This past week, multibillionaire and top Republican donor Elon Musk had a meltdown because director Christopher Nolan cast Black and transgender people as mythological characters in his adaptation of Homer’s “The Odyssey.”
Musk was joined by other racist and transphobic bigots on the right, but this outrage is nothing new. In fact, the right has been getting mad at movies for decades.
For instance, Republicans were up in arms last summer when director James Gunn described “Superman” as the story of an immigrant working to improve the United States.
In years past, the right got mad at the Muppets because their 2011 movie portrayed businesspeople as antagonists. They were also upset that actor Gal Gadot’s portrayal of Wonder Woman wasn’t patriotic enough.
When Disney cast Black actor Halle Bailey as Ariel in the 2023 adaptation of “The Little Mermaid,” the right was livid. Similarly, “Wicked” was a smash at the box office in 2024, but MAGA figures declared it was too “woke.”
The 2025 live-action adaptation of “Snow White” was also too diverse for the right, who dubbed it a “woke tirade.”
And the 2023 movie “Barbie” caused right-wing figures like Ben Shapiro to absolutely lose their minds—because how dare a movie about a plastic doll also empower women?
The right’s temper tantrums over movies are particularly ironic, considering that they have insisted for decades that “liberal” Hollywood is out of touch with America.
Of course, the reality is that Hollywood is an industry driven by attention and mass audiences. These aren’t mom-and-pop operators but rather enormous international conglomerates that answer to shareholders and other investors.
And they are very good at it. Last year, the entertainment industry brought in more than $8.7 billion in domestic movie ticket sales. You don’t make that kind of money by being partisan—you do it with compelling stories that appeal to a diverse swath of people.
In other words, conservatives go to the movies too.
Which is not to say that the creative side of the industry doesn’t heavily lean to the left, because it does. After all, it is the right that has derided the creative arts, defunding efforts aimed at encouraging artistic endeavors.
The right’s support for the arts looks more like President Donald Trump hijacking the Kennedy Center for a premiere of first lady Melania Trump’s poorly received “Melania” documentary.
What the right’s serial anger about the movies is truly about is the influence that the arts have on society. When entertainment better reflects the diversity of the world, there’s a documented positive effect on society’s attitude toward race, gender, sexual orientation, and disability.
And that’s exactly what the right hates.
Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, testifies during the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy hearing titled "Fees Rolled on All Summer Long: Examining the Live Entertainment Industry," in Russell building on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)
Attribution: AP
MAGA celebrity Kid Rock is desperate to stay relevant, but no one’s buying what he’s selling.
Conservatives hate that a moviegoer—especially a child—might see acceptance and openmindedness on screen and adopt those attitudes.
What also causes a backlash is the right’s ineptitude on this topic. Conservatives are notoriously bad at creative endeavors. For all the right’s political success, their movies, television shows, and books are niche with little to no cultural impact.
Christopher Nolan’s films have been a part of the cultural zeitgeist for decades, and “The Odyssey” will surely be no different. On the other hand, very few people invoke MAGA celebrities like Kid Rock—other than to make fun of them.
At best, the right can elect former reality TV personalities—including the president himself, who previously hosted “The Apprentice.”
The right is at the peak of its political power, dominating all three branches of government … for now. But conservatives will never have a hold on the entertainment industry, and that’s why they’re so mad.
Published with permission of Daily Kos
