Trump names Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson as 'special ambassadors' to Hollywood

Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times on Jan 16, 2025

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President-elect Donald Trump has named actors Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson as “special ambassadors” to Hollywood.

Trump said the three actors will be his “special envoys” and report back to him with on-the-ground knowledge of the industry to bring Hollywood 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,” Trump wrote in a post Thursday on his Truth Social platform, calling Hollywood a “great but very troubled place.” “It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!”

Exact details of this new position and how the actors would bring back production from overseas were unclear from the post.

All three actors have publicly expressed their support for Trump, with Voight speaking at his inauguration festivities during his first term, and Stallone calling him the “second George Washington” during a gala at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Gibson had a years-long exile from Hollywood after making anti-Semitic remarks during a 2006 DUI arrest in Malibu. He apologized for his behavior and had a comeback in 2016, directing “Hacksaw Ridge,” which was nominated for a best picture Oscar.

Hollywood has faced a tough last few years, with cascading challenges for the industry starting with the pandemic, the dual labor strikes of 2023 and a cutback in production. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a frequent Trump critic, has proposed an increase to California’s film and TV tax incentive program that supporters say could help lure back runaway production from other states or countries.

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