As 2024 comes to an end, we're seeing plenty of wrap up lists of "best of" and "worst of," as well as memorable moments from the year. Among those participating included The Hollywood Reporter, and not just when it comes to their slew of articles to do with movies and film performances from the year. Last week, the outlet posted about George Clooney and his impact on the 2024 presidential election.
When it comes to THR remembering "all we've been through in 2024," one such example includes "when George Clooney wrote the dumbest op-ed ever[.]"
THR remembers all we've been through in 2024...
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) December 23, 2024
Like when George Clooney wrote the dumbest op-ed ever: https://t.co/Lswt49uiaW pic.twitter.com/dcCwisDJsd
The post shared to X links not to Clooney's op-ed, which he wrote in July for The New York Times, but to "The Year in Entertainment: The 24 Weirdest, Wildest Moments of ‘24," from earlier this month.
As is mentioned in the piece's intro, "George Clooney wrote an op-ed for The New York Times that for some reason people took seriously (honestly, what was everyone thinking?)."
There's more on the op-ed as well:
As THR alludes to, Clooney hosted a Hollywood fundraiser for President Joe Biden in June. It was one of the many events in which something was very clearly wrong with the president, despite how the White House, especially Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, tried to gaslight the American people into thinking otherwise. After the disastrous June 27 debate against now President-elect Donald Trump, the calls came in to replace Biden, including from Clooney, with his op-ed. Once Vice President Kamala Harris was installed as the nominee, Clooney tried to help her campaign, as he was included in an ad trying to get Christian men to vote for her.
Clooney was asked about his role and Biden's exit from the race in the following months, including while promoting his film "Wolfs" with Brad Pitt. Just as was the case with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who also had a role in ousting Biden as the nominee, Clooney praised Biden for dropping out. Pelosi and Clooney even both managed to compare the 46th president to our very first one, with Pelosi saying that Biden should be on Mount Rushmore, and Clooney equating their supposedly "selfless acts."
After Harris' loss, though, Clooney wisely decided he would be taking a step back from politics. He still reportedly whined about being treated as a "scapegoat," though.
Coming from an entertainment magazine, the above blurb about the op-ed could have been much worse. It wasn't just that "America listened to Hulk Hogan," who supported Trump and who had memorable appearances at the RNC in July and the Madison Square Garden rally that took place just days before the election. Voters didn't just soundly reject Harris, who was installed as the replacement nominee after Biden was finally forced out on July 21, and has yet to win a single primary vote. They also chose Trump and the peace, prosperity, and stability that his presidency will hopefully once again bring to the country and the world.
That being said, it's not necessary to focus on which celebrities supported which candidate, even for an entertainment magazine. Last week, as we covered earlier on Tuesday, the AP-NORC put out a poll showing that just 24 percent of Americans say they "strongly/somewhat approve" of celebrities speaking out on political issues. A plurality, at 39 percent, say they "strongly/somewhat disapprove." Just 12 percent of Independents and 11 percent of Republicans fall into the "strongly/somewhat approve" category. Thirty nine percent of Democrats fall into that "strongly/somewhat approve" category, however.
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