Hollywood “doesn’t matter” in the political sphere, some entertainment insiders fretted in a new report.
Vulture spoke to several industry members about the impact of President Donald Trump winning re-election and how that will affect the entertainment industry. On the condition of anonymity, most believed that people will “generally become more self-censoring and less capable of critiquing the current political moment, if not less influential overall.”
“Hollywood doesn’t matter as much as it thinks it matters,” a talent manager said. “You had the biggest stars in the world support Kamala Harris. She couldn’t have drawn more powerful advocates. And it didn’t move the needle. What does that tell you? It’s unsettling because the people and things you hold in high esteem don’t drive the culture. As much as I love movies, they aren’t the driver anymore.”
Numerous major Hollywood celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Alec Baldwin, Leonardo DiCaprio and Harrison Ford, came out in support of former Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the presidential election.
Despite their endorsements, Harris lost to Trump, losing all seven major swing states as well as the popular vote. Harris also failed to flip any county that voted for Trump in 2020.
Other Hollywood insiders noted the “preemptive exhaustion” among people, largely from what they’ve seen as a reaction to the “woke is broke” mindset.
“The movement away from ‘woke’ was already in motion even before Trump got re-elected,” a blockbuster producer told Vulture.
They continued, “We’ve been seeing the departure of executives at the studios that had been hired to promote DEI in film and TV. Hollywood had swung too far left over the past few years and there was bound to be a reckoning.”
Another production executive commented in the report that “there isn’t a strong desire for rhetorical storytelling in Hollywood,” with some fearing this could hurt creativity.
A veteran talent manager and producer said, “What I see internally and with my friends all over the business, whether they’re at studios or producers or creatives or their agents, it’s that right now we’re in an acute period of scarcity. The volume is way down. Everybody from the buyers on down are afraid to be bold and to make decisions that put them in harm’s way.”
Others voiced an outright fear of being targeted by Trump for voicing political opinions.
“Clearly, Trump’s gonna come after [Disney CEO Bob] Iger,” a consultant warned to Vulture. “Whatever he can do to f— with him and Disney based on the stuff with DeSantis and Florida.“
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However, not everyone in Hollywood is nervous about the future. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav was optimistic about the change during an earnings call in November, suggesting Trump could ease restrictions on media acquisitions.
“It may offer an opportunity for consolidation that would provide a real positive and accelerated impact on this industry,” Zaslav said.
