Kid Rock credits President Donald Trump with helping to rid the nation of cancel culture, wokeness, and pervasive DEI initiatives.
The 54-year-old recording artist, who has been a fervent supporter of Trump for years, made the remarks while speaking with <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/kid-rock-hails-trump-dragon-slayer-battling-wokeness-cancel-culture">Fox News Digital</a> on Friday at his &#8220;Rock N Rodeo&#8221; event in Texas.
&#8220;I think wokeness and DEI and cancel culture is starting to exit the building, and we can thank President Trump for leading that charge once again. I call him the dragon slayer in that regard, &#8216;cuz he just came and slit the throat of DEI and wokeness,&#8221; Kid Rock told the outlet.
&#8220;There&#8217;s always gonna be cancel culture at some level, somebody getting butt sore about this, wants to protest and not buy a product or whatever. You know, me personally, I&#8217;m not into seeing people lose their jobs over some corporate decision that was made,” he continued, before referencing one of the most successful boycotts by conservatives in history.
&#8220;But sometimes there needs [to be] a little spanking there, like Bud Light had from me and some other people, but at the end of the day, we forgave them, said, ‘It&#8217;s all good. Let&#8217;s get back on track.’&#8221; 
The “Born Free” singer next described his vision for America. 
&#8220;I do think it&#8217;s exiting the building right now, and hopefully it stays gone, but we should be a merit-based system. The best and hardworking rises to the top. I don&#8217;t know how we got here, because to me, that&#8217;s just common sense, that&#8217;s just the ultimate, highest level of common sense that just the best and the hardest workers rise to the top. It doesn&#8217;t matter, anything else,&#8221; he told the outlet.
Kid Rock also called Trump the “greatest president ever.” 
&#8220;My thoughts on President Trump&#8217;s presidency: greatest president ever. I can sum it up like that. Not only because of our friendship and all the laughs we share on the golf course or hanging out at UFC fights or whatever it might be, but just the tenacity this man has. You know, the most resilient,&#8221; he said.
Just after the inauguration, Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, talked about a major shift in the entertainment industry as mainstream artists like Carrie Underwood and Snoop Dogg were willing to associate themselves with Trump. 
“It feels like the rebirth of our nation,” the singer said at the time, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kid-rock-reflects-on-mainstream-celebrities-associating-with-trump-americas-back?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Kid+Rock+Reflects+On+Mainstream+Celebrities+Associating+With+Trump%3A+%E2%80%98America%E2%80%99s+Back%E2%80%99">reported</a>. 
“There’s just this overwhelming sense … you’ve heard it a million times, that America’s back,” he added. “Now they feel it’s safe to go in the water after dipping their toe in it for four to eight years,” Ritchie said. “I mean, welcome to the party, like I’ve said. Better to have them on board than not.”
In April, Kid Rock helped set up a dinner with Trump, UFC CEO Dana White, and liberal podcast host Bill Maher. He <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kid-rock-trump-meeting-bill-maher?author=Daniel+Chaitin&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Kid+Rock+Dishes+On+Trump%E2%80%99s+Meeting+With+Bill+Maher%3A+%E2%80%98Everybody%E2%80%99s+Mind+Was+Kind+Of+Blown%E2%80%99">described</a> the meeting as “so pleasant,” saying, “everybody’s mind was kind of blown.”

Kid Rock and Donald Trump

Kid Rock Dubs Trump The ‘Dragon Slayer’ Of Wokeness

Kid Rock Dubs President Trump The 'Dragon Slayer' Of Wokeness, DEI Culture

Cancel Culture

Celebrities

Donald Trump

Entertainment

Executive

Kid Rock

U.S.

Wokeness

We&#8217;re at the point where pretty much every square-inch of the Shiloh Hendrix racial slur controversy has been debated and overanalyzed ad nauseam. It&#8217;s an n-bomb that, we&#8217;re told, rivals the destructive power of anything we dropped on Hiroshima or Nagasaki. But despite all of the coverage, probably the single most important aspect of the story — which is how exactly Minnesota woman Shiloh Hendrix ended up in a playground with two individuals &#8220;of Somali heritage&#8221; in the first place — still hasn&#8217;t been widely discussed. And that&#8217;s too bad, because that&#8217;s the part of the story that elevates it beyond a discussion about Shiloh Hendrix and language policing. It&#8217;s a question that has significant relevance to every American citizen. So it&#8217;s worth asking: Why exactly were those two individuals 8,000 miles away from Somalia?  And what are so many Somalis doing in this country, and in particular in Minnesota?
We&#8217;ll start with the specific location of this now-infamous incident, the city of Rochester. Rochester is the third-most populous city in the state of Minnesota. It originated as a humble stagecoach stop for travellers between St. Paul and Iowa before a part-time farmer and surgeon named William Mayo put the town on the map. During the Civil War, Mayo (who was born in England) moved to Rochester and began examining draftees to the Union army. Within a few years, he established what would become the Mayo Clinic — which now consistently ranks as the best hospital in the country, if not the world. Rochester, in other words, is an example of American excellence. To the extent that foreign nationals moved into Rochester, like William Mayo, it was to make the city a much better place for everyone.
But somewhere along the way, starting in the past few decades, the people running the state of Minnesota, including Tim Walz, decided to import a large group of people — not to improve the lives of American citizens in Rochester, but to secure a new and very loyal constituency. In particular, tens of thousands of refugees from the African nation of Somalia began pouring into the state, and many of them settled in Rochester. In fact, so many Somalis have now settled in Rochester that the city recently opened an entire community center just for them. Watch:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="001 somali nonprofit" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0V0Glp0CFPI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
When William Mayo moved into Rochester, of course, he didn&#8217;t demand a community center for British citizens. He didn&#8217;t call for a segregated location where they could talk among themselves, away from those dastardly Americans. And he certainly didn&#8217;t start some fake &#8220;nonprofit&#8221; to do so, in order to secure a lot of taxpayer money and some write-offs. Instead, he did something productive. He built a medical practice that benefited the entire community and ultimately the entire world.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mws-ep-1591-member-exclusive?elementPosition=0&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=The+Matt+Walsh+Show&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Carousel">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h3>
But that&#8217;s not remotely what Rochester&#8217;s Somali population is interested in doing. Instead, they&#8217;ve created a web of nonprofits, to the point that every single news report involving Somalis in Rochester will inevitably mention a nonprofit at one point.
Here&#8217;s yet another example. This is a news report in which Somalis in Rochester celebrate their own country&#8217;s independence — not America&#8217;s independence, but Somalia&#8217;s independence. Watch:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="002 somali independence" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VNx_gtGROJg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Minnesota is the &#8220;Second home&#8221; of Somalis, as you just heard. Therefore, they have their own independence day and their own soccer championship. They host events for their own country because they understand, very well, that they aren&#8217;t part of the United States. And they don&#8217;t want to be.
Instead, the Somali population of Minnesota has committed itself to defrauding this country at every available opportunity. They have imported every bit of the corruption and wide-scale fraud that has destroyed Somalia.
In 2022, prosecutors announced <a href="https://x.com/siegfriedmuell/status/1918865673792418239">federal charges</a> against dozens of defendants who ripped off a federally-funded child nutrition program during the pandemic, to the tune of 250 million dollars. They claimed they served meals, and then they didn&#8217;t actually serve them. We&#8217;re talking about more than <a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/05/23/somali-nonprofit-got-a-million-dollar-cut-from-feeding-our-future-prosecutors-say/">70 defendants</a> here, and most of them were Somalis.
As the <a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/05/23/somali-nonprofit-got-a-million-dollar-cut-from-feeding-our-future-prosecutors-say/">Minnesota Reformer</a> states:
<blockquote>A dizzying array of nonprofits were created or revived to participate in a U.S. Department of Agriculture program to provide free meals to children during the pandemic. &#8230; Two Minnesota nonprofits are at the center of the case — Feeding Our Future and Partners in Nutrition — in what prosecutors say was the nation’s biggest pandemic relief fraud.  &#8230;  An FBI forensic accountant testified Wednesday that the largest food distribution site out of the 50 sites connected to the defendants was at the Dar Al-Farooq mosque in Bloomington, where they claimed to serve 1.9 million meals in 2021, for $4.9 million in reimbursement.</blockquote>
This fraud, unsurprisingly, was apparently enabled by Democrats in the Minnesota legislature.
As the outlet <a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/05/23/somali-nonprofit-got-a-million-dollar-cut-from-feeding-our-future-prosecutors-say/">reports</a>:
<blockquote>Rep. Hodan Hassan withdrew two bills that would’ve given the [Somali nonprofit called &#8220;Somali Community Resettlement Services&#8221;] a total of $6.5 million in grants. &#8230; Evidence prepared for the federal trial linked the nonprofit to the Feeding Our Future case. &#8230; It sponsored eight distribution sites in Minnesota cities where the defendants claimed to serve thousands of meals and snacks daily in 2020 and 2021, for which it was reimbursed over $2.9 million. Of that, the Somali nonprofit paid the defendants and their various entities purporting to be serving meals $1.83 million, meaning it kept nearly $1.1 million.</blockquote>
In other words, the Somali population of Minnesota isn&#8217;t just ripping off American taxpayers. They&#8217;re electing corrupt representatives who are helping facilitate the fraud, one way or another. To be clear, unpacking all of the various fraudulent operations at work here would take about five years, so I&#8217;m not going to attempt it. Instead I&#8217;ll focus on one aspect of this story, which really highlights the comical and absurd level of corruption at work here.
During one of these trials, some of the defendants hatch a plan to bribe a juror with $200,000. They decide to just drop it at the juror&#8217;s front door, along with a note explaining that it&#8217;s a bribe. So it&#8217;s not the most subtle operation. But then a funny thing happens. As the courier is taking the money to the juror&#8217;s front porch, she skims $80,000 from the bribe money and keeps it for herself, without telling her co-conspirators. 
So even the Somalis are scamming other Somalis here. Watch:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="003 bribe Feeding our Future juror" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gPQKARM4e9M?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
You have to imagine this kind of thing happens constantly in Somalia, and in places like Rochester. Bribery is a common part of the culture in Africa. I’ll never forget landing in the airport in Nairobi a few years ago and having officials at the airport demand a bribe like 5 minutes after we got off the plane. If you drive anywhere in these African countries, it&#8217;s recommended that you have cash on you to pay bribes to the cops in case you get stopped. Like I said, it&#8217;s part of the culture there. And now it&#8217;s part of the culture in Minnesota. Whenever fraudsters are extremely brazen about their crimes, it usually means that they&#8217;ve done it many, many times before without any consequences. In this case, they just happened to run into a juror with a basic sense of morality. And of course, even when they&#8217;re caught, they&#8217;re totally shameless about it. Calling this an endemic problem would be a major understatement.
On Reddit, just to emphasize the point, there&#8217;s a <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Somalia/comments/124x9l9/question_on_possibly_moving_to_mn/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">topic</a> called: &#8220;Question on possibly moving to Minnesota.&#8221;
Here&#8217;s the question: &#8220;Salaam my brothers and sisters. Thinking about moving to Rochester, Minnesota for a job, is there a large Somali community there?&#8221;
And here&#8217;s one of the top-rated replies: &#8220;From what I understand there is a fairly large Somali community in Rochester. The community is tight knit from what I hear, they’ll even cut you in on their latest scams. Best of luck!&#8221;
One of the reasons this fraud is so prevalent — other than the fact that many Somalis, like Ilhan Omar, despise this country — is that they don&#8217;t have the capacity to do anything else. Something like 54% of Somalis in Minnesota are <a href="https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/immigration/2018/02/24/state-demographer-offers-some-context-somali-refugee-poverty-numbers/370507002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">below</a> the poverty line, compared to 12% of people living in Minnesota overall. Roughly 65% of Somali children live in poverty. The numbers are similar in the UK, where 72% of Somalis live in socialized housing, even though they only make up 16% of the population. There isn&#8217;t a single Western society on Earth that&#8217;s been improved by importing large quantities of Somalis, and the lives of these Somalis aren&#8217;t really improving that much either. They&#8217;re simply bringing corruption, violence and poverty wherever they go.
And they were apparently bringing some antisocial behavior to the playground in Rochester, if Shiloh Hendrix&#8217;s version of events is true. As she put it, a black child, reportedly of &#8220;Somali heritage,&#8221; tried to take items from her bag. Then, after calling the black child a slur in some manner, Hendrix was accosted by a Somali man who&#8217;s completely unrelated to the black child. And that Somali man, as we discussed the other day, has a history of sexual assault allegations that were later dropped in court.
From Shiloh Hendrix&#8217;s perspective, let&#8217;s recap: She wanted to enjoy a day at the park with her child in Rochester. But she couldn&#8217;t enjoy it because, like so many other cities in Minnesota, Rochester has deliberately imported a lot of third-world behavior. Put aside whether she&#8217;s a good person or a bad person, or whether she used a bad word. Instead, put what happened in context. Consider the fact that Minnesota&#8217;s &#8220;Cedar Riverside&#8221; neighborhood has been nicknamed &#8220;Little Mogadishu&#8221; because there&#8217;s so many Somali migrants flooding in. And then consider the fact that Little Mogadishu has seen a 56% increase in violent crime from 2010 to 2018, right when the Somali population was surging. Imagine living through this. Imagine that the local parks — which were once a point of pride for Rochester — are now full of people who are incapable of behaving like they belong in civilization. How exactly would you respond in that scenario?
You&#8217;d probably be exasperated. You might even say something naughty on camera. But if you did say, it really wouldn&#8217;t serve any purpose to blame you. It&#8217;d be like blaming a driver if he crashes in a poorly-designed intersection. Yes, the driver made a mistake. But the real problem, which the government engineered, is what actually needs to be addressed. In the case of Shiloh Hendrix, that&#8217;s not happening.
After my commentary the other day, in which I voiced my support for Hendrix&#8217;s fundraiser as a way of dealing a death blow to cancel culture, I&#8217;ve been accused of belonging to the so-called &#8220;woke right,&#8221; or using &#8220;third rail tactics&#8221; that are typical of the &#8220;woke right.&#8221; No one&#8217;s ever explained what exactly any of these terms mean, or how a monologue in which I explicitly condemned cancel culture could be described as &#8220;woke&#8221; in any meaningful way.
But the point of these allegations about the &#8220;woke right&#8221; isn&#8217;t to make sense. The point is to derail the conversation, so that everyone&#8217;s talking about labels and meta-analysis, instead of Shiloh Hendrix and what&#8217;s happened to cities like Rochester. Without much fanfare, large portions of this country have been converted into miniature versions of Somalia. You can see the evidence everywhere — from community centers to parks to playgrounds.
And if you really want to understand the Shiloh Hendrix story, which not many people do, then you can start by explaining to her — and everyone else in Rochester — what exactly two individuals of &#8220;Somali heritage&#8221; were doing in that playground in the first place. Why exactly are we importing Somalians into this country en masse? In what way has it improved American society? That’s a fair question. It&#8217;s also a forbidden one. Just like it&#8217;s forbidden to state the obvious here: nobody wants to live in a community overrun with Somalian immigrants. If you had a choice to live in a community where 60% of the population is Somalian, or one where zero percent is Somalian, you would choose the latter. Every single person would. And we all know it.
What&#8217;s more, if you had a choice between living next door to Shiloh Hendrix, or living next door to the Somalian accused child abuser who was filming her, you&#8217;d choose Shiloh every time. Every single person would. And we all know it.
So then why are we doing this? Why are going out of our way to make our communities in this country resemble the worst and most dysfunctional countries on the planet? Can you explain that? If you can’t, then you have no business telling anyone who has to live amid this dysfunction what they can and can’t say. Whether that makes me a member of the &#8220;woke right&#8221; or not, I don&#8217;t really care. It&#8217;s true — and everyone living in places like Rochester knows it very well.

MixCollage-07-May-2025-05-01-PM-2270

The Part Of The Shiloh Hendrix Case No One Wants To Talk About

Immigrants

Matt Walsh

Minnesota

Opinion

Rochester

Somalia

Tim Walz

I want to define cancel culture because I think people are equating many different things that are not cancel culture.
If you cancel or criticize someone, for example, that is not a legal ban on their behavior; that is social ostracization; sanction for behavior or opinion. Not legal sanction, not banning people, not trying to jail people, just people not wanting to hang out with you.
Cancellation can range from people criticizing you to people wanting to not hang out with you, to people firing you, to people deciding no one can hire you. It’s a whole range of activity.
There are basically three generalized perspectives on cancel culture. 
One: Any violation of any taboo ought to be treated with the harshest possible measure of cancellation, ruining people&#8217;s lives for any level of rhetorical transgression. 
Two: No one should ever be canceled for any reason. So no criticism, no social ostracization, no calling out, nothing. You can say whatever you want and there will be no consequences.
Three: the more moderate, complex and true perspective, which is that some behaviors or opinions are genuinely disgusting and should receive social sanction and other behavior should not. The level of forgiveness and social sanction ought to vary, because you might be talking about whether you want to have dinner with somebody or you might be talking about whether someone should be able to hold a job — which is much, much harsher — or you might be talking about whether or not you want somebody in your school.
The problem with the first perspective is that it is censorious. It prevents useful conversations from happening. It&#8217;s unforgiving, it&#8217;s uncharitable. For roughly 20 years in this country we saw people being canceled, socially ostracized, losing jobs, losing career opportunities, or being destroyed for correct opinions such as “Men are not women” or for saying a word in Mandarin that sounded like the N-word. Social media mobs were activated in order to destroy people who violated any taboo. The lines were bright, and if you crossed the line, you were destroyed.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2194-member-exclusive?elementPosition=2&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
This led to a reactionary response, which moved to perspective number two, that cancellation should never happen. No criticism, no social sanction, that criticism is never, ever the answer, which is where we are now.
The problem with this perspective is that if there is never any social sanction or criticism or ostracization for bad behavior or terrible opinion, that&#8217;s moral relativism, in which the ugliest opinions and expressions are supposed to be given equal credibility with decent or even controversial but useful opinions.
The real answer in a normal society would be number three: Sometimes people deserve the social consequences for what they do. Not always, but sometimes. And the social consequences can vary. They aren&#8217;t irrevocable. In certain circumstances, forgiveness could be possible.
For example, in the normal world, you don&#8217;t have a duty as a business owner to hire or to have dinner with someone who shouts the N-word at children or who says that white people are colonizers and evil.
But in that normal world, it would be a bad thing to do to post that person&#8217;s address online so people can go to their house and harass them.
In the real world, you have every right to avoid buying a Bud Light because the company claimed that men can be women. Or you don&#8217;t want to engage with a company that says the police are systemically racist.
But you also shouldn&#8217;t go to the home of the CEO and threaten to burn down his house.
The informal standards of the social fabric used to work well because most issues remained personal. But social media has made everything worse because now there&#8217;s always a mob waiting to form.
That’s all social media is: a mob waiting to form around an issue, just like white blood cells in your immune system waiting for something to attack.
Mobs form to destroy people. And so we are all forced to decide on the spot whether we think a person is bad or good, hero or villain, deserving of shame or support.
The biggest issue is that we have lost the boundaries of what is informal or acceptable debate. We&#8217;re descending into a world of either total cancellation for everyone with whom we disagree or total support for bad behavior in order to fight total cancellation.
Here’s the point: these two perspectives are mutually reinforcing. The moral relativism of “There should be no social consequences or criticism for anything” leads people who don&#8217;t like the stuff that&#8217;s being said to call for more social consequences, which leads to more reactionary moral relativism, which leads to more social consequences, and back and forth until the end of time.
We should totally oppose obviously inappropriate cancellation; we should allow forgiveness where appropriate. People should ask for forgiveness and we should give it to them.
The bottom line is that if we are going to share a society together, a social fabric does require a more nuanced view of how we treat the things that we don&#8217;t like. And that nuanced view can&#8217;t just be “cancel everyone” or “cancel no one.”
As our common moral standards degrade, our society is going to continue to fall apart through a sort of reactionary cycling between the “cancel everyone” side and the “cancel no one” side.
Unless we find a better way to communicate.

Cancel culture, words in city and social media opinion, silence freedom of speech and message. Text, censorship and mockup with overlay, call out or banner internet for online bullying in society

Between Mob Justice And Moral Relativism: Rethinking Cancel Culture

Ben Shapiro

Blacks

Racism

Social Issues

Social Media

White Supremacy

ESPN host Stephen A. Smith, who is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/espn-host-stephen-smith-consider-run-president" target="_blank" rel="noopener">considering</a> a run for the presidency in 2028, said on Sunday that he believes the Democratic Party needs to be &#8220;purged&#8221; of its far-left tendencies before he would associate with it as a candidate.
CNN&#8217;s Jake Tapper asked Smith on this Sunday&#8217;s <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/04/politics/video/sotu-jake-tapper-interviews-stphen-a-smith-on-potential-presidentila-bid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">episode</a> of &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; whether he would run for the White House as a Democrat.
&#8220;You know what? I&#8217;m an independent. I&#8217;m a registered independent. I would lean — who leans left. I&#8217;m fiscally conservative when it comes to my money. I&#8217;m socially liberal. I&#8217;m liberal when it comes to social issues pretty much across the board. I believe in living and let living,&#8221; Smith said.
&#8220;So I&#8217;m a moderate,&#8221; he went on. &#8220;And I would say, if I had to run, it would be as a Democrat, but I&#8217;m not happy with the Democratic Party. So the Democratic Party, as presently constructed, it would pretty much need to be purged in order for me to assume that I would want to be associated with them and I would garner their support, because I don&#8217;t like the way they have gone about doing a lot of things for a very, very long period of time.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/stephenasmith?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@stephenasmith</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/jaketapper?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jaketapper</a> on potential 2028 bid: “I would say, if I had to run, it would be as a Democrat, but I&#8217;m not happy with the Democratic Party. So the Democratic Party, as presently constructed, it would pretty much need to be purged in order for me to assume that I… <a href="https://t.co/vgYrvfV2cH">pic.twitter.com/vgYrvfV2cH</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1919041686136561801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Smith added: &#8220;And I think that I don&#8217;t view Donald Trump as winning the election. I view the Democrats as losing the election, as absolutely, positively blowing it with some of their actions. And that&#8217;s why I think that, again, if somebody was to associate me with that, the party, as presently constructed, where it leans so extremely left, or at least has spent the vast majority of time doing that, oh, that is not something that I would vibe with at all. I would definitely be looking to be a game changer in that regard.&#8221;
When pressed by Tapper, Smith said that he would not name anyone he thinks should be &#8220;purged,&#8221; but the media personality did take aim at the &#8220;extreme left&#8221; of the party.
&#8220;We know how they go about operating. We know what we lean towards when it came to open borders. We know that the spending was excessive, even though it&#8217;s excessive on the Republican side as well. I think a $37 trillion budget, when Republicans try to act like it&#8217;s just the Democrats, that&#8217;s not true. But the Democrats certainly shouldn&#8217;t be absolved from blame in that regard,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;Certainly, with identity politics, woke culture, cancel culture, I thought that that was something that ravaged our nation psychologically, because you had people literally scared they were going to lose their jobs if they pronounced the wrong pronoun, for crying out loud,&#8221; Smith continued. &#8220;It got that bad.&#8221;
Smith said he believes the focus on &#8220;the individual&#8221; rather than &#8220;actual policies&#8221; is one reason why Trump won a second term.
&#8220;I&#8217;m talking about what they preached and what they talked to the American people about more so than what they&#8217;re doing. The kind of messages that they were disseminating was incredibly uncomfortable to listen to and to hear,&#8221; Smith said.
&#8220;And I thought that it wasn&#8217;t emblematic of what most Americans are thinking about. They&#8217;re trying to pay their mortgages, rent, buy food and groceries, pay gas and deal with the prices, the cost of living. And they want safety in the streets. That&#8217;s primarily what most American citizens are about, trying to live in peace and harmony,&#8221; he added.  &#8220;And that&#8217;s not something that I think either side has promoted along the way. And that&#8217;s why I think the state of the nation is what it is at this particular moment in time.&#8221;

Stephen A. Smith

Stephen A. Smith Refuses To Associate With ‘Extreme Left’ Of Democratic Party

Democratic Party

Democrats

Identity Politics

Politics

Woke Culture

‘Cancelations are Canceled’: Science Fiction Competition Tries To Cancel Author, Sees Backlash

Fiction

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

actors

California

Hollywood

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/washington-commanders">Washington Commanders</a> managing partner Josh Harris and the NFL Commanders ownership group have agreed to un-cancel the Redskins (the iconic Blackfoot chief logo) history.
In a post on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SteveDainesMT/">Facebook</a> by Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines, the Congressman wrote that “The censorship of the former Commanders logo was a classic case of woke gone wrong. I applaud the Commanders &amp; the NFL for their commitment to never censor the logo again.”
“And for working with the [Walter ‘Blackie’] Wetzel family to restore the logo to a place of prominence and honor to benefit Indian Country,” he added <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/11/24/opinion/un-erasing-redskins-history-one-small-defeat-for-americas-woke-stalinists/">mentioning</a> the “Native American artist who used Blackfoot chief John Two Guns White Calf as the inspiration for the logo the NFL team used for almost 50 years.&#8221;
In 2020, the team announced it was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/redskins-cave-announce-thorough-review-of-name-here-are-the-top-suggestions">removing Redskins</a> from its name and two years later announced the national professional football team would be called the Washington Commanders.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/washington-redskins-cant-return-to-dc-unless-they-change-their-name-officials-say">name change came</a> about from pressure from the cancel culture mob following the death of George Floyd and those who claimed that the term was racist and offensive to Native Americans.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨BREAKING: IT APPEARS DISCUSSIONS ARE UNDERWAY ABOUT THE <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COMMANDERS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COMMANDERS</a> POTENTIALLY USING THE REDSKINS’ OLD LOGO.
🤯
Senator Steve Daines says that the proceeds would go to help benefit the tribe.
Washington fans have been pushing for this to happen…<a href="https://t.co/bHTbGVLZWV">pic.twitter.com/bHTbGVLZWV</a>
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/_MLFootball/status/1860042619218461178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
Speaking to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SteveDainesMT/videos/1545483619422825">Fox News</a>, Daines called out the “irony” that the woke mob was “canceling Native American culture, as in the DEI [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion] movement went way too far.”
Earlier this year, a local D.C. news station came under fire when it was revealed that it was blurring or removing the logo in archival footage and photographs of the team, <a href="https://www.tampafp.com/d-c-area-tv-station-under-fire-for-censoring-former-washington-redskins-logo/">Tampa Free Press</a> noted. And in February, the NFL censored the logo on its X account when honoring previous Super Bowl winners, Daines noted during his remarks on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SteveDainesMT/videos/921539389496459">Senate floor</a>. He also pointed out that the team had been selling a shirt that also blocked the logo. 
Daines has said he would approve legislation for the building of a new stadium for the Commanders, as long as the team agreed to never censor the logo again or degrade it. That includes the team using the logo again in some shape or form, ie. in historical images, videos, merchandise, even using the logo if the team should want to use it throwback game jersey, etc., the <a href="https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/after-blackfeet-logo-assurances-sen-daines-supports-rfk-stadium-bill-in-d-c/article_9d6d241c-a69f-11ef-aafd-779069e826a6.html">Bozeman Daily Chronicle</a> noted.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
Un-erasing the logo would also mean that if Wetzel wanted to use the logo in a throwback uniform, or something created to be posted in the stadium, etc. he could, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SteveDainesMT/videos/1490727504903229">Fox News</a> noted.
Wetzel&#8217;s grandson Ryan Wetzel said that he feels good that a plan will come about to honor his grandfather&#8217;s legacy, the <a href="https://dailymontanan.com/2024/11/19/daines-says-dc-can-move-ahead-with-football-plans-after-pledging-to-honor-logo-with-blackfeet-ties/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Montanan</a> reported.
“It’s exciting to even have that conversation after they said it (the logo) would be gone forever,” Wetzel said.
Following what the Senator called <a href="https://dailymontanan.com/2024/11/19/daines-says-dc-can-move-ahead-with-football-plans-after-pledging-to-honor-logo-with-blackfeet-ties/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">good faith talks with the league</a>, he was &#8220;proud to say, after speaking with my constituents, that they are satisfied with the ongoing negotiations with the team and feel optimistic about the direction that they are heading. Therefore, I will support the bill and vote in favor of its passage out of committee with the condition that the team follows through on the commitments made to the family.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/native-american-group-threatens-national-boycott-if-washington-football-team-doesnt-change-name-back-to-redskins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Native American Group Threatens National Boycott If Washington Football Team Doesn’t Change Name Back To ‘Redskins’</a>

NFL: SEP 13 Eagles at Washington Football Team

Washington Commanders Agree To Un-Cancel Redskins Logo

Commanders

Football

Redskins

Sports

Washington D.C.

A Minnesota hospital issued a profuse apology to staff after failing to abide by its &#8220;values of respect and justice&#8221; — by giving out free Chick-fil-A.
Essentia Health in Duluth wrote to staff last Tuesday after staff clucked about the free sandwiches available in the St. Mary&#8217;s Medical Center&#8217;s <a href="https://www.essentiahealth.org/find-facility/essentia-health-st-marys-medical-center-duluth-building-b/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">atrium</a> earlier that day.
&#8220;We have received feedback from some colleagues who were concerned or offended by this occurrence, and we value colleagues feeling comfortable expressing their reservations,&#8221; Tammy Kritzer, senior vice president for regional operations at Essentia Health wrote in an email to medical staff that was obtained by The Daily Wire.
&#8220;We would like to thank our colleagues who had the courage to speak up to widen our lens of inclusivity, and we appreciate all colleagues continuing to live our values of respect and justice,&#8221; Kritzer wrote.
Chick-fil-A has drawn the ire of LGBT activists over the years, who have boycotted and staged protests over the company <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/chick-fil-a-anti-lgbtq-donations-tax-filings-62ca15281f17/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">donating</a> to groups like the Salvation Army, which activists claim has &#8220;a record of anti-LGBTQ discrimination.&#8221; In fact, the company <a href="https://www.chick-fil-a.com/dei" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emphasizes</a> that it &#8220;values diversity, equity and inclusion&#8221; and does not discriminate or tolerate harassment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The hospital distanced itself from Chick-fil-A in the email, writing that the free lunch was &#8220;not intended to endorse a business or business practices,&#8221; the email said.
<div dir="ltr">
&#8220;We respect all we are honored to serve and employ, and situations such as these are an important reminder to consider all viewpoints. As we strive to be thoughtful and inclusive as an organization, we will have learnings along the way,&#8221; the email read.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
&#8220;In the words of Maya Angelou, when we know better, we do better,&#8221; the email concluded. &#8220;Thank you for giving us grace, as we work to be better, together,&#8221; the email read.
Some cities have<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/chick-fil-banned-second-airport-two-weeks-n991016"> prevented</a> Chick-fil-A from opening locations at their airports, including Buffalo, New York, and San Antonio, Texas. The chain famously does not open on Sundays to honor the Lord&#8217;s Day, Chick-fil-A&#8217;s founder<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chick-fil-a-closes-on-sunday-why-2019-7#:~:text=However%2C%20Chick%2Dfil%2DA,never%20open%20on%20a%20Sunday.&amp;text=%22Closing%20our%20business%20on%20Sunday,Chikin%3A%20Inspire%20More%20People.%22"> explained</a>, likely causing it to lose more than $1 billion a year.
While Essentia staff squawked about the free lunch, they have been silent about some of their employer&#8217;s other decisions. The hospital, which did not respond to a request for comment, provides cross-sex hormones and more to minors. According to the <a href="https://stoptheharmdatabase.com/hospital/essentia-health-st-marys-childrens-hospital/">Stop The Harm database</a>, Essentia has performed at least five sex change operations on minors.
</div>

Chick-fil-A Draws Conservative Criticism For Its Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Policy

Hospital Apologizes For Chick-Fil-A Lunch, Thanks Employees Who Had The ‘Courage’ To Complain

Hospital Apologizes For Chick-Fil-A Lunch, Thanks Employees Who Had The 'Courage' To Complain

Chick-fil-A

LGBT

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kansas-city-chiefs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kansas City Chiefs</a> kicker Harrison Butker signed a 4-year $26 million contract extension on Monday, making him the highest-paid kicker in the NFL on a per-year basis, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter <a href="https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1820545492952223826" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The extension for the 29-year-old kicker comes after another season where he ranked among the top kickers in field goal percentage, extra-point percentage, and total points. Last year, Butker also helped his team win its second-straight Super Bowl.
Butker&#8217;s new deal includes $17.75 million guaranteed. The kicker represented and negotiated the deal himself, per Schefter. Butker becomes the highest-paid NFL kicker just over two months after he enraged many on the Left following his viral commencement speech at Benedictine College.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Highest paid kickers in the NFL on a per-year basis:
🏈Harrison Butker: $6.4M 
🏈Justin Tucker: $6M 
🏈Jake Elliott: $6M 
🏈Matt Gay: $5.62M 
🏈Graham Gano: $5.5M <a href="https://t.co/EMMxvwnjgL">https://t.co/EMMxvwnjgL</a>
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1820545492952223826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
The three-time Super Bowl-winning kicker sparked outrage after telling the graduating class that his success was all because &#8220;a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.&#8221; During the address, Butker also slammed Pride Month and President Joe Biden&#8217;s pro-abortion policies.
Butker&#8217;s commencement address sparked outcry and mockery among some celebrities and athletes, including <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/katy-perry-releases-edited-version-of-harrison-butker-speech-in-honor-of-pride-month" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Katy Perry</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chelsea-handler-attacks-harrison-butkers-faith-in-social-media-rant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chelsea Handler</a>, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/serena-williams-trashes-open-christian-harrison-butker-at-espy-awards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Serena Williams</a>. A Change.org petition also called on the Chiefs to drop Butker. The <a href="https://www.change.org/p/demand-the-kansas-city-chiefs-to-dismiss-harrison-butker-for-discriminatory-remarks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">petition</a>, which garnered nearly 240,000 signatures, called Butker&#8217;s comments &#8220;sexist, homophobic, anti-trans, anti-abortion, and racist,&#8221; but the team&#8217;s ownership, head coach, and Butker&#8217;s teammates stood by their kicker amid the outrage.
Days after the backlash, Butker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-chiefs-kicker-harrison-butker-breaks-silence-says-he-will-continue-to-be-unapologetic-catholic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stood by his comments</a>, saying that the “shocking level of hate” would not deter him from being “unapologetic” about his faith.
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1722702091491000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3dzILUu8JkHbwoxyGwS0qT">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI</a>
“If it wasn’t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now,” Butker said at the Courage Under Fire gala in Nashville on May 24. “Over the past few days, my beliefs, or what people think I believe, have been the focus of countless discussions around the globe.”
“In my seven years in the NFL, I’ve become familiar with positive and negative comments. But the majority of them revolve around my performance on the field,” Butker added. “But, as to be expected, the more I’ve talked about what I value most, my Catholic faith, the more polarizing I’ve become. It’s a decision I’ve consciously made, and one I do not regret at all.”

Harrison Butker

Cancel Culture Fail: Harrison Butker Signs Deal Making Him Highest-Paid Kicker In NFL

General

Kansas City Chiefs

Leftists

You never forget your first cancellation.
Jack Black, comic actor and part-time rock star, is getting a crash course in Cancel Culture after a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jack-blacks-bandmate-apologizes-for-dangerous-comment-about-trump-assassination-attempt-dropped-by-talent-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">regrettable gig</a> Down Under.
Except his band Tenacious D’s cancellation didn’t follow the punitive blueprint. Plus, he and bandmate Kyle Gass said something worthy of recrimination, even for the most unwoke among us.
Not all cancellations are created equal.
The trouble started a day after the July 13 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump’s life in Butler, Pa. Tenacious D interrupted its concert in Sydney, Australia to celebrate Gass’ birthday. The “Elf” alum was turning 64, and longtime music partner Black presented him with a cake on stage.
Black asked Gass to make a wish before blowing out the candles. Gass did as told and shared it with the adoring Tenacious D fans in attendance.
“Don’t miss Trump next time,” Gass said. Black took a beat and said, “Thank you.”
And the show went on.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Jack Black went on stage with his band over the weekend and his bandmate said &quot;don&#39;t miss Trump next time&quot; to laughs from the audience.
A month ago, he was a featured speaker at Biden&#39;s fundraiser in Los Angeles.
&quot;We must come together&quot; indeed. <a href="https://t.co/HGlNTlzure">pic.twitter.com/HGlNTlzure</a>
&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1812870638580687142?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Except somebody recorded the moment and shared it on social media. In that way, this cancellation began precisely as many others have before it. As expected, condemnation was swift and digital.
Black’s reputation as a Democratic stooge didn’t help. He previously promoted President <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/29/morgan-freeman-and-jack-black-back-iran-nuclear-deal-for-fear-of-becoming-super-dead" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barack Obama’s Iranian deal</a> and appeared mere weeks ago at a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-arrives-in-l-a-for-celebrity-fundraiser-after-trumps-massive-hauls-in-ca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Joe Biden fundraiser</a>, pretending as if Biden wasn’t compromised by age and a yet-unknown ailment.
Those partisan ties made the moment look even worse.
Local politicians joined the fray, condemning their concert comments. One, Australian Senator Ralph Babet, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jack-black-tenacious-d-tour-canceled-kyle-gass-trump-shooting-comment-deported-from-australia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demanded Gass and Black be deported</a> for their words.
Black, to his credit, apologized in swift fashion, and it didn’t sound like his PR team penned it.
&#8220;I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” Black shared on his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C9e5msPpC3y/">Instagram feed</a>.
What happened next proved how different this Cancel Culture event would be.
&#8220;After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_766663" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-766663" class="size-large wp-image-766663" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/GettyImages-1664790316-864x576.jpg" alt="CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 06: Kyle Gass (L) and Jack Black of Tenacious D perform at PNC Music Pavilion on September 06, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jeff Hahne/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/GettyImages-1664790316-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/GettyImages-1664790316-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/GettyImages-1664790316-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/GettyImages-1664790316.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Jeff Hahne/Getty Images</div>
Black didn’t wait for press outrage to reach critical mass. Nor did he let the incident die down to see how much professional blowback he might receive.
He canceled himself.
More importantly, he embraced consequences for his actions. Suspending the Tenacious D tour likely cost him plenty, not just with fan loyalty but dollars and cents.
The news cycle moves fast these days. He could have laid low and hoped another news event took people’s attention away from the comments.
Heck, fellow actors Mark Hamill and John Leguizamo are doing their best to make us forget all about Tenacious D via Twitter. Hamill is <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/star-wars-mark-hamill-donald-trump-message-under-fire-1925735" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mocking President Trump’s ear bandages</a> while Leguizamo falsely claimed Trump <a href="https://x.com/JohnLeguizamo/status/1813068113883353431?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1813068113883353431%7Ctwgr%5Ef295f6657497c475e3474b3500449d91152a655e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.breitbart.com%2Fentertainment%2F2024%2F07%2F16%2Factor-john-leguizamo-spreads-fake-news-trump-wasnt-injured-in-assassination-attempt%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wasn’t injured in the attack.</a> Chances are we’ll hear more unhinged Hollywood comments that will make Gass’ quip seem tame in comparison.
Black also vowed to shut down indefinitely on the creative front. While he may not be as in-demand as he once was, last year&#8217;s &#8220;The Super Mario Bros. Movie&#8221; was a blockbuster and this year’s “Kung Fu Panda 4” proves he’s still a viable commodity in Hollywood.
Black did something else few could have expected. He threw Gass, who also apologized via Instagram, under the tour bus. He said Gass “blindsided” him with the comment. The duo have worked together for two decades under the Tenacious D banner.
That couldn’t have been an easy decision to make.
Accountability is in short supply in western culture of late. Just ask Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who has yet to resign for overseeing the worst possible breach in her line of work via the July 13 shooting.
Black, to his credit, held himself accountable.
What didn’t happen in this Cancel Culture-style moment? Conservatives didn’t demand their censorship en masse or reach out to the tour’s sponsors to suspend their ties to the duo. The band’s Hollywood peers neither defended nor attacked them for their comments.
They may not have faced any repercussions back in La La Land. Wishing death on Trump is considered normal behavior in celebrity circles. Just ask Charlie Sheen, Madonna, Johnny Depp, Snoop Dogg and other stars who have shared variations of that sick theme.
Black and Gass may have enhanced their careers with their Sydney shtick, as warped as that sounds.
Kathy Griffin’s infamous snapshot holding Trump’s bloody head showed there are still cultural limits when it comes to GOP-based rage. While the aforementioned stars suffered no professional blowback for their assassination fetish, Griffin’s career cratered following her image’s release.
The final difference between &#8220;TenaciousD-Gate&#8221; and your garden variety cancellation is clear. Author J.K. Rowling endured a brutal cancellation for thoughts many sane souls share regarding trans issues.
Shane Gillis watched his “Saturday Night Live” dreams disappear when old, crude jokes resurfaced.
Gina Carano’s Disney career died because she refused to self-censor her common sense views.
They didn’t deserve their cancellations. We can still have different opinions.
Black and Gass cheered on the assassination of a U.S. president. There’s no nuance there. It’s just wrong. Any sane soul understands wishing death on a president is beyond the pale.
Even in our increasingly coarse culture many realize just that.
Every few years a Hollywood star learns that sharing the ugliest views possible about their political opponents has real-world consequences.
That may explain why Black and Gass canceled themselves before someone beat them to it.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://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://twitter.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.

Tenacious D In Concert – Charlotte, NC

Jack Black Upends The Cancel Culture Blueprint

Australia

Jack Black

Readers Pass

Cancel Culture victims are legion, but no one has been targeted quite like J.K. Rowling.
The “Harry Potter” author broke rank with fellow progressives in 2020, and she’s been paying the price ever since.
Yet she persists, to tap a progressive catchphrase. So do other stars who refused to back down. They ended up even bigger as a result.
Rowling’s Cancel Culture sin was agreeing with most people on one of the era’s most explosive issues. The author’s social media <a href="https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defiance on trans doctrine</a> caused an immediate outcry. The media <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/jk-rowling-is-so-transphobic-even-elon-musk-wants-her-to-shut-up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pounced and seized</a>. So did fellow progressives and trans activists.
This is the moment when many Cancel Culture targets begin their Apology Tour™.
Not Rowling.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/you-are-not-kind-you-are-not-righteous-jk-rowling-unloads-on-trans-activists" target="_blank" rel="noopener">She held firm</a> at the time and has yet to flinch over four long years.
<div id="attachment_493506" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-493506" class="size-large wp-image-493506" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/GettyImages-1067071942-864x576.jpg" alt="LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 13: J.K Rowling attends the UK Premiere of &quot;Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald&quot; at Cineworld Leicester Square on November 13, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/GettyImages-1067071942-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/GettyImages-1067071942-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/GettyImages-1067071942-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/GettyImages-1067071942-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/GettyImages-1067071942-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/GettyImages-1067071942-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/GettyImages-1067071942-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />John Phillips/Getty Images</div>
Over that time, she’s <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/jk-rowling-working-with-police-over-death-threat-after-voicing-support-for-salman-rushdie-12672229">received death threats</a>, watched her name <a href="https://ew.com/celebrity/j-k-rowling-removed-from-seattle-museum-of-pop-culture-anti-trans-remarks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repeatedly</a> get <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/08/11/jk-rowling-removed-museum-pop-culture-harry-potter-transphobic-views" target="_blank" rel="noopener">erased</a>, and has been betrayed by the actors she helped make household names, including “Harry Potter” franchise alum Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson. 
Except her Harry Potter legacy is as powerful as ever. The video game extension of said franchise, “Hogwarts Legacy,” <a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/hogwarts-legacy-sold-over-22-million-copies-warner-bros-exec-brags-its-the-best-selling-game-of-the-year-in-the-entire-industry-worldwide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">boasted sales above and beyond expectations</a> despite attempts to cancel the title.
Max decided to revive the Harry Potter franchise via an upcoming TV series, one of the streamer’s biggest projects to date. The platform <a href="https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/1805968567034069278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1805968567034069278%7Ctwgr%5Ea8a85c42362cddcff8900257829dcd6c7c72d76c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.breitbart.com%2Fentertainment%2F2024%2F06%2F27%2Fcancel-culture-fail-warner-bros-included-j-k-rowling-in-selecting-harry-potter-series-creative-team%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even invited Rowling</a> to vet the talent behind the saga.
Rowling stood up to the mob and emerged as a more powerful force.
Comedian Tyler Fischer endured a very different brand of cancellation. No one “resurfaced” one of Fischer’s old gags to get him professionally pummeled.
He simply fought back against DEI-style discrimination and for medical autonomy.
<div id="attachment_671085" style="width: 394px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-671085" class="size-large wp-image-671085" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/GettyImages-1822517496-384x576.jpg" alt="NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 29: Tyler Fischer attends the DailyWire+ Red Carpet Premiere of &quot;Lady Ballers&quot; on November 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Davis/Getty Images for Bentkey Ventures)" width="384" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/GettyImages-1822517496-384x576.jpg 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/GettyImages-1822517496-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/GettyImages-1822517496.jpg 682w" sizes="(max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" />Jason Davis/Getty Images for Bentkey Ventures</div>
Fischer decided early in the pandemic not to get the COVID-19 vaccine. He was young, healthy, and had already survived a brush with the virus. The latter gave him natural immunity, something the medical powers that be downplayed at the time.
His decision cost him both friendships and gigs at a time when his career was still a work in progress.
Fischer didn’t get political, nor did he give up. He stuck to his principles, created viral-friendly impressions of Dr. Anthony Fauci, and rebuilt a career without Hollywood’s help.
He did fight back, though. He filed a lawsuit against his former management team for admitting they couldn’t find work for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/no-joke-white-comic-terror-on-the-prairie-actor-sues-talent-agency-alleging-discrimination">a straight, white male</a>.
And he kept on hustling.
He co-starred in not one but two DailyWire+ films: “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/lady-ballers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lady Ballers</a>” and “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/terror-on-the-prairie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Terror on the Prairie</a>.” He paired with fellow rebel comics JP Sears and Ryan Long. He ingratiated himself to Fox News’ viewers via “Gutfeld!”
And he just landed the most coveted spot for any modern comedian — The hot seat on “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
Comedians once saw “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” as the ultimate sign they had “made it.” If Carson invited you to the NBC couch after your set, it was the ultimate sign of respect.
Now, a chat with Rogan serves a similar purpose. Fischer has officially made it, and he did so without betraying his values or free speech principles.
Comic legend Roseanne Barr actually said something awful and should have apologized for it immediately.
That’s exactly what she did after she crudely compared former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett to a “Planet of the Apes” character on Twitter.
Apology not accepted, even if she had a track record of reaching out to minority scribes on her eponymous sitcom. ABC fired Barr from her own sitcom and killed off her iconic character, turning the series over to “The Conners.”
Decades atop the Hollywood food chain ended with the speed of a Tweet.
She was done.
She laid low for a while, finally using a FOX Nation stand-up special as her official re-entry into showbiz. From there, she started a feisty podcast, co-starred on DailyWire+’s “Mr. Birchum” series, and made herself a familiar face in Austin, Texas, the new comedy epicenter.
She’s now an elder statesperson in the country’s hottest comedy scene, part of the Rogan revolution where free speech reigns supreme.
<div id="attachment_756513" style="width: 867px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-756513" class="size-large wp-image-756513" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-1466195333-857x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 14: Roseanne Barr, host of FOX Nation’s &quot;Cancel This!,&quot; Visits FOX News Channel’s &quot;Gutfeld!&quot; on February 14, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images)" width="857" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-1466195333-857x576.jpg 857w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-1466195333-300x202.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-1466195333-768x516.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-1466195333.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 857px) 100vw, 857px" />Steven Ferdman/Getty Images</div>
In a way, Barr’s cancellation is ongoing. She won’t be welcomed on any late-night show or “Saturday Night Live” episode going forward. No Hollywood studio will tap her for a comic cameo or supporting role.
She doesn’t need it anymore.
Nor does Shane Gillis, but the feeling isn’t mutual.
The affable comic snared the gig of a lifetime in 2019 when Lorne Michaels chose him to join “Saturday Night Live.” Gillis’ old material “resurfaced,” including a crude routine with Asian stereotypes.
He got canned before the season’s first episode aired.
Many might have called it a career. Not Gillis. He kept on creating, from stand-up gigs to his hilarious “Gilly and Keeves” YouTube sketch series.
<div id="attachment_756511" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-756511" class="size-large wp-image-756511" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2151825240-864x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 06: Shane Gillis attends Netflix is a Joke Fest: Tires Special Screening at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on May 06, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2151825240-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2151825240-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2151825240-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2151825240.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix</div>
Gillis also leaned on social media platforms to build his base, posting full-length stand-up specials on YouTube with dizzying results. His “Live from Austin” special has generated 28 million views since going live in 2022.
Suddenly, “SNL” had second thoughts. The show invited Gillis to host the program that tried to cancel his career. 
Meanwhile, Netflix ordered up a Gillis special, “Beautiful Dogs,” along with an original comedy series (“Tires”).
It’s worth acknowledging that other stars have done and said far worse without a hint of cancellation. Alec Baldwin and Ezra Miller rush to mind.
These canceled stars didn’t deserve the cultural punishments meted out by the modern Left. They proved too talented to stay canceled.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="http://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://twitter.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.

Saturday Night Live – Season 49

Meet These Cancel Culture Survivors

Comedy

J.K. Rowling

Roseanne Barr

Saturday Night Live

Tyler Fischer

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jon-stewart" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jon Stewart</a> fashions himself a court jester, but often he’s just a fool.
Consider his bewildering take on cancel culture, which the press often cites with either scare quotes or prefaced by “so-called.”
There’s nothing imaginary about it.
Tell that to Stewart, who in 2021 <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/jon-stewart-believes-cancel-culture-is-a-myth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed it was just a myth, a mirage</a>. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.
<blockquote>People that talk about cancel culture never seem to shut the f*** up about it…Like, there’s more speech now than ever before. It’s not ‘you can’t say it,’ it’s that when you say it—look, the internet has democratized criticism. What do we do for a living—we talk s***, we criticize, we postulate, we opine, we make jokes, and now other people are having their say. And that’s not cancel culture, that’s relentlessness. We live in a relentless culture. And the system of the internet and all those other things are incentivized to find the pressure points of that and exacerbate it.</blockquote>
Roseanne Barr would like a word. She might be the most infamous cancel culture victim, her career and signature show erased for one racially charged tweet for which she immediately apologized.
Or four rebel comics canceled by a Seattle comedy club for <a href="https://mynorthwest.com/3952217/rantz-seattle-comedy-club-canceled-comics-over-offended-activists/#:~:text=Rantz%3A%20Seattle%20comedy%20club%20canceled%20comics%20over%20offended%20activists&amp;text=A%20Seattle%20comedy%20club%20canceled,community%20activists%20and%20progressive%20comics." target="_blank" rel="noopener">telling the “wrong” jokes</a>.
Or a white male comedian <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/no-joke-white-comic-terror-on-the-prairie-actor-sues-talent-agency-alleging-discrimination" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allegedly canceled by his management</a> for being a white male comedian.
Or a conservative comedian allegedly <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/steve-mcgrew-brad-garrett-trump-fired/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">canceled by a comedy club</a> for being a conservative comedian.
Or the jokes never told because <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/desus-mero-self-censor-cancel-culture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comedians censor themselves</a> to avoid cancellation.
Or sitcoms memory holed for <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/23/entertainment/30-rock-episodes-blackface-trnd/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blackface-themed gags</a>. Or a beloved episode of “Fawlty Towers” <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-53032895" target="_blank" rel="noopener">temporarily shelved by the BBC</a> for racist language. The bit in question mocked racism, but never mind.
Both shows and humans get canceled by the mob, and Stewart pretended it didn’t exist.
His talking points had a short shelf life.
Later that same year, Stewart defended fellow comedian Dave Chappelle after cancel culture came for him. Chappelle’s Netflix special “The Closer” featured jokes targeting the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dave-chappelle-on-meeting-trans-activists-they-wanted-to-incite-violence-against-themselves-for-publicity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trans community</a>, along with a longer bit that paid homage to a late trans comic. His white-hot career and legacy seemed on the verge of collapse.
The media savaged his shtick. Netflix employees picketed their own company. 
Stewart <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2021/10/21/jon-stewart-dave-chappelle-never-hurtful-need-better-communication-netflix-trans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rushed to his pal’s defense</a>.
<blockquote>…. he’s one of my favorite people on the planet and he’s just a good, decent… – you know, if there is any miscommunication, I’m sure that – I love that dude, like as a person.</blockquote>
<div id="attachment_741419" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-741419" class="size-large wp-image-741419" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/GettyImages-974985614-865x576.jpg" alt="BOSTON, MA - JUNE 13: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been digitally enhanced) Comedians Dave Chappelle and Jon Stewart kick off a limited three-city run at Wang Theatre at Boch Center on June 13, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Pilot Boy)" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/GettyImages-974985614-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/GettyImages-974985614-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/GettyImages-974985614-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/GettyImages-974985614.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Pilot Boy</div>
Stewart thought added context could save Chappelle. He forgot the Barr example.
She has said she went out of her way to hire minority writers on “Roseanne” to improve the show’s diversity. Former “Roseanne” scribe Norm Macdonald backed up that claim. That context couldn’t save her career from cancel culture.
Chappelle’s special could have been canceled by Netflix. Few would have been surprised by that turn of events and imagine the chilling impact it might have had on his fellow comedians.
Gosh, if the comedy GOAT like Chappelle can be canceled, what about his peers?
Shockingly, Netflix stood tall and defended the comedian.
Cancel culture was real then. It’s real now. Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker can tell us all about it, from the Change.org petition <a href="https://www.change.org/p/demand-the-kansas-city-chiefs-to-dismiss-harrison-butker-for-discriminatory-remarks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demanding the team fire him</a> for his pro-Catholic views to sports scribes <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/kc-chiefs-fire-harrison-butker-154028688.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">echoing those demands.</a>
Stewart picked an odd time to re-engage with the cancel culture conversation. He did it, of course, to smite Donald Trump and the Right.
<div id="attachment_741547" style="width: 708px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-741547" class="size-full wp-image-741547" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-23-at-5.01.36%E2%80%AFPM-2-copy.png" alt="Screenshot: The Daily Show/YouTube." width="698" height="355" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-23-at-5.01.36%E2%80%AFPM-2-copy.png 698w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-23-at-5.01.36%E2%80%AFPM-2-copy-300x153.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 698px) 100vw, 698px" />Screenshot: The Daily Show/YouTube.</div>
The former and current “Daily Show” host once dabbled in bipartisan yuks. Now, those moments are increasingly rare. He’s more akin to the Colbert School of Comedy. Propaganda, not satire.
Case in point: <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/jon-stewart-daily-show-trump-cancel-culture-1235905423/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He brought up Butker’s imbroglio</a> to once again claim cancel culture is about accountability, not punishment. Why a Catholic must be held accountable for sharing Catholic beliefs at a Catholic college wasn’t cited in his rant.
He once again summoned his favorite strawman, that we’re “surrounded by and inundated with more speech than has ever existed in the history of communication” to deny cancel culture’s existence. Yes, but that doesn’t negate the chilling effects cancel culture has on both comedy and the culture at large.
He doubled down, saying cancel culture doesn’t exist. It’s just a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/article/2024/may/21/jon-stewart-trump-cancel-culture" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cudgel wielded by the Right.</a>
<blockquote>Because the idea that there is an all-pervasive, all-powerful threat to free speech called ‘cancel culture’ has become a central tenet of modern conservatism. They celebrate their being silenced at conferences. They celebrate their being silenced on podcasts and streaming outlets. They celebrate their being silenced with over 700 book titles about ‘being canceled’. Why are there so many of these f***ing books?</blockquote>
Stewart pivoted to Orange Man Bad to placate the show’s clapping seals. Turns out the real cancel culture is happening on the Right, and it’s all Trump’s fault.
<blockquote>Anyone who dares speak out against him, or refuses to buy into Trump’s stolen election claims, you’ll lose your job like Liz Cheney or countless others…In fact, everything the right says cancel culture does to them is actually being done by MAGA.</blockquote>
Countless others? How are political realities the same as cancel culture? Wasn’t Cheney’s plight the most extreme example of a politician betraying her own party over and again and being voted out of office?
It’s deflection. It’s insincere. And it ignores the obvious truth. Cancel culture is a product of the Left.
Why would Stewart deny it? Because he’s felt the Left’s wrath more than once, and he knows he better steer clear of it if he still wants to keep peddling jokes on fancy TV shows.
In 2021 Stewart enraged the Left by saying, on “The Late Show” no less, that COVID likely came from the lab where the virus originated. He was shocked by the <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/how-dare-i-jon-stewart-reflects-on-lab-leak-theory-blowback/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fallout from that comic rant.</a>
<blockquote>My bigger problem with that was I thought it was a pretty good bit that expressed kind of how I felt, and the two things that came out of it were I’m racist against Asian people, and how dare I align myself with the alt-right.</blockquote>
Sounds not-so-MAGA like.
More recently, he returned to “The Daily Show” and admitted that President Joe Biden is old, frail, and far from a strong candidate for re-election. The backlash from the Left was ferocious.
He’s been Colbert-like on the show ever since. That’s the best way to keep cancel culture off your back, and he knows it.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://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://twitter.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.

23rd Annual Mark Twain Prize For American Humor

Jon Stewart Doubles Down, Says Trump Is Source Of Cancel Culture

Jon Stewart

Menu