Trump names Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone as Hollywood ‘special ambassadors’
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Duties remain unclear for the three actors, who are Trump supporters and are no strangers to controversy. Donald Trump has tapped three of his longstanding celebrity supporters – Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone – to purportedly make Hollywood “stronger than ever before” as “special ambassadors” to the movie capital.
The president-elect announced the new appointments, whose duties remain unclear, on Truth Social on Thursday, four days before his inauguration. “It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California,” he wrote.
“They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE! These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest. It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!”.
Trump has long decried Hollywood, which saw celebrities overwhelmingly support Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. He made the announcement as wildfires continue to devastate southern California and significantly disrupt the film and television industry. Many in Hollywood have lost their homes in the fires, which has killed 25 people, displaced tens of thousands and hampered businesses, with costs estimated at over $250bn.
His post appears to reference the declining US box office, which has struggled to recover from the pandemic and the dual writers/actors strikes in 2023. Last year’s haul of $8.7bn was down 3.3% from 2023 and 23.5% from 2019, the last full year before the Covid pandemic.
