Oscars 2024: So Trump Won, Now What?

I’ve been wondering how the election would impact the Oscars. Many of us were waiting to see how it turned out to assess the race. So I thought I’d answer that question.  But it’s always hard to write about what I believe is the truth, even on my own website, because there is still an ongoing climate of fear and culture of silence that is pervasive on the Left. This is one of the reasons why I began getting so loud over the past several years.

What happened to the Democrats is what is happening to Hollywood because they are the same. Hollywood should take note of what the American people have just told them. As readers of this site well know, it isn’t anything different from what I have been saying. I am routinely shredded in the comments. I have been bullied endlessly. But I tell the truth.

In the end, I nailed the presidential prediction – though I didn’t post this here because I thought it would be too much for my readers, but I did on Twitter:

I had a hunch that if Trump won any swing state he’d likely win them all. I did not expect he would win the popular vote, much less the popular vote by 5 million. This is a mandate for the Republican Party and it’s one the Democrats and Hollywood have been in denial about for too long. I have been shouting from the rooftops going all the way back to 2019. No one listened to me. I was attacked repeatedly and eventually alienated. The worse things got, the less of a choice I had to throw my support behind Trump, which is what put my income in jeopardy when I was investigated and exposed in the Hollywood Reporter by Rebecca Keegan.

Do I think Hollywood will thaw out and be reasonable? No. Not in the short run. Very wealthy powerful people do not like having things taken away from them, especially not power. When a “high-profile Academy member” said my joke on Twitter wasn’t funny, and publicists said my name was now “toxic,” my response was you think my name is toxic? You should see what YOUR name is now. And I think the election has been my vindication.

If you need any lesson from the 2024 election, that’s it. Your silent majority roared. They did the same thing in 1972 and the same thing in 1980. In each of these elections, the public was absolutely sick and tired of the Left. The pendulum swings back and forth between collectivism and individualism, between Liberalism and Conservatism. When one gets to be too much the pendulum swings the other way. The Democrats, the Left and Hollywood, quite simply, pushed the American people too far. It didn’t have to go THIS far.

But rather than listen to me, here are three voices from TikTok – a gay man and two transgender females. Listen to what they have to say. 100% to all of this:

But again, what applies to the Democrats applies to Hollywood because, as I’ve said over and over again, they are fused. I suggested they divorce because I could see this coming. The best explanation of how we ended up here comes from Michael Shellenberger. Watch it. Absorb it. Digest it. Then begin the process of change.

What I find strange is the level of denial at play, a desire to blame the public, to call them racists and misogynists even though Trump raised his support among almost every group. It is exactly those kinds of accusations, the puritanical and punitive qualities of the Left, that have driven so many voters away.

This Trump win was not a squeaker. It’s a landslide victory. He’s winning the popular vote right now by 5 million, which is 2 million more than Hillary Clinton in 2016. It’s not 10 million, which is what Obama had in 2008, but it’s enough that there should be no accusing the voters. There should be some serious soul-searching happening.

As I’ve explained many times, Hollywood’s danger is its marriage to the Democratic Party. That was especially bad for them this year. Already, their names are not bringing people to the box office. Both Julia Roberts and George Clooney are no longer box office draws, yet both of them were front and center in the election (to no avail).

All of the celebrities showed how little value they had by campaigning, especially at a time when the business itself is struggling. To what end, all of this? What’s the big plan? To only make movies for people inside Utopia? To never care anymore about telling stories people actually care about?

The election sent a message to Hollywood, not just to the Democrats. The question is, will Hollywood listen?

Here is Dave Portnoy:

I have felt gaslit for so long by the commenters here and by so many on Film Twitter over what I knew to be true—that the Left had become too crazy for America. I’ve written it many times here, even though I do try to soften a little for you all, not that I get any credit for that. I do try to pull the punches I ordinarily would not in more free-thinking zones. But inside the bubble, we all have to always walk on eggshells.

And that is what is killing art. It’s killing movies. It’s killing comedy. It’s killing fiction. And it’s cumulative. By the end of this era, it should be remembered that the public stopped watching mainstream media, Hollywood films, and late-night comedy. When I say the empire is in collapse, this is what I mean. It’s over. It’s been shattered. It’s time to rebuild.

I already knew how much of America felt about Hollywood. It was obvious from the ratings, the box office and the conversation outside the bubble, all of which I have tried to bring to you here on this site. As I’ve said many times we built an “inside” that locked us all away from the “outside,” like Joshua Oppenheimer’s film The End. It was unintentionally about the American Left: wealthy, privileged, isolated, in a totally different reality from most people.

The other problem is that what drives the Left is the feeling that they are either oppressed themselves or they are allies with oppressed people. The wave I have been telling you all about is moving away from that and toward individualism or a feeling of optimism and success as opposed to ongoing misery.

Do I think Hollywood will pull itself out? I hope so. They should follow my advice, which I have been blabbering about for months and years!

Okay, that’s the election.  Now, onto the Oscars.

What has happened to Hollywood isn’t likely to be acknowledged by them. They all showed who they were voting for and have contributed to the idea that Trump and his supporters are the greatest evil. My guess is that they will keep acting like the so-called “resistance,” even though working class Americans have run out of patience with the richest and most powerful people in the world behaving like the underclass.

Hollywood should immediately:

–Hire back all of those they’ve exiled.
–END “cancel culture” right now. That shit is over. No one gets fired for saying something others deem “offensive.” In fact, stop policing ideas and speech.
–Free speech. You can’t solve a problem you can’t name and if people are too afraid to speak out, no one will ever name the problem.
–Get rid of DEI mandates. That doesn’t mean stop hiring minorities it means stop allowing activists to force you into representation.
–Pay attention to the box office more than chatter on Film Twitter. Ignore the critics. Aim for the people. Tell stories FOR THEM, not for critics or activists.
–Ricky Gervais should host the Oscars.
–Allow your stars to thrive. Hollywood has great writers and directors who have been forbidden to work because they are white men. END THAT IMMEDIATELY. Let’s bring back the best and the brightest and do it now.
–You will be okay. I promise.  I survived the Reagan era and you can survive this era too.

Do I think Hollywood and the Democrats will pivot? No, I do not. I think Hollywood will blame their audiences just as many of the Democrats will blame the voters. That means the Oscars will very likely be of the Jamie Lee Curtis mindset.

Given that, here is a rough sketch of how I think this will play out:

Films That Will Resonate:

Conclave – If there is a movie that speaks directly to the broken hearts of the Democrats, it’s this one. It will win points of its progressive theme, and because it will piss off Conservatives if it gets any nominations so, that will likely, or could likely, inspire voters to stick the needle in by elevating it. Conclave does seem to be exactly the cure for what will be ailing Hollywood. It reflects exactly who they are, EXACTLY. So, I would elevate this film on my list.

Nickel Boys—I am guessing the critics will absolutely make a statement with this film. Awarding this film will affirm how they all see themselves: good people doing good things. It also reflects the worldview of today’s Left, not on gender, as with Conclave, but on race. I would elevate this film on my list.

Emilia Perez — this movie is “peak woke” and should do very well with voters. It could even win by now, especially since Netflix went all in on Kamala Harris and the Democrats. Maybe that helps its brand with Academy voters.

Wicked — haven’t yet seen so I will hold judgment.

Sing, Sing—I think it could find an audience, but time is running out for this film to build the necessary buzz. We’ll see.

Anora—It holds steady but, if anything, probably loses a bit because it isn’t “woke” or political (thank you, Jebus), and I’m not sure the Jamie Lee Curtis types will feel their heart move in that direction.

The Substance — I agree with our NextGen Oscarwatcher Scott Kernen who says that he sees buzz for this movie rising. We could be looking at a well-deserved Best Director nod for Coralie Fargeat, along with Picture, acting, writing, production design and costume.

The Brutalist — a hold steady movie with massive ambition and scope. Should hold steady.

Gladiator II — I haven’t seen Gladiator II yet, but if it’s me, this is where I would probably aim if I wanted to revive the Oscars. Will they? Doubtful. They’re still stuck five miles back on “toxic masculinity.” But masculinity is exactly what Hollywood needs, and it’s largely why Trump won. Not “toxic,” but the idea of someone who is not afraid to say what he thinks is going to be attractive (and already is, obviously) moving forward.

All We Imagine as Light — this one should be elevated as it’s a film about women in India and is directed by a woman.

Inside Out 2—If Hollywood can reset, this should be a Best Picture nominee. It’s still the number one film of the year and deserves a spot with ten.

Beyond that, we’ll have to wait and see what is elevated. But the long and short of it is that I think the movie that benefits the most is Conclave if the Left is in “resistance” mode and Gladiator II if it’s in survival mode.