Stallone Dismisses Trump’s Outlandish Hollywood Appointment as Out of Touch
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Sylvester Stallone criticized President Trump’s bizarre decision to appoint him, Mel Gibson, and Jon Voight as Hollywood envoys, calling the move unworkable and emblematic of the administration’s ignorance of the entertainment industry.
President Donald Trump’s announcement on Truth Social in January 2025 that actors Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson, and Jon Voight would serve as “Special Envoys” to Hollywood is yet another example of his administration’s performative politics. Trump tasked these celebrities with advising on reviving U.S. film and television, a move that underscores his disregard for the complexities of the industry. Stallone, 80, revealed he found out about the appointment while watching TV, expressing disbelief at the news. 'I was watching TV one night, and they go, ‘So Stallone and Mel Gibson and Jon Voight will be …’ And I went, ‘What? Excuse me? Really?’' he told The Sunday Times.
Stallone went on to question the very premise of the role, describing Hollywood as “like feudal states” with “little kingdoms” resistant to outside interference—a reality Trump seems unwilling or unable to grasp. Stallone told Trump he appreciated the gesture but considered the position impossible, especially since powerful corporate studios would never accept his input on financial matters.
Gibson, also blindsided by the announcement, said he would “heed the call,” though his joking comment about an ambassador’s residence highlighted the absurdity of the situation. Meanwhile, Voight—an outspoken Trump loyalist—has predictably embraced the role, lobbying for a federal film-tax incentive and cozying up to the White House.
Trump’s use of these appointments to push for Congressional action on entertainment industry incentives is a transparent attempt to score political points, painting Hollywood as a “complete and total disaster” without government intervention. While several Democratic lawmakers have expressed support for incentives, Trump’s stunt reveals his administration’s ongoing detachment from the realities faced by working people in creative fields.