Just a month ago, a bona fide Hollywood A-lister showed up at a campaign event for President Joe Biden. The event was organized by former DreamWorks Animation executive Jeffrey Katzenberg and attracted George Clooney, Barbra Streisand and Julia Roberts.
Jimmy Kimmel hosted interviews with Biden and former President Barack Obama at a party at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles. Sheryl Lee Ralph sang and Jack Black entertained the star-studded crowd in American flag overalls.
More than $30 million was raised that night, the largest single-night campaign fundraiser in Democratic history.
But beneath the adulation and ridicule, cracks began to appear in the public facade.
Some of Hollywood’s most powerful figures have staunchly supported the president, but they have serious reservations about the 81-year-old’s mental acuity.
During the event, Biden’s answers were sometimes meandering, with Obama occasionally interjecting to change the direction of the conversation.
What followed was Biden’s disastrous debate performance. Industry stalwarts who had just hosted Biden began saying he should not seek re-election.
Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof, who attended the fundraiser, was one of the first to publicly call for Biden to step down. "Biden must step down and the Democratic Party needs to wake up," he wrote in a column for Deadline, adding that donors should withhold checks until he does so. Within days, others followed suit. Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, a major Democratic donor, also called on Biden to end his re-election campaign.
Damon Lindelof attends the premiere of “Mrs. Davis” at the Directors Guild of America on Thursday, April 13, 2023, in Los Angeles. Lindelof was one of the first to publicly call for Biden to step down.
(Richard Shotwell/AP)
The most damaging blow came a week later, when Clooney wrote a blistering article Column The New York Times stated, “The Joe Biden I attended a fundraiser with three weeks ago is not the ‘big deal’ Joe Biden of 2010. He is not even the Joe Biden of 2020. He is our Both witnessed the same person in the debate.
A confidant close to senior Democratic leaders said Cloney’s public rebuke proved to be a turning point, creating a public relations disaster for the Biden campaign. Soon others, including actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner, began voicing similar sentiments, adding to the pressure that ultimately led to the sitting president making the extraordinary decision to withdraw from the Democratic nomination.
The dramatic turn of events underscores the outsized role that Hollywood — long known as the “ATM of the Democratic Party” — plays in political campaigns and how they finance them.
“In the political world, money is what drives these things, and a lot of people in Hollywood close their checkbooks,” said Steve Caplan, an adjunct lecturer in public relations and advertising at the USC Annenberg School of Communication. This fact had a very big impact.
Now, entertainment heavyweights are lending their financial support to Vice President Kamala Harris’ White House campaign. A person close to the Netflix co-founder but not authorized to comment said Hastings donated $7 million to a super PAC backing Harris, his largest donation to a single candidate Donate. The donation was first reported by The Information.
“We have been fully supportive of Kamala from the moment she made the announcement,” said Andy Spahn, a Los Angeles political consultant to media moguls including Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg. “There’s tremendous excitement and energy surrounding Kamala’s candidacy. We’re all here.
Uneasiness over Biden’s gaffe
Over the months, Biden’s gaffes and missteps have become difficult to ignore. He fell while going up the stairs of Air Force One; he confused Syria and Libya at a press conference and called Kamala Harris “Trump’s Vice President.”
While allies and critics alike began commenting, the campaign dismissed their concerns as isolated incidents. Biden described his debate performance as a “bad night.”
As Biden’s momentum waned and his defeat became more public, some supporters vented their frustrations to Katzenberg, one of the campaign co-chairs, who assured them Biden would be involved, even saying His age is his “superpower”.
The Wall Street Journal first reported that Katzenberg began comparing the 80-year-old Harrison Ford, who stars in the new Indiana Jones movie, to Mick Jagger, who is also 80 and touring with the Rolling Stones.
Katzenberg declined to comment.
Marilyn Katzenberg (L) and Jeffrey Katzenberg attend the 9th Annual Breakthrough Awards at the Film Academy Museum in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 15, 2023.
(Jordan Strauss/AP)
But Biden’s dismal approval ratings and glaring enthusiasm gaps are still growing rapidly, especially among celebrities who didn’t immediately back the campaign.
One person who works closely with celebrity attorneys but was not authorized to speak publicly said it would be difficult to get industry insiders to publicly support Biden even before the debate.
“There’s a general lack of enthusiasm. Some want to bury their heads in the sand, some think there’s a value bias in what’s happening in the Middle East, and others don’t see the benefit of speaking out. “Even if there are committed people, this is extremely difficult. “
Despite Clooney and others’ public stances, this person said there are multiple private conversations taking place between about 40 prominent artists and campaign leadership.
Grammy-winning singer John Legend expressed concerns about Biden’s viability in an interview.
“If we continue to support Biden and defeat Trump with him as the nominee, there are going to be a lot of challenges,” Legend told The Times. “The American people have been telling us for months that they don’t like either option. ”
Within days, Disney heiress Abigail Disney and billionaire media mogul Barry Diller said they would cease any further financial support for the Biden campaign.
Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel spoke at the Aspen Ideas Festival, accusing Biden’s advisers of a lack of candor about his health and criticizing the president for abandoning his promise to pass the baton after one term.
“My father died at 92, but at 81 I took his car away, and it was a very simple test for me,” said Emanuel, whose brother, Ram Emanuel Newell served as Obama’s White House chief of staff. “If you were driving from downtown Beverly Hills to Malibu, would you expect Biden to do that at night?”
A dramatic shift to Harris
On Sunday, Biden announced he would not continue as the Democratic nominee and endorsed Harris.
It’s like the tide has turned – at least in Hollywood.
“Oh my God. People, I’m sincere, people are giddy. Not only are they happy, they’re giddy,” said Donna Bojaski, a longtime Democratic political consultant and co-founder of a nonprofit dedicated to building civic engagement in Los Angeles. “I haven’t seen anything like this excitement since Barack Obama or Joe Biden were in office,” Bojarsky said. [2020] election. … Only now do we realize how difficult and frustrating the situation was. Now, it’s like an anvil has been lifted.
Within 24 hours, more and more big names from film, TV, fashion, music and media, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Spike Lee, Questlove ) and Ariana Grande have expressed support for Harris, who is widely expected to take over as the party’s presidential nominee. Beyoncé allowed Harris to use her song “Freedom” in her presidential campaign.
“People are getting more and more excited — it’s palpable,” Legend said. “People are feeling an optimism now that they didn’t have before and we can use this moment to win.”
Many who once criticized Biden and his advisers are now being supported by Harris, whose husband, Doug Emhoff, is a prominent Los Angeles entertainment lawyer.
Second Gen. Doug Emhoff speaks at Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign headquarters on Monday, July 22, 2024, in Wilmington, Delaware.
(Erin Schaaf/AP)
Topping the list was Cloney, who praised Biden for showing “true leadership” in a statement to CNN, adding, “We are all excited to do what we can to support the Vice President. President Harris’ historic quest.
“An election previously marked by fear and grim resignations is now marked by exciting possibilities,” Lindelof wrote in an email to The Times. He added that since Harris He has been a “big fan” of Harris since he first ran for California State Bar in 2010. During this emotionally intense and complex time. We are extremely inspired by this potential ticket and we will contribute accordingly.
As the accolades and recognition rolled in, so did the money.
Political consultant Spahn pointed out that Harris raised a record $81 million in the first 24 hours after Biden announced that he would not seek re-election. “There will be more,” Spahn said.
Diller told The Times that he and his wife, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, plan to offer the incoming Democratic presidential candidate the “maximum” allowed under federal law.
“I think it’s inevitable,” he said of Biden’s ouster, noting that his favorite Democratic candidate is Harris, calling her “qualified and capable.”
Hollywood is gearing up for another star-studded fundraiser, likely ahead of next month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, according to two people familiar with the matter.
“The past 24 hours have been very exciting – sign me up, where can I contribute, how can I get involved?” Wendy, a former Los Angeles city official who worked in President Bill Clinton’s administration and DreamWorks SKG Entertainment Wendy Greuel said. “Whether it’s the entertainment industry, whether it’s activists, it’s a shot in the arm for people to engage or re-engage.”
She added that Democrats are encouraged by the fact that a decision has been made and there is a goal to pursue.
“This feeling of being unresolved is challenging,” Gruel said. “The exciting thing is we have a plan. Our mission is to defeat Donald Trump and we are endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States. This is a shot in the arm. People recognize this is access to democracy. The path to the party nomination, everyone is moving in the same direction.
Times staff writer Wendy Lee contributed to this report.
