{"id":1604584,"date":"2022-08-13T09:03:42","date_gmt":"2022-08-13T13:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1604584"},"modified":"2022-08-13T09:04:26","modified_gmt":"2022-08-13T13:04:26","slug":"canceled-star-clifton-duncan-no-regrets-for-refusing-vaccination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/canceled-star-clifton-duncan-no-regrets-for-refusing-vaccination\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Canceled&#8221; Star Clifton Duncan: No Regrets For Refusing Vaccination"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcanceled-star-clifton-duncan-no-regrets-for-refusing-vaccination%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1604584&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s every actor\u2019s worst fear.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The phone, be it a rotary model in years gone by or a smart phone today, stops ringing.<\/p>\n<p>It happened to veteran Broadway and TV actor Clifton Duncan, but he knew the reason behind the silence.<\/p>\n<p>Duncan refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and that meant his career came to a screeching halt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can\u2019t submit you for anything,\u201d Duncan recalls his former manager telling him. And he was one of the lucky ones. Other actors who refused to get the \u201cjab\u201d got dropped by their agents immediately.<\/p>\n<p>For Duncan, that process happened gradually, but the results were the same.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI could see the doors closing,\u201d he says, adding he knew his career hit the rocks when he checked his IMDB.com page and saw that his management company had removed its name from his profile.<\/p>\n<p>Duncan\u2019s career had plenty of highlights up until that point. He graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from New York University\u2019s Graduate Acting Program and appeared in critically-acclaimed productions on and off-Broadway. His TV slate included work for NBC, Fox, CBS and Starz.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s all in the past now.<\/p>\n<p>Duncan knew he wasn\u2019t the only actor questioning the efficacy of the vaccines or their potential side effects. Some stars faked vaccination cards, he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople were desperate for work, even if just for insurance,\u201d says Duncan, who contracted COVID-19 early and had a measure of natural immunity. Others watched as their recurring TV roles went to other performers. The term Duncan heard on more than a few occasions was \u201creplaced.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The industry atmosphere hardly helped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a business that\u2019s heavily built on relationships and reputation \u2026 you have to know all the right people, and you don\u2019t want to be on the bad sides of any of those people,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Politics also play a role in that atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a monoculture in the industry that skews in one direction \u2026 they watch MSNBC and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodintoto.com\/stephen-colbert-gutfeld-ratings-insurrection-trump\/\">Stephen Colbert<\/a> and that\u2019s like it for them,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>The modern Left embraced vaccinations as the critical weapon against the pandemic, not accepting what we eventually learned about them. Many benefited from the jabs, but the vaccinations <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/joe-biden-2021-video-saying-vaccinations-prevent-covid-resurfaces-1726900\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">didn\u2019t stop people from getting or transmitting COVID-19.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodintoto.com\/larry-elder-hollywood-blacklist-conservatives\/\"><strong>RELATED: HERE\u2019S MORE ALARMING PROOF OF HOLLYWOOD\u2019S BLACKLIST<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Duncan\u2019s politics are hard to pin down, but he\u2019s open-minded and willing to accept wisdom from all sides. He bonded with a fellow actor who similarly rejected the vaccine mandates and embraced alternative points of view.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe caught me reading a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodintoto.com\/rise-of-jordan-peterson-review\/\">Jordan Peterson<\/a> book on my Kindle,\u201d Duncan recalls of his colleague. \u201cI panicked, trying to close my Kindle, and he said, \u2018I\u2019m also reading that book,\u2019 in a whisper.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The actor in question eventually relented, worried that to do otherwise might put his family\u2019s finances in jeopardy. Actors may sound foolish at times to the general public, Duncan says, but there\u2019s still a lot of \u201cnormal people\u201d in the business just trying to make ends meet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a nice life. You work at night \u2026 why wouldn\u2019t you want to preserve that life?\u201d he asks.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\u201cAlthough I\u2019ve paid a price, I\u2019ll never regret standing up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Renowned Broadway actor, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cliftonaduncan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@cliftonaduncan<\/a>, lost his career due to the mandates.<br \/>\u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/amalaekpunobi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@amalaekpunobi<\/a> reacts. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/l7wuBnnEe5\">pic.twitter.com\/l7wuBnnEe5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 PragerU (@prageru) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/prageru\/status\/1557913007216369664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 12, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Duncan would do it all again, but that doesn\u2019t take away the sting of his new reality. He watches old friends, people who helped him process his defiant stance, land exciting new jobs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no reason I shouldn\u2019t be there,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>The older pandemic rules in the entertainment industry still apply today, according to Duncan, despite everything we\u2019ve learned about the virus and vaccines.<\/p>\n<p>He spotted a new casting notice with an asterisk attached to the text. That meant it still followed the existing COVID-19 protocols, including the need to show proof of vaccination.<\/p>\n<p>Duncan notes a significant upside to his stance, one that could lead to a new chapter in his professional career.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m finding the more that I open my mouth \u2026 the more interesting and broad my circle becomes,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople I\u2019d watch on the Internet, I have their phone numbers [now] \u2026 economists, journalists and other artists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His recent speech at <a href=\"https:\/\/mises.org\/library\/evening-clifton-duncan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Mises Institute<\/a> helped ease that transition, allowing his story to spread virally via the YouTube clip.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt helps you feel like you\u2019re not alone,\u201d says Duncan, who turned to podcasting as a way to stay in touch and feed his creative side.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Clifton Duncan Podcast\u201d is growing, attracting prominent guests like Victor Davis Hanson and former Mumford and Sons musician<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodintoto.com\/winston-marshall-artists-cancelled-him\/\"> Winston Marshall.<\/a> His Twitter presence (north of 85K followers) is similarly strong.<\/p>\n<p>He also shared his story with Andrew Klavan on the author\u2019s Daily Wire podcast.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy circle of people is far more diverse and interesting, far more intelligent than a lot of my colleagues in the entertainment industry. They\u2019re not allowed to think and explore,\u201d he says with a laugh.<\/p>\n<p>Duncan doesn\u2019t see much hope for the modern Hollywood system, what he dubs the \u201cmachine,\u201d moving forward. Too many incentives exist for people to shut their mouths and accept the status quo.<\/p>\n<p>The future for free-thinkers, he says, lies in decentralization.<\/p>\n<p>He points to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodintoto.com\/counter-culture-revolution-rogan-macdonald-dillon-bee\/\">radical musicians<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodintoto.com\/rippaverse-isom-gabe-eltaeb-racist-critics\/\">comic book creators<\/a> and filmmakers blazing bold new trails outside the entertainment ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s so much tech now, we can share [art] with the world \u2026 our audience is no longer confined to deep blue metros,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople are looking outside of whatever that \u2018machine\u2019 is, for creative fulfillment.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\u201cYOUR WELCOME\u201d with Michael Malice #208: Eric July <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KYfcLxGd57\">https:\/\/t.co\/KYfcLxGd57<\/a> via <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/YouTube?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Big Papa King (@bnlking) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bnlking\/status\/1529662031955214337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 26, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The pandemic is fading. Even the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/newyork\/video\/cdc-relaxes-covid-19-safety-guidelines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CDC has relaxed rules<\/a> that once governed the way we conducted ourselves in public. Hollywood will eventually follow suit, but Duncan isn\u2019t sure he\u2019d happily begin auditioning anew.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know now at this point. I\u2019m radioactive in a lot of ways. I haven\u2019t been shy about my views,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Another factor weighs heavily on him.<\/p>\n<p>Acting requires vulnerability, the ability to look fellow performers in the eye and trust them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t wash the stain off of this, what they said and tweeted out,\u201d he says of his peer group. \u201cThey dehumanized people.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s every actor\u2019s worst fear. The phone, be it a rotary model in years gone by or a smart phone today, stops ringing. It happened to veteran Broadway and TV<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1604675,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1604584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1604584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1604584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1604584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1604675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1604584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1604584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1604584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}