Actor and comedian David Spade, most well-known for his roles alongside Chris Farley in Tommy Boy and Black Sheep, as well as being an alumnus from Saturday Night Live, recently called out California’s Democratic leadership for causing the collapse of Hollywood. Spade stated on an episode of the Fly on the Wall podcast, which he co-hosts along with Dana Carvey, that “the Hollywood industry is dying” and he’s “just trying to put the blame somewhere.”
“Dude, I’m so old,” he said during the episode. “I was on the lot at, uh, CBS Radford when we were doing ‘Just Shoot Me.’ … And also they were doing ‘Seinfeld,’ and I’d see him on his bike. It was the greatest lot. Of course, just filed for bankruptcy, the lot. Terrifying in LA Thanks, [LA Mayor] Karen Bass. Thanks, [Gov.] Gavin [Newsom].”
Carvey agreed with his co-host, saying the “Hollywood studio system is dying,” stating that in order for it to both survive and eventually thrive again, big changes need to be made. “The amount of productions is dying, and so they have to do something so more production comes back, and that starts with negotiating with the union and also subsidizing the industry tax breaks to compete with Romania,” Carvey replied.
According to Fox News, Spade’s comments made it to the mayor’s office, which then responded with a statement to the outlet that read, “Mayor Bass has championed the entertainment industry because it’s a bedrock of our middle class. The fact of the matter is that Mayor Bass oversaw the creation of California’s first Film and TV Tax Credit Program as speaker of the State Assembly and backed its expansion last year.”
“This year alone, she slashed filming fees at Griffith Observatory and reopened the LA Central Library to film production for the first time in over a decade. Under her leadership, more than 3 million square feet of studio and creative office space have been approved, and over 120 sound stages are now under construction across Los Angeles,” the statement continued.
Spade and Carvey are not alone in their concern over the current condition of Hollywood and the growing trend of making movies and television series in other states and countries. Actors Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone, and Mel Gibson were all appointed special ambassadors to Hollywood by President Donald Trump in January 2025, with the mission to bring the city “BACK–BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!” according to a post by the president on Truth Social.
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In May 2025, Voight did an interview with Variety where he talked about how important it is to bring these jobs back to the Golden State and shared his support for President Trump placing a 100% tariff on filming movies and television shows overseas. “It’s come to a point where we really do need help, and thank God the president cares about Hollywood and movies,” Voight told the outlet.
“He has a great love for Hollywood in that way. We’ve got to roll up our sleeves here. We can’t let it go down the drain like Detroit,” the actor continued, going on to add, “This shouldn’t be political. I don’t know the political identities of the people we’ve talked to. We’ve talked to a lot of people here. I don’t distinguish them on their party affiliation. And If we can come up with [a plan that can be executed], he’ll back us. He wants us to be the Hollywood of old. If we all come together, I believe we have a bright future.”