() Some industry insiders say Hollywood, typically left-leaning, is starting to shift to the right.
Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, studios are reportedly placing less emphasis on recruiting diverse casts and shelving some of their more progressive storylines and characters.
The shift comes as Trump is calling for his 2024 opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, to be prosecuted along with a handful of celebrities who supported her.
Right before the election, celebrities including Oprah and Beyoncé stumped for Harris, Oprah appearing at a rally in Philadelphia and Beyoncé making an appearance in Houston. Despite anticipation that she might perform, Beyoncé focused her speech on the Democratic push for reproductive rights.
Federal election data shows the Harris campaign paid over $165,000 to Beyoncé’s production company for that rally, and Oprah’s company, Harpo, received a million dollars. The Harris campaign also made payments totaling $500,000 to Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.
Trump claims the fees are illegal payments for endorsements. Despite his calls for action, so far, there are no indications of celebrity charges in the works.
The Harris campaign says the payments were for expenses associated with the appearances, not for endorsements. The campaign, along with Oprah and Beyoncé, has denied any wrongdoing.
The president has also named a group of Hollywood special ambassadors to address a slump in the industry as studios have lost business to other countries. The industry is also still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and strikes.
Hollywood veterans Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson and Jon Voight have been tasked with revitalizing the industry and bringing back the golden age of Hollywood.
None of the three has made any public recommendations so far.
Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has recently expanded California’s tax credit program to $750 million to lure productions back to the state.
