Voight, Gibson & Rambo

Trump appoints “Grumpy Old Men” as Hollywood savior

Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone are to check up on Trump in California.

(Bild: APA/TIMOTHY A. CLARY, VALERIE MACON / AFP)

"Dude, what was he thinking?" This thought crossed the minds of many in Hollywood when news leaked out that the new president wants to save the industry with a trio of oldie stars. Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social that he wanted to send Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone to California as "special ambassadors". 

There was a lot of laughter on social media in response. The three were dubbed "grumpy old men" in reference to the Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau comedy "A Mad Couple".

"Very disturbed place"
Trump had written: "I am honored to announce that I will be sending Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone as special ambassadors to a very disturbed place, Hollywood, California. They are to be my authorized envoys to get Hollywood back on track after losing so much business to foreign nations over the past four years. HOLLYWOOD WILL COME BACK BIGGER, BETTER AND STRONGER THAN BEFORE!"

Donald Trump is relying on Hollywood's old warhorses to get California back on track.

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

"My eyes and ears"
Trump added: "These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears. I will implement what they propose. As in the United States of America, it will be Hollywood's golden age!"

Why did Trump choose these three not-so-fresh actors? They are among the few who openly support him in the film metropolis. Voight has been a downright fanatical supporter of Trump since 2016. The father of Angelina Jolie described his idol as the "best president since Abraham Lincoln" and described Trump as "God's chosen one" in his podcast. The 86-year-old also firmly believes that Biden stole the 2020 election.

"A civic duty to help"
Stallone (78) had heralded Trump as "the second George Washington" at the gala of the right-wing populist "America First Policy Institute" in November and then went on to enthuse: "We are here in the presence of a truly mystical figure. No one in the world could have achieved what he has achieved. I'm completely blown away."

The arch-conservative Gibson has made no secret of his hatred of Democratic politicians for years. In October, the 69-year-old called Vice President Kamala Harris "dumb as a post" in front of the paparazzi cameras and revealed that he wanted to vote for Trump. However, his new role as a special ambassador in Hollywood for the new president came as a surprise to "Mad Max", as he revealed to "Fox News Digital": "I only found out about it through the tweet. But it's my civic duty to help and give insider advice."

To then quip, "I hope the post comes with an ambassadorial residency." An allusion to the fact that his Malibu mansion was destroyed in last week's fires - for which Gibson blames the Democratic Party and Governor Gavin Newsom in particular.

I hope the post comes with an ambassadorial residency.

Mel Gibson über seinen neuen Job als Sonderbotschafter in Kalifornien

"Is this real or an episode of the Simpsons?"
On social media, commenters alternated between amusement ("As if anyone in Hollywood would listen to these old geezers") and disgust ("Just embarrassing"). The best comment on X in response to the Trump announcement: "Is this real or an episode of The Simpsons?"