Donald Trump announces Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone, and Jon Voight as 'Special Ambassadors' to Hollywood

Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone, and Jon Voight have booked new roles… in Donald Trump's fold.

The three actors were part of a puzzling announcement the once and future president made via Truth Social on Thursday. "It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California," Trump wrote.

What does that mean? "They will serve as Special Envoys to me for 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!" Trump explained. "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!"

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Gibson, who lost his Malibu home in the ongoing Palisades wildfire, tells Entertainment Weekly that he didn't know about the position until Trump announced it.

"I got the tweet at the same time as all of you and was just as surprised," he says. "Nevertheless, I heed the call. My duty as a citizen is to give any help and insight I can. Any chance the position comes with an Ambassador’s residence?"

Voight expressed his appreciation in a statement to EW: "I'm old enough to have touched some years of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and I’ve seen its slow deterioration since. Today, we are in pretty bad shape. Very few films are made here now, but we are fortunate to have an incoming President, who wants to restore Hollywood to its former glory, and with his help, I feel we can get done. Now we have been through these horrible fires and our spirits are down, but we are resilient. We will help each other and we will rebuild. Love to everyone across the nation who has come to our aid."

Representatives for Stallone and Trump did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

It was not immediately clear what these Special Ambassadors (or is it Special Envoys?) will actually do over the next four years, as the position has not appeared in previous administrations, and ambassadors typically represent the United States in areas outside the country. However, there have been numerous Special Envoy positions that aren't strictly international, specializing in fields like LGBTQI+ rights, climate, counterterrorism, hostage affairs, and lawful migration.

Gibson, Stallone, and Voight have all been fervent Trump supporters.

Gibson (Lethal Weapon, Mad Max) railed against Vice President Kamala Harris in October as she campaigned for president, claiming she had "the IQ of a fence post." He never officially endorsed Trump or explicitly confirmed who he voted for in the 2024 election, but said that assuming he'd cast his vote for Trump was "a pretty good guess."

Gibson also saluted Trump at a UFC event in 2021, and was seen chatting with the former president at another UFC event in 2023.

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Stallone (Rocky, Rambo) referred to Trump as "the second George Washington" and a "mythical character" in a congratulatory speech in November. He previously supported Republican John McCain during his presidential run in 2008.

Voight (Midnight Cowboy, Ray Donovan) is one of the most outspoken Republicans in Hollywood. He spoke at Trump's inauguration in 2017 and has repeatedly praised the president-elect and his policies, even calling him "the greatest president since Abraham Lincoln."

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The trio of Hollywood ambassadors aren't the only entertainment figures working with Trump. In November, the president-elect announced that he'd selected TV's Dr. Mehmet Oz to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Other media personalities involved in the forthcoming Trump administration include Fox & Friends host Pete Hegseth, who received the nomination for Secretary of Defense, and Fox Business' The Bottom Line cohost Sean Duffy, a Real World: Boston alum who's been tapped for Secretary of Transportation.

UPDATE: This article has been edited to include statements from Gibson and Voight.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly