US President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named controversial film veterans and longtime supporters Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson and Jon Voight as special envoys to Hollywood to make the entertainment industry “stronger than ever.”
The trio of stars, who have 10 Oscar nominations and three wins between them, are standing out in Tinseltown, breaking ranks with their colleagues who have long leaned toward the Democrats. But all three are as famous for their personal lives as they are for their politics, and two of them – like Trump – have been in serious trouble with law enforcement.
“It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone as Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California,” Trump wrote on his Truth social platform.
“They will serve as my special envoy for the purpose of bringing back Hollywood, which has lost so much business to foreign countries over the past four years – bigger, better and stronger than ever!”
Jon Voight made headlines in 2020 when fellow actor Frank Whaley accused the star of slapping him while working on the crime drama Ray Donovan — but his controversies are primarily linked to his support of Trump.
On the other hand, Gibson has been plagued by allegations of anti-Semitism, homophobia, racism and domestic violence.
He is making a comeback after being ostracized from Hollywood after his 2006 Malibu drunken-driving arrest, during which he made anti-Semitic remarks.
The scandal followed the leak of tapes in 2010, where Gibson used racist slurs against Oksana Grigorieva, the mother of one of his nine children, who later alleged that he was physically abusive.
Stallone – who recently called Trump “the second George Washington” – has faced multiple allegations of sexual harassment, which he has denied.
In 2018, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said there was not enough evidence to prosecute Starr on allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in 1987 and 1990.
In 2007, Stallone admitted importing 48 vials of human growth hormone banned in Australia. He said he was taking them under doctor’s orders and did not intend to break the law.
“These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will do whatever they suggest. It will be like the United States again, the Golden Age of Hollywood!” Added Trump, who has 34 felony convictions of his own.
Trump and Republicans have traditionally received little support from the entertainment industry, and a galaxy of stars from Taylor Swift to George Clooney endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
Underscoring the limited impact of star endorsements, Trump bypassed Hollywood by tapping into a targeted subgroup of well-known, hyper-masculine YouTube influencers.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
