Famous comedian and actor Rob Schneider slammed Hollywood for what he describes as a “rot in the soul,” claiming it is dismantling itself through blacklisting conservative actors. In an “American Thought Leaders” podcast interview, he said publicly expressing right-leaning views ended his starring roles in movies: “That was it for me starring in movies.”
Building on this point, he compared the blackout to the historical rejection of figures like Charlton Heston, called it shameful, and predicted that studios would become real estate as audiences shift to social media. Schneider acknowledged career consequences but emphasized the need for courage in a free society.
Starting off his comments, the actor commented on his conservative political beliefs and quipped, “That was it for me starring in movies.” Additionally, he noted, “The act of telling the truth in an age of authoritarianism, in an age of lies, is a courageous act, and I’m not saying that I’m courageous. When I think of real courage, I think of… in any major city, the cemeteries of people who gave their, what Lincoln describes, the last full measure of their devotion for this great land.”
“That is a sacrifice. I mean, the fact that I’ll never make ‘Deuce Bigalow’ 4, 5 and 6, I think is fine,” he slyly noted, “Show business, wrong or right, they don’t want any controversy. You know, they don’t want you being mouthy or anything, and that makes sense, but I do think that at a certain point, if we’re going to have a society and if we’re going to continue to have a free society, it’s going to require people to step up and be courageous.”
Describing the impact of conservative views, he explained, “It’s going to cost you. I think that’s shameful. I think that’s a rot in the soul of Hollywood. And I think today’s blacklisting of conservatives is the same thing. I think, at its core, it is adding to its destruction. And I think we are seeing Hollywood completely dismantle itself.”
Building on this last point, Schneider declared, “I think you’re going to see – you’re seeing right now – a rejection of Hollywood… you’re seeing an implosion of it.” Providing more context about the double standard, the Comeida stated, “Mark Ruffalo could say whatever he wants against Trump and he’ll still get work as an actor. But if an actor like me … dares question the tribe of Democrats, that’s it.”
Conversely, Schneider explained, “But if an actor like me … dares to question the tribe of Democrats, that’s it. You’re out of Hollywood. You can ask Jimmy Kimmel.” Wrapping up his comments, he reiterated, “You’re seeing right now, a rejection of Hollywood.” Watch him describe it here:
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Speaking 15 years ago, the Hollywood icon explained why he became a Republcian. “The state of California is a mess, and the super majority of Democrats is not working. I’ve been a lifelong Democrat, and I have to switch over because it no longer serves the people of this great state,” Schnieder declared over a decade ago.
Featured image credit: By Gage Skidmore – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/55020577243/, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=181145277