5 Times Hollywood Stars Backpedaled In Epic Fashion
One of the best Grouch Marx quotes, and they are legion, is this timeless riff: “Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them… well, I have others.”
That attitude can be found across Hollywood today. Celebrities are constantly virtue signaling for our approval, be it about “kids in cages” or Hollywood “diversity.” They also have a penchant for doing a 180 on their ‘firmly held beliefs.’
The following six stars highlight that flip floppery to a “T.”
Will & Grace Stars Supported Conservative Blacklists… Until They Didn’t
Eric McCormack and Debra Messing struggled with the proper “Resistance” etiquette during the Trump years. The “Will & Grace” stars participated in the show’s reboot, one that found its swift success didn’t last long. Did the show’s politicized nature hasten its second demise?
Either way, McCormack and Messing felt so emboldened by the show’s return to glory they said Hollywood’s quiet part out loud.
Vote GOP, and we won’t work with you.
On Aug. 29, McCormack retweeted a story about President Trump’s Beverly Hills fundraiser with this note:
“Hey, @THR, kindly report on everyone attending this event, so the rest of us can be clear about who we don’t wanna work with. Thx.”
Messing seconded that emotion on social media. At first.
The backlash from the Right was both swift and expected. What the sitcom stars couldn’t predict, though, is that even some on the Left recoiled at their McCarthy-esque tactics.
When Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg of “The View” fame don’t have your back, you’ve waded too far into the far-left fever swamp.
Naturally, the stars did a major, inauthentic backpedal.
“I want to be clear about my social media post from last week, which has been misinterpreted in a very upsetting way. I absolutely do not support blacklists or discrimination of any kind, as anyone who knows me would attest,” McCormack’s statement began.
Messing shared the message, saying “she couldn’t have said it better” herself.
Except we all know exactly what they said … and meant. The Hollywood Blacklist 2.0 is all too real. Conservative actors aren’t being hauled off to jail or asked to defend their thoughts on Capitol Hill, but they are being treated as second-class citizens, and that’s being kind, in La La Land.
Scarlett Johnansson Defends Role As Trans Character… For A Bit
Scarlett Johansson is constantly getting political, whether it’s promoting Planned Parenthood or speaking at the DNC.
She also took a bold stand against Identity Politics after snagging a role as a trans character in the proposed “Rub and Tug” movie project. The film followed the real-life tale of Dante “Tex” Gill, a trans man with a criminal record.
Johansson defended her decision to play the role, serving up a “mic drop” comment to seal the deal. Or so she thought.
“Tell [critics of her casting] that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment,” she said through a rep.
Those actors famously earned kudos for playing trans characters in the pre-woke age. Ledo snagged an Oscar for his work in “Dallas Buyers Club.”
The actress’ bold stand lasted a New York Minute.
As public outrage mounted against her, Johansson swiftly backpedaled, offering up a hostage-style apology in the process.
“Our cultural understanding of transgender people continues to advance, and I’ve learned a lot from the community since making my first statement about my casting and realize it was insensitive. I have great admiration and love for the trans community and am grateful that the conversation regarding inclusivity in Hollywood continues.”
She apologized several times after that, too.
Norm Macdonald Backtracks On MeToo Movement
Norm Macdonald took no prisoners as the faux anchor man on “Saturday Night Live’s” Weekend Update. That unexpurgated mien cut short his anchor duties after an NBC suit bristled at his frequent O.J. Simpson barbs.
Years later, Macdonald stirred the cultural pot anew with his comments about the MeToo movement. He cheered the news that the MeToo momentum had “slowed” a bit, noting its punitive nature as well as the potential for innocents to suffer.
“The model used to be: admit wrongdoing, show complete contrition and then we give you a second chance. Now it’s admit wrongdoing and you’re finished,” Macdonald told the trade publication, later adding: “I do think that at some point it will end with a completely innocent person of prominence sticking a gun in his head and ending it.”
He also attempted to add context to recent cancellations involving Roseanne Barr and comedian Louis CK.
Macdonald, in promotional mode for his Netflix talk show at the time, quickly backpedaled on his comments.
“Roseanne and Louis have both been very good friends of mine for many years. They both made terrible mistakes and I would never defend their actions. If my words sounded like I was minimizing the pain that their victims feel to this day, I am deeply sorry.”
Quentin Tarantino Backtracks On Roman Polanski Comments
Quentin Tarantino makes movies that would make Larry Flynt blush. The profanity. The bloodletting. The violence.
He’s not known for his apologies, but his very belated mea culpa concerning a fellow director seemed appropriate … if a decade-plus late.
Tarantino told shock jock Howard Stern in 2003 that the girl raped by Roman Polanski in 1977 wasn’t exactly a victim.
“It was statutory rape. That’s not quite the same thing,” Tarantino tried to explain to a baffled Stern. “He had sex with a minor, all right. That’s not rape. To me, when you use the word rape, you’re talking about violent, throwing them down — It’s one of the most violent crimes in the world.”
“Look, she was down with it,” the “Pulp Fiction” director added.
Polanski plead guilty to drugging 13-year-old Samantha Geimer and having anal sex with her.
The comments magically resurfaced years later, coaxing Tarantino to backpedal for PR reasons.
“I want to publicly apologize to Samantha Geimer for my cavalier remarks on ‘The Howard Stern Show’ speculating about her and the crime that was committed against her,” Tarantino said in a 2018 statement. “Fifteen years later, I realize how wrong I was. Ms. Geimer WAS raped by Roman Polanski.”
Seth Rogen Defends James Franco… For A bit
Seth Rogen spends more time bashing Sen. Ted Cruz these days than making memorable movies. The days of “Superbad” and “Neighbors” are long gone. Now, he’s co-starring in forgettable fare like “An American Pickle” and the uber-woke “Long Shot.”
He still clings to his famous chums, though, at least as long as it’s politically convenient to do so. Think James Franco, the “127 Hours” star repeatedly accused of inappropriate behavior behind the scenes.
One example? Several actresses say Franco used his acting school as a way to sexually harass them, something the actor denies. In 2018, Rogen said he couldn’t directly comment on the matter but would continue working with Franco, his co-star from “This Is the End” and “The Interview.”
That was then. Now, Rogen is furiously backpedaling.
“What I can say is that I despise abuse and harassment, and I would never cover or conceal the actions of someone doing it, or knowingly put someone in a situation where they were around someone like that,” said Rogen when asked about the validity of the claims against his former colleague. The “Pineapple Express” star added that it was “not a coincidence” that he hasn’t worked with Franco in recent years.
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