Legacy Media Admits to Hollywood’s Conservative Blacklist AGAIN
Profile of MAGA-friendly Paramount owner suggests relentless professional bigotry
The Hollywood Blacklist roiled Tinsel Town and the culture at large then … and now.
We’re still talking about it today, partially thanks to La La Land. The industry keeps telling stories tied to what’s dubbed the “Red Scare” era of the 1950s.
Sen. Joseph McCarthy held hearings to uncover communist sympathizers in the country, including Hollywood talent. Some stars successfully hid their far-Left sympathies or had none in the first place.
Others paid a terrible price for alleged or real communist ties, temporarily leaving the country until the cultural panic subsided or staying unemployed for years.
A few went to jail for their thought crimes.
Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo spent 10 months in the hoosegow, later becoming the subject of a 2007 documentary and 2015 feature film starring Bryan Cranston.
Director Aaron Sorkin’s 2021 film “Being the Ricardos” also prominently featured a “Red Scare” subplot.
The cultural consensus, including Legacy Media types? The McCarthy Era was a terrible chapter in U.S. history. Yet there’s a new Hollywood Blacklist, and the press can do little but shrug about its existence.
Conservative stars are routinely punished, canceled or simply ignored for potential work. Two of the most glaring examples? Oscar-nominee James Woods and Kevin Sorbo.
Other right-leaning stars stay silent about their views, often commiserating via the Friends of Abe network. The secretive groups let right-leaning artists network, bond and share horror stories of professional bigotry.
Now, Variety is warning of another possible blacklist. The far-Left outlet published a comprehensive look at David Ellison, the new head of Paramount.
For this week’s @variety cover, I learned of a UFC fight that will take place on the White House lawn(!) in June and stream on Paramount+. It’s part of the $7.7B deal David Ellison did w/ Dana White and offers a glimpse into the first millennial mogul’s rising empire, one that… pic.twitter.com/YnRPSVDdyX
— Tatiana Siegel (@TatianaSiegel27) November 4, 2025
The investigation explores Ellison’s MAGA-friendly mien and willingness to spend money while shaking up the old Paramount infrastructure. That includes excluding actors who, according to Variety, “are deemed to be ‘overtly antisemitic’ as well as ‘xenophobic’ and ‘homophobic.'”
That coincides with Paramount’s reproach to stars like Javier Bardem and Emma Stone who signed a letter vowing to boycott Israeli-tied film projects due to the Jewish nation’s alleged Gaza “genocide.” Paramount won’t be eager to work with those stars, the story predicts.
It’s not the only boycott reference in the piece. The story mentions an upcoming “Call of Duty” movie adaptation for Ellison’s Paramount.
Directing the film is Peter Berg, who recently said on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” “I think Trump’s doing some great things” — the type of sentiment that could land talent on a blacklist [emphasis added] anywhere but Paramount.
Once again, a major publication acknowledges how Hollywood mistreats conservative artists without a flicker of outrage or concern. Berg apparently isn’t allowed to approve of any Trump policy.
Nothing to see here. Move along.
No, Variety shouldn’t move along. Nor should Tinsel Town or the rest of the media.
It’s outrageous that artists aren’t allowed to share views held by large swathes of the country. Now, some right-leaning stars are able to avoid the new Blacklist or find steady work despite it. Think Dennis Quaid, Kelsey Grammer, Sylvester Stallone, Jon Voight and Tim Allen.
They’re all established talents with decades of audience goodwill. Many others, though, aren’t so fortunate.
Just ask Cheryl Hines. The “Curb Your Enthusiasm” alum is on a book tour for her upcoming memoir, “Unscripted.” The book and her media interviews share how being married to a Trump Administration official (Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.) has hurt her acting career, not to mention professional friendships.
The Legacy Media predicted that would happen months ago.
It’s shameful that A-list stars haven’t spoken out for their right-leaning peers during this new blacklist era. Certainly, some have heard stories about the Blacklist 2.0. Aren’t they curious as to why everyone on a film or TV set shares similar political views?
What are the odds?
It’s doubly sad that major media outlets continue to admit the obvious without a drop of outrage.
Then again, this isn’t the first time Variety acknowledged the conservative blacklist with even less than a shrug.
Editor’s Note: It’s a brutal time to be an independent journalist, but it’s never been more necessary given the sorry state of the corporate press. If you’re enjoying Hollywood in Toto, I hope you’ll consider leaving a coin (or two) in our Tip Jar.