George Clooney has made it clear that he harbors little fondness for Hunter Biden, following a public spat where the latter criticized the actor’s op-ed suggesting President Joe Biden should step down. Clooney, known for his substantial financial support of the Democratic Party, candidly expressed his views during an interview with CBS’ Sunday Morning. He also confirmed that he stands by his controversial piece and would not hesitate to write it again.
In the interview, Clooney was asked about Hunter’s vehement reaction to his editorial, which included colorful language directed at the actor. The star of Ocean’s Eleven responded with a smile, dismissing many of Hunter’s accusations as “outright lies.” Clooney clarified, “I could spend a lot of time debunking many of the things he said. Obama didn’t put me up to it, it wasn’t my fundraiser. It was my fundraiser—these are just facts.”
Clooney emphasized, however, that revisiting past conflicts does little good, especially for Hunter himself and the Democratic Party. “I don’t think looking backwards like that is helpful to anyone,” he remarked, subtly referencing Hunter’s struggles with substance abuse by wishing him well on his “ongoing recovery.” The actor’s comments suggest a desire to move past the controversy, while implicitly critiquing Hunter’s past behaviors.
‘Well, I could spend a lot of time debunking many of the things he said because many things he said were just outright lies. Obama didn’t put me up to it, it wasn’t my fundraiser, it was my fundraiser – all the things,’ Clooney said.
‘But the reality is, I don’t think looking backwards like that is helpful to anyone, particularly to him. I don’t think it’s helpful for the Democratic party.
‘And so I’m just gonna wish him well on his ongoing recovery and I hope he does well, and just leave it at that,’ the actor added, appearing to take a swipe at Hunter’s drug use.
‘I have many personal opinions about it, but I don’t find it to be helpful to have a public spat with him.’
The Oscar winner penned an op-ed, titled ‘George Clooney: I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee,’ in the New York Times last July calling on Democrats to find someone new to put on the presidential ticket.
George Clooney briefly discussed his feelings towards Hunter Biden with CBS’ Sunday Morning after the former first son went on a foul-mouthed attack against the actor over his op-ed about his father
In his rant, which aired in July of this year, Hunter (pictured) repeatedly said ‘f*** him’ about Clooney and went after his acting career
He pointed to Biden’s age and declining health, especially after his botched debate against now President Donald Trump in June 2024.
About a month later, Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Kamala Harris as the liberal nominee.
The opinion piece drew a lot of reaction, including from the former president’s son, who was not at all happy with the actor’s comments on his father.
The younger Biden sat down for a three-hour-long, very foul-mouthed interview with YouTuber Andrew Callaghan, hosting him in Wilmington, Delaware this past July.
He used four-letter words when discussing Clooney and other Democrats who had been critical of his father or helped orchestrate the president’s exit from the 2024 race.
‘F*** him, f*** him and everybody around him,’ the former first son said of Clooney, as he discussed the actor’s decision to pen the op-ed that insinuated that the Democratic president was senile.
‘I agree with Quentin Tarantino, F***ing George Clooney is not a f***ing actor. He is a f***ing, like, I don’t know what he is. He’s a brand,’ Biden continued.
‘And by the way, and God bless him you know what, he supposedly treats his friends really well, you know what I mean, buys them things. And he’s got a really great place in Lake Como and he’s great friends with Barack Obama. F*** you, what do you have to do with fucking anything?’
In the op-ed, Clooney divulged that the Biden he saw at the fundraiser was the same one who appalled Democratic voters on the debate stage. (Pictured: Joe and Hunter Biden in November 2024)
He added: ‘Why do I have to f***ing listen to you?’
In the op-ed, Clooney said of the president that ‘the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time.’
The actor had seen Biden at a June 15, 2024 fundraiser in Los Angeles ahead of his disastrous June 27 debate in Atlanta.
In the op-ed, Clooney divulged that the Biden he saw at the fundraiser was the same one who appalled Democratic voters on the debate stage.
‘This is about age. Nothing more,’ Clooney wrote. ‘We are not going to win in November with this president.’
The president’s debate performance against President Donald Trump had heightened calls for the 82-year-old to drop out, with Clooney’s op-ed published less than two weeks later.
Behind-the-scenes, CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson wrote in their book Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again that President Biden didn’t recognize Clooney when he arrived at the LA fundraiser.
The younger Biden countered that saying that Tapper and Thompson’s sources misinterpreted presidential protocol.
Biden said Clooney was introduced to the president at the fundraiser because that is the customary part of presidential photo lines.
Clooney is seen smiling next to former President Biden, Julie Roberts and Barack Obama at a fundraiser on June 15, 2024 in Los Angeles ahead of his disastrous June 27 debate in Atlanta
‘And he may know George for the last 30 years and he may have met him 15 times but the guy on his shoulder, who’s usually a military officer, has one job, to say the name of the person who’s walking up,’ Biden said.
He added: ‘I was there. I watched George Clooney be introduced to my dad with 30 other people in line and the guy said, “Mr. President, George Clooney and Julia Roberts.” That’s it, that’s the story.’
Biden claimed that Clooney used that incident to undercut his father.
‘What right do you have to step on a man who’s given 52 years of his f***ing life to the service of this country and decide that you, George Clooney, are gonna take out basically a full-page ad in the f***ing New York Times to undermine the president at a time in which, by the way, what do people care about the most?,’ Biden said.
‘Why do you think that the Republicans have an advantage over us? Because they’re unified.’
Biden also bristled that Clooney had almost skipped the fundraiser over his father and the actor’s wife Amal not seeing eye-to-eye on an issue having to do with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Daily Mail contacted the Biden family team for comment.
