Trans activist Laverne Cox said he’s lost most of his money, and Donald Trump is the one to blame.
The &#8220;Orange Is the New Black&#8221; actor explained the situation while <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jun/15/free-from-shame-laverne-cox-trans-woman-in-trump-america">speaking to</a> The Guardian, claiming the Trump administration turned people away from accepting radical trans ideology.
&#8220;Over the past two years, [Cox] has lost 90% of [his] income, however. Hosting contracts have ended and not been renewed. Corporate speaking engagements have dried up,&#8221; the outlet reported.
“This regime has threatened to defund any colleges and universities that promote gender ideology, DEI [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion],” Cox told The Guardian. “Even though I’d be teaching a graduate acting class, it could be perceived as promoting trans ideology. These are the realities.”
The activist went on, “I’m not complaining — I’m very blessed. I think the important thing to note is that if Laverne Cox’s income has gone down significantly, what about all the other trans people who are not as privileged and as blessed as I am? There are material consequences for this kind of discrimination and scapegoating.”
Cox said it was all part of the plan, which was Project 2025&#8217;s agenda.
“All these words had to be taken out of every piece of legislation, policy, government document: gender, gender ideology, gender identity, LGBTQ, DEI, abortion, contraception,” he told The Guardian. 
Cox then used the tired analogy of comparing the “fundamentalist Christian ethno-nationalist project” with Nazi Germany.
“We’re in a very similar moment to Germany at that time,” he warned.
While most of the world, including corporate America, continues to move away from the radical trans agenda, Hollywood is still clinging stubbornly to the far-left ideals that dominated the culture six years ago. 
For Cox in particular, the souring of public opinion must be jarring. In 2014, he was celebrated for being the first openly transgender actor to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy. But after Trump was elected, he claimed he lost out on speaking opportunities and other work. 
“I feel that this is a moment where we have to make some really important decisions about who we are, who we want to be, and how we’re going to proceed. I’ve been saying when history looks back at me, I want to be a Christian Dior, not a Coco Chanel. It’s that serious,” he told the New Yorker in a separate <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/laverne-cox-wants-to-rehumanize-everybody">interview </a>this week. 
“We’re in a fascist moment with this crazy president who wants to be a dictator, who’s just thrown every law out the window. In Nazi Germany, trans people were some of the first people who were attacked, and history is repeating …  It’s nuts, and they just keep finding new things to do to disenfranchise trans people in order to delegitimize our identities.”
“It’s not even about hope. We have to take action right now. We have to have the courage to tell the truth… I think rhetorically we need to rehumanize trans people and rehumanize everybody,” Cox insisted.

Laverne Cox

Trans Actor Blames Trump After Losing 90% Of His Income

Trans Actor Says He's Lost 90% Of His Income, And It's All Trump's Fault

Celebrities

Donald Trump

Entertainment

Hollywood

LGBT

Transgender

This summer has been anything but normal in La La Land.
Two indie horror films, one made for less than $1 million, are crushing the box office. A Steven Spielberg film about aliens visiting Earth can only dream of catching up. The same holds for a film franchise “in a galaxy far, far away.”
Nothing makes sense in Hollywood now, and that might be the best news possible for a flailing industry and audiences hoping for more voices, not fewer.
The Old Guard is fading to black. Enter the New Guard, weaned on YouTube and ready to tell fresh stories that connect with Gen Z.
Take director Curry Barker. The 26-year-old isn’t a household name like Spielberg, unless you live on YouTube. Barker cut his teeth on the platform, delivering viral hits like the creepy “Milk &amp; Serial,” an hour-long found-footage film no studio would touch.
That convinced Hollywood to let him direct his first feature, “Obsession,” about a lovestruck man granted one powerful wish: Make the girl of his dreams fall in love with him.
It works, and that’s when the macabre elements rush in.
The micro-indie opened to a solid $17 million in U.S. theaters, but it just kept growing. The film made significantly more money in its subsequent two weekends, a feat that doesn’t happen without adding movie screens.
As of June 11, the film snuck back to <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/date/2026-06-10/?ref_=bo_di_table_1">reclaim the top box office</a> slot nearly a month after it opened (May 15). Once again, that simply doesn’t happen.
But it did. And its worldwide total as of mid-June is north of $240 million. Hollywood already handed Barker the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” franchise to revive. More gigs will follow, with one studio waving a <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/obsession-filmmaker-curry-barker-gets-7-figure-offer-1236606967/">$10 million check</a> in front of him to do something, anything, for them.
Here’s betting Kane Parsons will get similar offers. The 20-year-old director also flexed his storytelling chops on his YouTube channel (Kane Pixels), building on creepy stories that lurk across digital platforms like 4chan.
The result? “Backrooms,” which opened to $81 million stateside.
That comes on the heels of an early 2026 hit, “Iron Lung.” Once more, a neophyte director weaned on YouTube. Mark Fischbach, AKA Markiplier, wrote, edited, directed, and starred in a sci-fi/horror film that earned a stunning $40 million on a $3 million budget.
As if 2026 couldn’t get any more unpredictable, there’s “The Amazing Digital Circus.” The Australian animated series debuted the final two episodes of its first season in select theaters. That release, subtitled “The Last Act,” briefly topped the box office and ended its debut weekend <a href="https://www.boxofficepro.com/the-amazing-digital-circus-the-last-act-lands-standout-box-office-debut/">with more than $20 million</a>.
All for two TV-like episodes set to debut in less than a month, for free, on YouTube. We shouldn’t be shocked, though. The show’s pilot episode has generated <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwAPLk_sQ3w&amp;t=120s">440 million views</a> on the platform to date.
These films did more than just wildly overperform; they let YouTube storytellers have their say. They brought Gen Z back to theaters in droves. That’s what’s been missing in recent years. Something blamed on a generational shift, short attention spans, and a dearth of compelling content.
And it took a new guard of storytellers to make it happen.
Now, imagine this stunning success complemented by older, more established franchises and iconic directors. Except it’s not working out that way.
“The Mandalorian and Grogu,” the first new “Star Wars” feature since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker,” is underperforming. Badly. The film is laboring to crack the $300 million mark at the global box office, a fraction of what a “Star Wars” movie should earn.
For comparison, “The Rise of Skywalker” brought in $1 billion worldwide, and that film got skewered by franchise fans. The least successful “Star Wars” film in the modern era, “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” brought in $392 million in 2018.
And then there’s the man who gave us “Jaws,” “Jurassic Park” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Spielberg’s new film, “Disclosure Day,” lets the Oscar winner revisit his most popular theme — aliens.
The thriller stars Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, and Colman Domingo, and early reviews are promising — north of 80 percent “fresh” at RottenTomatoes.com. Yet the film is expected to earn roughly <a href="https://deadline.com/2026/06/box-office-disclosure-day-projection-1236951773/">$35 million in its opening weekend in the U.S.</a>
Mediocre word of mouth could sink the film, and fast.
Once upon a time, a new Spielberg film felt like a cultural event, one that couldn’t be missed. That’s especially true for his summer-style features.
Not anymore.
Then there’s Clint Eastwood. The actor-director just turned 96, and various media reports suggest he’s either <a href="https://consequence.net/2026/06/clint-eastwood-may-not-be-retired/">retired or hasn’t decided yet</a>. Either way, the Hollywood legend has earned the right to sit back and marvel at his magnificent film legacy.
There won’t be another star like him, maybe ever.
Hollywood is in flux, and the new kids are in charge. It could also lead to more voices being heard and movie studios losing their iron grip on content. After all, technology is breaking down the barriers between artist and studio. Someone can shoot a movie on their iPhone and edit it on any number of cheap but powerful tools.
Plus, Fischbach self-distributed “Iron Lung,” bypassing the Hollywood gatekeepers — the same gatekeepers who often make sure select stories and voices aren’t heard on screen. We know which ones.
That won’t be the case for much longer.
The new, emerging Hollywood isn’t just saving the theatrical experience. It’s opening cinema up to fresh new ideas and, eventually, to more voices than ever before.
***
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. He&#8217;s also the host of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hollywood-in-toto-podcast-w-christian-toto/id1186449155">The Hollywood in Toto Podcast</a>. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en">@HollywoodInToto</a>.

Los Angeles Special Screening Of Focus Features’ “Obsession” – After Party

Gen Z YouTube Creators Are Shaking Up Tinseltown

Gen Z

Independent Film

Star Wars

Steven Spielberg

The Department of Justice has approved Paramount Skydance’s proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing one of the biggest regulatory obstacles to a deal that would reshape the entertainment industry.
According to reports from <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/12/paramount-acquisition-warner-bros-approved-00960300?_sp_pass_consent=true">Politico</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/12/paramount-wbd-merger-approval-doj.html">CNBC</a>, the DOJ&#8217;s Antitrust Division concluded the transaction does not pose a threat to competition and declined to challenge the merger.
The decision paves the way for Paramount to merge with the media giant behind CNN, HBO Max, Warner Bros. Pictures, TBS, TNT, and other major entertainment brands, creating one of the world&#8217;s largest media companies.
The approval is expected to be formally announced on Friday.
Federal regulators reportedly approved the deal without requiring Paramount to divest any assets or accept behavioral remedies, conditions that often accompany major media mergers.
The merger has been among the most closely watched antitrust reviews of President Donald Trump&#8217;s second term because of its size and its potential impact on the media landscape.
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, son of Oracle founder and Trump ally Larry Ellison, reportedly met personally with DOJ officials multiple times during the review process. According to Politico, Ellison spent roughly two hours meeting with Antitrust Division officials and career attorneys several weeks ago to discuss the transaction and its competitive effects.
Throughout the review, Paramount argued that the merger would strengthen competition by creating a larger media company capable of competing against streaming giants and technology firms that increasingly dominate the entertainment business.
Earlier this year, Netflix briefly pursued its own acquisition proposal for Warner Bros. Discovery before dropping out of the bidding process. According to CNBC, Paramount&#8217;s offer values Warner Bros. Discovery at approximately $31 per share.
Despite the federal approval, the deal still faces additional scrutiny.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, continues to investigate the transaction and could attempt to challenge the merger in court. Attorneys general from several states, including California and New York, monitored portions of the federal review process.
&#8220;The Paramount acquisition of Warner Brothers remains an active investigation,&#8221; a spokesperson for Bonta&#8217;s office told Politico.
The merger must also receive approval from European regulators before it can be finalized. The European Union has opened its own review and set a July deadline for its initial assessment.
On Wednesday, Paramount announced that Australia&#8217;s competition regulator had <a href="https://deadline.com/2026/06/paramount-wbd-mergerl-clears-australia-1236952390/">approved the transaction</a>.
Critics of the merger have warned that it could lead to another round of consolidation-related layoffs across Hollywood. Industry unions and some entertainment advocates have argued that the combined company would likely pursue significant cost-cutting measures.
For Paramount and the Ellisons, the DOJ&#8217;s decision represents a major victory after months of regulatory scrutiny. The company has said it expects the transaction to close by September if all remaining approvals are secured.

In this photo illustration, the Paramount logo is seen

Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Clears Major Hurdle

Anti-trust

Antitrust

Business

Economy

justice department

Paramount

Warner Bros

Warner Brothers

The White House issued a response to pop singer Ariana Grande on Thursday after she slammed the Trump administration for using one of her songs in a social media video about ICE arrests.
&#8220;We’ll say this one last time: what’s actually barbaric, inhumane, and heinous are the criminal illegal aliens who have injured and murdered innocent American citizens,&#8221; White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/white-house-fires-back-ariana-grande-told-never-use-music-ice-deportation-video">told</a> Fox News Digital in a statement. 
This was in response to the “Wicked” actress commenting on a TikTok video put out by the White House by saying, &#8220;please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense. f*ck ice.&#8221;
The music appears to be removed from the video as of Thursday, as the outlet noted.
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@whitehouse/video/7649426430756916511" data-video-id="7649426430756916511" data-embed-from="oembed" style="max-width:605px; min-width:325px;">
<section> <a target="_blank" title="@whitehouse" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@whitehouse?refer=embed">@whitehouse</a> 
Bye-bye 👋 President Trump has delivered the most secure border in history 
 <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - The White House" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7649426470075026206?refer=embed">♬ original sound &#8211; The White House</a> </section>
</blockquote>
 <script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
Like many other celebrities, Grande has made anti-ICE statements in the past. She conflated illegal immigration with lawfare attacks against President Donald Trump to her more than 270 million Instagram followers last summer.
“Could someone explain which crimes get you deported and which ones get you elected president? It’s so confusing,” she wrote at the time, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-ice-men-cometh-and-hollywood-comes-unglued">reported</a>.
Then last September, the “Thank U, Next” singer shared an Instagram post that said, &#8220;immigrants have been violently torn from their families and communities have been destroyed.&#8221;
The same month, she called out Trump voters with a snarky, sarcastic post on Instagram, asking if they were happy with their decision to select the Republican candidate to lead the country.
“I want to check in with trump voters. I have one very genuine question: it’s been 250 days. Now that immigrants have been violently torn from their families and communities have been destroyed, now that trans people have been blamed for virtually everything and live in fear, now that free speech is on the brink of collapse for us all — has your life gotten better?” the singer’s Instagram story said. 
Grande publicly endorsed Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 election and subtly mocked fellow recording artist Carrie Underwood for performing at Trump’s presidential inauguration in January.

Ariana Grande

White House Responds To Ariana Grande Over Absurd ICE Video Criticism

White House Responds To Ariana Grande's ICE Video Criticism

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Music

Steven Spielberg’s new alien thriller, “Disclosure Day,” is leaving some moviegoers laughing their way out of theaters. This is an issue for the legendary filmmaker, as that movie was never intended to be a comedy.
The film’s official logline says, “If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you?”
Starring Emily Blunt, Josh O&#8217;Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, and Colman Domingo, &#8220;Disclosure Day&#8221; has earned average but not great reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. But the vibe on social media is decidedly more negative, with commenters saying they believe Spielberg has lost the golden touch that made films like “Jurassic Park” and “E.T.” so magical.
“So&#8230; is Disclosure Day meant to be a comedy or something? Because I was laughing my ass off during most of it,” one X user <a href="https://x.com/thecriticaldri2/status/2065099752694296781?s=43">wrote</a>. 
Other commenters mentioned how the film was rumored to run counter to the Christian faith, which they said was ultimately ineffective.
“Just got back from Disclosure Day. I went with the intention of debunking what I heard was a manipulation of Christian theology to leave room for aliens in God&#8217;s creation,” another person wrote. 
“I expected a high-quality movie with a dangerous messaging that would be planting a seed for the Great Deception. What I watched was an embarrassingly bad movie. Predictable. Cliche. The climax was laughable. It would have been semi-shocking two decades ago. The only thing that sort of saved it was the great acting despite the horrible script.”
The commenter went on, “As for debunking it spiritually, no need. It was so ham-fisted with its attempt to work aliens into theology that none of the elect could easily be swayed. I wasted two-and-a-half hours.”
“145 minutes for pretentious overacting in scenes intended for Oscar nomination clips. Disclosure Day was made by people who enjoy sniffing their own farts, and, boy howdy, did this movie sh*t the bed,” <a href="https://x.com/reallifefakewiz/status/2065266433659974050?s=43">echoed another</a>. “Pack it up, Grandpa. Spielberg is done.”
&#8220;It was mid at best. Jumbled, predictable, unbelievable, a garbage soundtrack, plot holes a plenty, and good acting. I’ve rewatched so many of Spielberg movies joyfully. This is a one and done,&#8221; another <a href="https://x.com/Variety/status/2065443513190187102">wrote</a>.
The movie debuted on June 12. It currently has an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 74% audience score. 
Spielberg previously mentioned how the discovery of intelligent extraterrestrial life could challenge people&#8217;s understanding of faith. 
“The movie takes the position of the believers, or the curious, the ones that have been deeply affected by this,” Spielberg said in an <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/disclosure-day-director-steven-spielberg-on-alien-visitations/">interview</a> with CBS News. “And the movie also takes the position of the church. What does this do to the fundamental beliefs that many of us have? Is God our God only on this planet? Or is God a god for every system where there’s civilization and intelligent life, and even developing life?”
However, faith leaders and religious folks are pushing back on that idea, saying the existence of aliens wouldn’t be a faith-shaking moment even if the movie were perfectly executed. And they say it’s just not.

Disclosure Day

Spielberg Said ‘Disclosure Day’ Would Challenge Christian Faith. Instead, Many Find It Laughable.

Christianity

Movies

Actor Tim Allen just gave an update on the highly anticipated reboot of “Home Improvement,” saying “personality problems” with one of the actors are at least partially to blame for it never getting off the ground.
“They keep talking about how it could move forward, but they get stuck [because] there are some personality problems right now with the boys,” Allen <a href="https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/tim-allen-on-faith-fatherhood-and-the-toy-story-franchise/">told</a> Us Weekly in an interview published Wednesday. 
This comment likely referred to Zachery Ty Bryan being arrested in November 2025 over a domestic violence violation after previously being arrested for suspicion of DUI, felony assault, and robbery, as the outlet noted. He was also arrested on suspicion of strangling his then-girlfriend in 2020. Bryan starred as one of Allen’s sons in the series, which began when he was 9 years old.
Another blow to any hope of a reboot is that, in 2024, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who played another son on the show, <a href="https://deadline.com/2024/03/home-improvement-reboot-not-for-patricia-richardson-1235872269/">is</a> no longer “interested in acting,” according to his former co-star Patricia Richardson.
“They’ve got their own issues. I always thought it would be cool if it was a story about them. That’s a little challenging right now, to put it mildly,” the actor added.
The massive hit “Home Improvement” ran for eight seasons from 1991 to 1999. Allen starred as Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor, and the series followed him as he navigated life with his wife and three sons. Allen, who has a real-life love of cars, previously starred in the popular, Trump-friendly sitcom “Last Man Standing” for many years before it was shockingly canceled in 2017.
He is also part of a new sitcom, “Shifting Gears,” which debuted last year. He is well known for voicing Buzz Lightyear in the “Toy Story” franchise. The fifth installment of the popular animated film is due out later this month.
Allen has had a successful Hollywood career by any measure, but his fans say he’s been discriminated against for holding openly conservative views. 
The 72-year-old told Bill Maher earlier this year that DEI policies should not come at the expense of the show’s quality.
“My wife says, ‘Why do you keep saying that?’ And I said, ‘Somebody told me I was like the Tom Brady of sitcoms.’ When they asked me to do a third [show], I said, ‘I thought they were kidding,’” the comedian told Maher, as The Daily Wire previously reported. 
“I don’t know whether my generation … because all the people that I know that I would make it with are either dead or not the right gender, you know, they’re all light-skinned European older men. And that doesn’t fit the DEI thing that everybody wanted.” 
“I didn’t want to get into that. I didn’t want to patronize people. If you’re going to do a sitcom, it’s just got to be funny. You got to have some drama,” Allen said.

Tim Allen

Tim Allen Hints At Behind-The-Scenes Issues Holding Up ‘Home Improvement’ Reboot

Television

Cardi B is being mocked for her response to the Karmelo Anthony verdict, with commenters saying she learned the exact wrong lesson from justice being served.
&#8220;Wow! Just freakin wow! DISGUSTING,&#8221; she <a href="https://x.com/iamcardib/status/2064521641988637183">wrote</a> on X soon after the verdict was read. &#8220;This is not justice, this is trying to make an example!!!&#8221;
The rapper also hosted a live <a href="https://x.com/EndWokeness/status/2064904705386356949">conversation</a> on X on Wednesday, complaining about having to tell her sons it’s not okay to argue with white people.
“I sure learned something from this. I learned to tell my sons, if a white boy … do not argue with no white boys … ‘cause baby, ain’t no law protecting you if something goes down with them. That’s what I learned from this case. I’mma tell my sons, you arguing with a white boy, walk the f*ck away. ‘Cause the law don’t protect you.” 
Anthony, 19, was found guilty of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, a high school athlete, whom he fatally stabbed at a track and field meet in Frisco, Texas, in April 2025. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison and has already filed an appeal. 
While Anthony’s family claims he was targeted for his race and that Metcalf provoked him, video evidence reportedly shows that Anthony refused requests that he leave the track team’s tent before he stabbed Metcalf. The jury agreed that the killing was not self-defense, as Anthony&#8217;s defense and supporters claimed.
Some social media users pointed out the flaws in Cardi B’s logic. 
“In her dumb and convoluted way, she does seem to have inadvertently learned a good lesson — teach your kids not to stab other kids, because they will go to prison,” podcast host Allie Beth Stuckey <a href="https://x.com/conservmillen/status/2065081352773366171">observed</a>.
“I don&#8217;t know how but this trial and the aftermath have demonstrated a significant cultural problem within certain circles or communities. The outrage because this dude got pushed in high school and he wasn&#8217;t allowed to kill in response is about as big a red flag as you can find,” another person <a href="https://x.com/Ruhroe/status/2065089317588836430">wrote</a>. 
“How about don’t stab and murder a white boy or murder anyone and then you don’t have to worry about a murder charge and being held accountable. Can she buy some common sense, I know she can afford it,” another person <a href="https://x.com/Russellmcc_37/status/2065031680960729539">wrote</a>.

Cardi B

SEE IT: Cardi B Reacts To Karmelo Anthony Verdict

Karmelo Anthony

Murder

Racism

Veteran stunt performer Todd Bryant called out the uber-woke star Ron Perlman on X, saying he refused to work with him because of Perlman&#8217;s &#8220;Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS).&#8221; 
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been contacted to stunt double for Ron Perlman on a job he is on right now,” Bryant, who had worked on major productions such as “Ford v Ferrari” and “Star Trek V,” shared on X. 
“The short answer is NO. I will not work for liberals with TDS like Will Ferrell or Ron. I lost all respect for these Actors.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I&#8217;ve been contacted to stunt double for Ron Perlman <a href="https://x.com/perlmutations?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@perlmutations</a> on a job he is on right now.
The short answer is NO.
I will not work for liberals with TDS like Will Ferrell or Ron.
I lost all respect for these Actors. <a href="https://t.co/OuZgAGm0sF">https://t.co/OuZgAGm0sF</a>
— Todd Bryant | Captain Klaa 🇺🇸 (@RealKlaa) <a href="https://x.com/RealKlaa/status/2064381482131431921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The responses were filled with fans and other members of the Hollywood community supporting Bryant’s courage to speak out against hardcore liberals in the industry, even at the risk of career and reputational damage.
“You proved one thing, money can&#8217;t buy ethics and principles,” one reply <a href="https://x.com/MrDparkskip/status/2064603002053255554">said</a>. “You sir are one of the few good men left, on behalf of all good men we salute you!”
“Perlman is foul mouthed and self important. Ferrell peaked at playing more cow bell. Not spending a thin dime to watch anything they make,” another commenter <a href="https://x.com/DebNonCompliant/status/2064699761127575689">agreed</a>.
“I have much respect for you sir. I won’t watch anything they are associated with anymore,” echoed a third. “I really wish Hollywood had stayed in the entertainment business. Instead, they decided their audiences wanted to be lectured in THEIR [political] beliefs. Sad…”
Perlman is known for his unhinged, profanity-laced rants against President Donald Trump and other prominent Republicans. In 2020, the actor <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/feb/28/ron-perlman-on-hellboy-the-la-fires-and-trump-a-snake-oil-con-artist-whod-sell-you-bad-vodka-and-swampland-in-new-jersey">challenged</a> Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) to a fight online. He’s called Trump, “a snake-oil con-artist who’d sell you bad vodka and swampland in New Jersey” and referred to <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/news/ron-perlman-donald-trump-terrified-of-kamala-harris-1236201087/">Kamala Harris</a> as “f***ing brilliant.”
The “Hellboy” star also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ron-perlman-deletes-video-threatening-to-destroy-studio-execs-home">lashed out</a> at Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), calling him a “Nazi pig” over the Parental Rights in Education law — despite the fact that he clearly did not understand what it did.
“Good morning, Governor DeSantis,” Perlman began with a leering smile. “Ron here. Um, don’t say gay? Don’t say… as the first two words of a sentence spoken by a political leader of a state in the United States of America? Don’t say gay? Don’t f***ing say gay you f***ing Nazi pig? Say. First Amendment. Read about it. Then run for office. You piece of s***.”
The Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro responded to Perlman at the time, saying simply, “You are literally too stupid to insult.”

Anti-Trump “No Kings” Protests Pop Up Across The Country

Stunt Man Refuses To Work With Woke Hollywood Actor Over ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’

Ron Perlman

Trump Derangement Syndrome

Dan Lin, the chairman of Netflix&#8217;s film division, said in a newly published interview that he is not interested in working with movie directors targeting theatrical releases. 
&#8220;There is a group of filmmakers who still want theatrical. Those are filmmakers that we’ve accepted we just won’t work with,&#8221; Lin <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/04/business/media/dan-lin-netflix-hollywood.html">told</a> The New York Times. 
He also emphasized that Greta Gerwig’s upcoming adaptation of “The Chronicles of Narnia” is an exception to this rule and not indicative of a new standard. His blunt comments come on the heels of Netflix’s major merger deal with Warner Bros. falling apart as Paramount Studios swooped in and made an offer it couldn’t refuse.
Some of the chief concerns critics had about the proposed Netflix/Warner Bros. merger centered around the future of theaters and theatrical releases if Netflix cornered such a large piece of the entertainment market.
The company heads promised that Netflix would have taken good care of the Warner Bros. IP (intellectual property) and “strengthened the entertainment industry and preserved and created more production jobs in the U.S.,” as they said when the deal fell apart earlier this year.
“But this transaction was always a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ at any price,” the execs <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/netflix-backs-down-in-fight-for-warner-bros-leaving-paramount-inches-from-victory">concluded</a>.
Though neither company (Paramount or Netflix) were favored by those in the industry, Netflix was viewed with a particularly skeptical eye as some questioned the streaming giant’s commitment to the theatrical experience. Others view Paramount CEO David Ellison’s apparently close relationship with the Trump administration as a reason to worry.
When the deal was still on the table, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos dispelled rumors that he would shorten theatrical release times if the company acquired Warner Bros.
“When this deal closes, we will own a theatrical distribution engine that is phenomenal and produces billions of dollars of theatrical revenue that we don’t want to put at risk. We will run that business largely like it is today, with 45-day windows,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/business/media/ted-sarandos-netflix.html">Sarandos told</a> The New York Times in January.
“I’m giving you a hard number. If we’re going to be in the theatrical business, and we are, we’re competitive people — we want to win. I want to win opening weekend. I want to win box office,” he said at the time.
Now that Warner Bros. won’t be part of Netflix’s portfolio, it appears the streaming giant is abandoning theatrical efforts almost entirely.

Movie theater

Netflix Exec Admits Certain Directors Need Not Apply

Netflix Exec Admits The Company Won't Work With Directors Who Want Theaters

Movie Theaters

Netflix

Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, who has a net worth somewhere between $450 million and $600 million, has gone viral for saying billionaires shouldn’t exist. 
The racing pro made the comments in 2023, but they quickly resurfaced now that he’s amassed a pile of wealth and is newly dating influencer Kim Kardashian, who has a personal net worth that’s close to $2 billion. Per <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/lewis-hamilton-worth-500m-dating-billionaire-kim-kardashian-wants-put-limit-wealth-">Fox News</a>, Hamilton, who races for Ferrari, is paid somewhere around $70 million per year as a salary.
Hamilton also reportedly owns six houses around the world and a 90-foot yacht, as the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/08/business/lewis-hamilton-doesnt-think-billionaires-should-exist-thats-pretty-rich-from-an-f1-driver/">reported</a>, plus has brand deals with designers including Lululemon, Dior, Puma, Tommy Hilfiger, IWC Schaffhausen, and Perplexity.
One of his homes is in Monaco, where his millions are protected from taxes.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Lewis Hamilton says there should be a limit to how much wealth one person can have
&#8220;One of the things that I struggle with every day is that there is such a disparity between the wealthy and the poor”
&#8220;When you drive around LA there&#8217;s still so many people living on the streets.… <a href="https://t.co/Br2V9PqZld">pic.twitter.com/Br2V9PqZld</a>
— Jack (@Jackkk) <a href="https://x.com/Jackkk/status/2063293682762260715?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“If you could create one law that everyone in the world had to follow,&#8221; Jay Shetty asked the seven-time world champion in a clip circulating on X, &#8220;What would it be?&#8221;
&#8220;One of the things that I struggle with every day, and it&#8217;s just how life is, and it&#8217;s been this way for thousands of years, is that there is such a disparity between the wealthy and the poor,&#8221; the F1 driver said. &#8220;When you drive around LA there&#8217;s still so many people living on the streets.”
&#8220;You shouldn&#8217;t be able to have billions, right, I think there should be a limit to how much you can have because there&#8217;s enough to go around to everyone. So, somehow create a law that creates more equality and equal access for everyone.&#8221;
The video now has a community note added, which says, “In order to avoid tax, Lewis Hamilton lives in Monaco and Switzerland. He also used a corporate leasing structure to save over £3 million in taxes when buying his £16 million private jet in 2013.”
Commenters called out Hamilton for his apparent hypocrisy.
“To the guy worth a half billion who’s dating a woman worth 2 billion wants there’d be a wealth cap on everybody else, he can go screw himself,” one person <a href="https://x.com/JerUnderhill/status/2064134155097518082">wrote</a>, echoing what most others were saying.

Lewis Hamilton

F1 Star Declared War On Billionaires And Then He Started Dating One

Auto racing

Billionaire

Formula One

Kim Kardashian

Money

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow revealed some details about her political affiliation, describing herself as a &#8220;centrist,&#8221; but acknowledging that her leftist husband disagrees.
The 53-year-old &#8220;Marty Supreme&#8221; star discussed the topic during a recent episode of her &#8220;goop Podcast.”
&#8220;He&#8217;s so progressive,&#8221; Paltrow said of her writer/producer husband Brad Falchuk, whom she married in 2018. &#8220;I&#8217;m pretty centrist, and my husband thinks I&#8217;m a Republican… which, I&#8217;m not a Republican. I don&#8217;t feel anything right now, to be totally honest with you. I feel like I&#8217;m completely an independent.&#8221;
The actress was talking with defense technology company founder Trae Stephens at the time, who was arguing in favor of mandatory civil service in the United States, and said, &#8220;We&#8217;re all getting so tribal&#8221; in politics.
Paltrow said she agreed. She also added that her husband &#8220;has such a sweet heart, and he wants to make sure everybody&#8217;s looked after.” But she still finds herself disagreeing with him. 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Anduril Founder Trae Stephens on Our Modern Defense System" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z_iqQElj7vY?start=801&#038;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>
&#8220;It is very triggering for people,&#8221; she said. &#8220;It&#8217;s become so binary, I think. I am trying to, in my journey through being an American right now, I guess sort of weave together lots of different points of view, and also to get out of that place of, like, righteousness and anger and fear.&#8221;
Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DailyWire/videos/gwyneth-paltrow-husband-thinks-she-is-a-republican/1656325605643979/">reacted</a> to the clip, saying Paltrow is only considered Republican because she’s “not a psycho.”
“Just because she’s not mimicking the most crazy excesses of the Left, this now means she’s a Republican. This is the Elon Musk chart in real life,” Shapiro added, referencing a viral chart the Tesla founder shared showing how far to the Left the Democratic party has shifted over the years.
The actress has hosted Democratic fundraisers in her home, including one for Pete Buttigieg in 2019. Former President Barack Obama showed up at one of Paltrow’s fundraisers in 2014.
However, she also admitted to being &#8220;open-minded about everybody.” This included Paltrow listening to a podcast featuring HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
&#8220;It was very interesting to hear his point of view,&#8221; she said at the time.
Paltrow was also speculative rather than furious after Trump won the 2016 presidential election. “It’s such an exciting time to be an American because we are at this amazing inflection point,” the Oscar-winning actress said at the time, per <a href="https://pagesix.com/2016/11/19/xanax-and-booze-make-travel-better-for-gwyneth/">Page Six</a>.
“People are clearly tired of the status quo, and … it’s sort of like someone threw it all in the air and we’re going to see how it all lands. It’s very important for me, personally, now more than ever, to create a community and to remember the humanity of everybody and to create love and … understanding.”
“The most amazing thing for me about this election is I felt … ‘I don’t understand the opposition well enough at all.’ I’m not going to tell you what side I’m on, but my big takeaway was, ‘I really need to open my mind and understand better because I don’t,’” Paltrow concluded.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow’s Political Confession

Politics

Progressivism

British actor Idris Elba is addressing rumors that he could be selected as the next James Bond, saying the world is not ready for a black Agent 007.
“I’ve always felt that it’s not a realistic thing,” the 53-year-old celeb <a href="https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/idris-elba-is-flying-solo">told</a> British GQ in a newly published interview. 
“James Bond was written how he was written for a reason. But I was complimented by it. And also, I think, in realistic terms, some markets just don’t go for that. Bond is big all over the world. And [audiences] won’t [all] go for a black male, an African male, playing Bond. That’s not what they like in their culture. Period.”
He went on to say he doesn’t believe Bond should change, anyway.
“Bond is so unrealistic, so a hint of reality is good, but let’s not try and make it woke,” Elba continued. “I think you’ve got to be pure to what it is: escapism. Don’t try and answer the world’s taste. Just be Bond.”
Fans have been speculating about who could play the next Bond weeks after Amazon Studios announced it had begun casting.
“The search for the next James Bond is underway. While we don’t plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right,” Amazon MGM Studios said in a statement.
The role was last played by Daniel Craig, who retired from the franchise after “No Time To Die” in 2021. There has been a lot of speculation about who the next Agent 007 would be, but now, with Amazon leading the charge, anything can happen.
Former producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli surprised fans in 2025 when they announced they would step back from the James Bond franchise and give creative control to Amazon. The company purchased MGM for $8.5 billion in 2022 and, in doing so, acquired the rights to distribute all “James Bond” projects. 
Broccoli previously said she was open to a black man playing Bond.
“I think [the next James Bond] will be a man because I don’t think a woman should play James Bond,” Broccoli said in 2021. “I believe in making characters for women and not just having women play men’s roles.”
“I don’t think there are enough great roles for women, and it’s very important to me that we make movies for women about women,” she added. “He should be British, so British can be any [ethnicity or race].”

Idris Elba

Idris Elba Reacts To Rumors He’ll Play The Next James Bond

James Bond

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