Overview
- President Trump named Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone as “special ambassadors” to Hollywood in January 2025, but he did not define official duties for the post.
- Stallone told The Sunday Times that he learned of the appointment on television, never formally accepted it and told Trump the idea was “impossible.”
- Stallone said he told the president “thank you and ciao” because Hollywood’s studios and corporate structures would not welcome outsiders directing their finance and operations.
- Voight has publicly used the envoy title to press the White House for a federal film and television tax incentive, while Gibson previously said he was surprised by the announcement.
- The episode leaves the ambassadorship largely symbolic and raises practical questions about any federal credit, which would require congressional approval and differ from existing state tax incentives.