In the latest episode of “Hollywood Meets Politics,” silver-haired actor George Clooney has made it abundantly clear that he alone deserves the spotlight for nudging President Joe Biden off the 2024 ticket.
Clooney’s op-ed [1] in The New York Times in July of 2024 after Biden completely flopped during his debate with Trump was a public call for Biden to step aside, citing concerns about the president’s age and performance.
However, when Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski dared to suggest that former President Barack Obama might have influenced Clooney’s bold move, the actor reportedly had a meltdown of cinematic proportions.
According to Chris Whipple’s book, Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History, Clooney unleashed a torrent of expletives at an MSNBC producer, feeling betrayed by the insinuation that he wasn’t the sole architect of the op-ed. Yes, he gave Obama a heads up on the op-ed – but Obama neither instigated it nor tried to stop it.
Clooney reportedly yelled at the producer, “How the f*** could you let her (Brzezinski) link me with Barack Obama, saying he made me write the op-ed?”
It’s worth noting that Clooney and Obama have a well-documented friendship, complete with joint fundraisers and mutual back-patting. Yet, the mere hint that Obama might have had a hand in Clooney’s public denouncement of Biden sent the actor into a tailspin.
Clooney’s insistence on sole recognition is hardly surprising. After all, what’s the point of being a celebrity activist if you can’t bask alone in the glory of your own political relevance?