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Sylvester Stallone revealed that he was blindsided when President Donald Trump announced his appointment as a special ambassador to Hollywood.
Days before his second inauguration in January 2025, Trump shared a post on his platform Truth Social in which he named Stallone, Mel Gibson and Jon Voight as “Special Envoys,” describing the role as a way for the three actors to serve as his “eyes and ears” in Hollywood and advise him on efforts to bring film and television production back to the U.S.
During a recent interview with The Sunday Times, the 80-year-old “Rocky” star recalled that he found out about the appointment while watching television.
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“I was watching TV one night, and they go, ‘So Stallone and Mel Gibson and Jon Voight will be …’ And I went, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Excuse me? Really?’ Because if they had asked me in the beginning, I would have said, ‘This is not possible,'” Stallone said.
Sylvester Stallone revealed that he was blindsided when President Donald Trump announced him as a “special Hollywood ambassador.” (Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty Images; Artur Widak/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Stallone told the outlet that he was hesitant about taking on the role because he didn’t believe it was feasible. When asked if he had reservations after Trump’s announcement, Stallone said, “Yes. Yes, because Hollywood, I guess it’s like feudal states.”
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“They have their little kingdoms,” he continued. “You don’t go in and tell six studios how to do things. And Mel Gibson and Jon Voight, we’re kind of do-our-own-thing people. No, it won’t work.”
The “Tulsa King” star recalled that he later explained his reasoning to Trump.
“I said thank you and ciao, because it’s impossible,” Stallone said. “Hollywood works, and it will evolve.”
“It’s corporate, and corporate people won’t want to hear me tell them about finance,” he added.
Stallone said he told Trump that the role was “not possible.” (Joe Raedle)
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In his original post on Jan. 16, 2025, Trump wrote, “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.”
“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!” he continued. “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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At the time, Gibson, 70, shared that he was caught off-guard by Trump’s announcement and did not have previous knowledge about his presidential appointment.
Gibson said he was “surprised” by Trump’s announcement. (Mike Marsland/Mike Marsland/WireImage via Getty Images)
“I got the tweet at the same time as all of you and was just as surprised,” he told Variety in January 2025. “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?” Gibson joked.
Though Stallone may not have been onboard with his role as a special Hollywood ambassador, the action star appears to have a friendly relationship with Trump and heaped praise on the president during a speech following his victory in the November 2024 election.
Days after the election, Stallone introduced Trump at the America First Policy Institute Gala held at the president-elect’s Mar-A-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
“We’re in the presence of a really mythical character,” Stallone said of Trump. “I love mythology. And this individual does not exist on this planet. Nobody in the world could have pulled off what he pulled off, so I’m in awe.”
“When George Washington defended his country, he had no idea that he was gonna change the world,” he added. “Because without him, you could imagine what the world would look like. Guess what? We got the second George Washington.”
Stallone was later selected as a 2025 Kennedy Center honoree, with Trump personally naming him among that year’s recipients alongside George Strait, KISS, Gloria Gaynor and Michael Crawford.
Trump named Stallone as a 2025 Kennedy Center honoree. (Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)
The actor has backed Republicans, including John McCain and Trump, but his political history has not been strictly partisan. Over the years, Stallone has made financial contributions to both political parties, donating to various Democratic candidates and committees, including former President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee, as well as Republican campaigns.
Meanwhile, Voight, who is a staunch supporter of Trump, appears to have embraced his role as a special ambassador. He has met with the White House and advocated for policies aimed at bringing film and TV production back to the U.S., especially a federal film tax incentive. Voight has been working with his manager Steven Paul and Paul’s associate Scott Karol as part of his push.
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After meeting with the trio at the end of last month, Trump threw his support behind a federal film and television production incentive, urging Congress to pass bipartisan legislation to “save” the American entertainment business.
In a Truth Social post on Aug. 31, Trump wrote that “Hollywood is a Complete and Total Disaster” and said there was “no incentive” for productions to stay there. He said meetings were being set up with leaders of both parties and urged Republicans and Democrats to “immediately craft Legislation to save the Movie, Television, and Entertainment Business in America.”
Trump has a longtime friend in Voight, who he also appointed as a special ambassador to Hollywood. (Mandel Ngan)
Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and U.S. Representative Laura Friedman (D-CA) later issued statements in which they voiced their support for Trump’s proposal.
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While speaking with the Hollywood Reporter earlier this month, Voight was asked whether Stallone and Gibson were involved with his efforts.
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They’ve been very busy, both of those guys actually have been extremely busy,” Voight said.
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However, Paul, who joined Voight for the interview, said, “Sly’s been doing his TV show, but Sly’s been very involved and he signed our letter.”