing and historic defeat. Why might that be?
Unlike the panel on MSNBC, I&#8217;ll answer that question. For one thing, as I mentioned earlier, celebrity endorsements in general aren&#8217;t that effective anymore. But they&#8217;re particularly ineffective right now, when inflation is high and people are struggling to afford essentials. In an economic environment like that, Americans aren&#8217;t particularly interested in sermons from obscenely wealthy entertainers — not that they&#8217;re all that interested even in a good economy.
<h3><a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH&#8217;S &#8216;AM I RACIST?&#8217; NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a></h3>
The other problem is that the power of celebrity in general has been massively watered down in recent years. There are just so many of them that even the biggest ones (like Taylor Swift or Beyonce) don&#8217;t have the kind of culture-changing impact that Michael Jackson or Elvis had decades ago. When a woman can become famous by saying &#8220;Hawk Tuah,&#8221; the whole concept of a &#8220;celebrity&#8221; loses a lot of its luster. 
This has been obvious to everyone for some time, which is why a lot of celebrities have found new ways to endorse products, like those &#8220;reverse endorsement&#8221; deals that I mentioned. But apparently, it wasn&#8217;t obvious to the Kamala Harris campaign. They believed, in all seriousness, that amassing a bunch of these vapid, cookie-cutter endorsements would win them the election. They thought Americans cared so little about substance that they&#8217;d vote for a candidate who can barely articulate a coherent thought, all because of the endorsements of some other morons who also can&#8217;t articulate coherent thoughts. After what happened on Tuesday, there&#8217;s no one — except maybe MSNBC anchors — who seriously thinks that these celebrities have any sway over anyone anymore.

Kamala Harris Campaigns Across Wisconsin In Final Days Of Campaign

Celebrity Endorsements Are Dead, And Kamala Proved It

2024 Election

Beyonce

Celebrity

Derek Jeter

Joy Reid

Matt Walsh

MSNBC

Music Industry

Opinion

Taylor Swift

Nick Searcy fondly recalls the Reagan years and even worked on a documentary detailing the 40th president’s bond with the Soviet Union’s Mikhail Gorbachev titled &#8220;America! America! God Shed His Grace on Thee.&#8221;
He still learned plenty by co-starring in “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dennis-quaids-reagan-loved-by-audiences-hated-by-critics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reagan,</a>” the late summer biopic of the conservative icon.
Dennis Quaid brings The Gipper to life in “Reagan,” now available for purchase at Amazon, iTunes and more platforms. The sweeping biopic starts with Ronald Reagan’s early days and goes through his consequential White House years.
Searcy plays James Baker in the film, Reagan’s Chief of Staff and, later, his Treasury Secretary. The “Justified” alum did his due diligence before stepping on the set, watching as many clips of Baker’s public appearances from that era.
<div id="attachment_815029" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-815029" class="size-large wp-image-815029" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BMDIyODhmNDMtMzJkYy00OTg2LWJmZDctYTEwZWNiMDI5ZjhmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-1024x427.jpg" alt="'Reagan'. MJM Entertainment. Rawhide Pictures. " width="1024" height="427" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BMDIyODhmNDMtMzJkYy00OTg2LWJmZDctYTEwZWNiMDI5ZjhmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-1024x427.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BMDIyODhmNDMtMzJkYy00OTg2LWJmZDctYTEwZWNiMDI5ZjhmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-300x125.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BMDIyODhmNDMtMzJkYy00OTg2LWJmZDctYTEwZWNiMDI5ZjhmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-768x320.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BMDIyODhmNDMtMzJkYy00OTg2LWJmZDctYTEwZWNiMDI5ZjhmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-1536x640.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BMDIyODhmNDMtMzJkYy00OTg2LWJmZDctYTEwZWNiMDI5ZjhmXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />&#8216;Reagan&#8217;. MJM Entertainment. Rawhide Pictures.</div>
Searcy learned why Reagan chose Baker in the first place. Baker had opposed Reagan in the 1980 presidential campaign, aligning with his future vice president, George H. W. Bush.
“Reagan saw him as being such a good negotiator and diplomat,” Searcy says, noting his differences with his on-screen character. “I’m a bit more of an ideologue than he was,” he adds with a chuckle.
The actor didn’t know as much about Reagan’s life before becoming the country’s 40th president. “Reagan” fills in those blanks, from his transition from Hollywood to politics to his days as president of the Screen Actors Guild.
The leader’s political ascent is the film’s focus, but “Reagan” is as much a love story as a look at one of the country’s most formidable politicians (Consider the term “Reagan Democrats” as just one example of his impact).
Penelope Ann Miller stands by Quaid’s side as Nancy Reagan, part of a Beltway power couple that changed the course of history.
You might not grasp Reagan’s role in the Cold War’s demise and “Morning in America” if you followed the Hollywood narrative, the actor maintains.
Searcy says the industry’s take on Reagan has been “mostly negative,” including a controversial 2003 Showtime miniseries blasted by the president’s defenders for several key scenes. One sequence causes sizable outcry – James Brolin’s Reagan says of gay AIDS sufferers, &#8220;They that live in sin shall die in sin.&#8221;
Reagan never uttered such a dehumanizing phrase.
“Reagan,” Searcy says, “corrects the image of Reagan that the Hollywood Left was perpetrating,” that of a “doddering old fool who wanted nuclear war.”
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-815097 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BOTE4YzdiOGQtMzNjOS00MTY3LWJhNTYtOGEzZmIxYTVkMDVkXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BOTE4YzdiOGQtMzNjOS00MTY3LWJhNTYtOGEzZmIxYTVkMDVkXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BOTE4YzdiOGQtMzNjOS00MTY3LWJhNTYtOGEzZmIxYTVkMDVkXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BOTE4YzdiOGQtMzNjOS00MTY3LWJhNTYtOGEzZmIxYTVkMDVkXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BOTE4YzdiOGQtMzNjOS00MTY3LWJhNTYtOGEzZmIxYTVkMDVkXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MV5BOTE4YzdiOGQtMzNjOS00MTY3LWJhNTYtOGEzZmIxYTVkMDVkXkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
The actor adds another reason why the film’s 2024 release matters. MAGA nation may not understand how much the Left loathed President Reagan long before a certain real estate mogul joined the political fray in 2015.
“Everyone seems to think Trump is some unique person who deserves to be hated,” he says.
Searcy is one of a handful of openly conservative actors, and he’s maintained a steady career despite the industry’s aversion to Right-leaning talent. He’s recently been joined by both Quaid and “Shazam!” star Zachary Levi. Both endorsed Trump in recent weeks, with Levi admitting the decision could be “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/actor-zachary-levi-endorses-trump-we-are-going-to-take-back-this-country">career suicide</a>.”
Searcy thinks he knows why they’re speaking out now.
“People see the situation a little more clearly now and what’s at stake &#8230; what good is it if you hang onto your career but you lose your country,” he says.
He posits another reason for mainstream stars to pick a side.
“Hollywood is losing its position as the center of the entertainment universe,” he says, noting how many productions have fled for Canada and tax-friendly states with lower costs of living.
The Hollywood Reporter <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/judd-apatow-film-tv-production-california-1236033941/">confirmed the actor’s concerns:</a>
<blockquote>Shooting days slipped 5 percent over a three-month period from July to September to 5,048, marking the weakest quarter of 2024, and every category of scripted production lags behind five-year averages on both a per-quarter and year-to-date basis.</blockquote>
That’s not the only change allowing Right-leaning stars to speak their minds.
Searcy notes new distribution companies, like SDG Releasing which handled the Daily Wire’s “<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Am I Racist?</a>” or ShowBiz Direct distributing “Reagan” and a possible new <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-media-announces-release-truth-123000766.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAAYvUMT0AIK9THCiUNaW-hryhWZR1fZKbuWoXlA6zl8n6Sx_-fI31nL_WfT9g6tdSwjBLNF7or2Iix1zMT446igZJYc6jz-3ZHSJg8v4w3jibcJAWkHgSzq7-8Hjpm7TPW6CwVDNvOTHFH-OVtViuxxd44E5lQEM_2huTJGEbnn4">streaming platform</a> from Team Trump, Truth+.
“The infrastructure is being built. We don’t have to suck up to the Hollywood Left anymore,” he says.
<div id="attachment_396198" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-396198" class="size-large wp-image-396198" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Nick-Searcy_Carano-864x576.jpg" alt="Gina Carano “Terror On The Prairie” Premiere Nashville, Tennessee." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Nick-Searcy_Carano-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Nick-Searcy_Carano-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Nick-Searcy_Carano-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/Nick-Searcy_Carano.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Photo: Dana Commandatore/ The Daily Wire</div>
For now, Searcy nimbly dances between mainstream Hollywood projects (“The Shape of Water,” Netflix’s “The Perfect Couple”) and indie fare (“Terror on the Prairie,” “The Old Way”). He also produces Right-leaning documentaries like “Capitol Punishment.”
That’s all while holding nothing back on X via @yesnicksearcy.
“I hope people see that and take courage in it,” he says, understanding he’s likely lost work for his outspoken views.
His political musings have opened up new creative doors. Consider his appearances in the last two Dinesh D’Souza films (“Police State” and “Vindicating Trump”). He also signed a deal with a Nashville-based company to direct and co-write a passion project about a gospel quartet in the 1960s.
“There is a certain gratification in following your heart and doing what you believe in and letting the chips fall where they may,” he says.
Ironically, Hollywood did have plans for a different “Reagan” biopic in recent years, but it was nothing like what Searcy and Quaid delivered with their movie. The 2016 project, hatched from a Blacklist screenplay, cast Will Ferrell as a dementia-addled leader in a satirical comedy.
<h3><a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH&#8217;S &#8216;AM I RACIST?&#8217; COMING TO DAILYWIRE+ OCT. 28</a></h3>
The project received a flood of <a href="https://variety.com/2016/film/news/will-ferrell-ronald-reagan-movie-controversy-1201763542/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">furious blowback</a>, including from two of Reagan’s adult children Michael Reagan and Patti Davis. That effectively shuttled any plans to bring it to the big screen.
Searcy wasn’t aware of that proposed film, but he wasn’t surprised to hear about it.
“That’s how the Left in Hollywood uses the [film] medium … it’s evolved from a storytelling medium to a way for them to attack their political opponents,” he says. “I’m waiting for a movie about how feeble Biden was.”
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://x.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@HollywoodInToto</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Menu