Trump names Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight special envoys to ‘troubled’ Hollywood

L-R: Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone (photos: Georges Biard via CC) and Jon Voight

Donald Trump has named Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone as special ambassadors to improve business in Hollywood, which the incoming US president called a “great but very troubled place.”

The American actors will serve as the incoming administration’s “eyes and ears,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social last week, with the “purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”

All three of the actors were vocal Trump backers in his most recent election bid, with Stallone calling him the “the second George Washington,” while introducing him at a gala event in November.

Voight, who has been a longtime Trump supporter, was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Trump during his first presidential term.

Gibson, who said US vice president Kamala Harris had the “IQ of a fence post” in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, also backed Trump in his most recent election campaign. The Lethal Weapon actor was among many who lost property in the Los Angeles wildfires, with his Malibu home burning down.

While the specifics of their roles have not been announced, Trump’s social media post indicated that they will be given a significant amount of latitude. However, it remains unclear what exactly the trio will be able to accomplish in Hollywood, where Gibson in particular has a complicated history.

“These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest. It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!”

As many have pointed out, the title of “special envoy” is somewhat peculiar in this context, as the position is typically reserved for countries with which the US has a complicated relationship, or where there is conflict.

The appointments come less than four weeks after Trump appointed UK-born unscripted production pioneer Mark Burnett as his special envoy to the UK.