Stallone Declines Trump’s Offer to Serve as Hollywood Ambassador

Sylvester Stallone told The Sunday Times that he learned of President Donald Trump's January 2025 announcement—naming him, Mel Gibson and Jon Voight as "special ambassadors" to Hollywood—while watching television. Stallone said he immediately expressed doubt that the appointment could work, noting that Hollywood operates as a collection of independent studios and that a single outsider could not dictate policy.

"I said thank you and ciao, because it’s impossible. Hollywood works and it will evolve. It’s corporate and corporate people won’t want to hear me tell them about finance," Stallone said.

He added that the proposal was unexpected and that, had he been consulted beforehand, he would have declined outright. Stallone’s refusal does not appear to reflect a broader rift with Trump; he previously praised the former president in 2016 and introduced him at a 2024 Mar-a-Lago event, calling him a "second George Washington" and a "mythical character." In 2023, Trump presented Stallone with a Kennedy Center honor in the Oval Office.

Mel Gibson, also named in the announcement, said he was surprised by the plan but indicated willingness to serve at the time.