Sylvester Stallone revealed that he was blindsided when President Donald Trump announced his appointment as a special ambassador to Hollywood.
asserted
Trump → reveal → 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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he → share → television
"I was watching TV one night, and they go, ‘So Stallone and Mel Gibson and Jon Voight will be …’
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Stallone → watch → TV
And I went, ‘What?’
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I → go → What
I said, ‘Excuse me?
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I → say → me
Because if they had asked me in the beginning, I would have said, ‘This is not possible,'" Stallone said.
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Stallone → ask → beginning
Stallone told the outlet that he was hesitant about taking on the role because he didn't believe it was feasible.
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it → tell → role
When asked if he had reservations after Trump's announcement, Stallone said, "Yes.
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Stallone → ask → announcement
Yes, because Hollywood, I guess it’s like feudal states.
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it → guess → states
"They have their little kingdoms," he continued.
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he → have → kingdoms
"You don’t go in and tell six studios how to do things.
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You → go → things
And Mel Gibson and Jon Voight, we’re kind of do-our-own-thing people.
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we → ’re → thing
No, it won’t work."
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it → work → ?
The "Tulsa King" star recalled that he later explained his reasoning to Trump.
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he → recall → Trump
"I said thank you and ciao, because it’s impossible," Stallone said.
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Stallone → say → you
"Hollywood works, and it will evolve."
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it → work → ?
"It’s corporate, and corporate people won’t want to hear me tell them about finance," he added.
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he → ’ → finance
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."
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Voight → write → place
"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.
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he → serve → Countries
"These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest.
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they → do → what
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.
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he → share → appointment
"I got the tweet at the same time as all of you and was just as surprised," he told Variety in January 2025.
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he → get → January
"Nevertheless, I heed the call.
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I → heed → call
My duty as a citizen is to give any help and insight I can."
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I → give → help
"Any chance the position comes with an Ambassador’s residence?" Gibson joked.
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Gibson → come → residence
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.
uncertain
star → appear → 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.
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Stallone → introduce → Beach
"We’re in the presence of a really mythical character," Stallone said of Trump.
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Stallone → ’re → Trump
"I love mythology.
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I → love → mythology
And this individual does not exist on this planet.
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individual → exist → planet
Nobody in the world could have pulled off what he pulled off, so I’m in awe."
uncertain
I → pull → 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.
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world → defend → what
We got the second George Washington."
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We → get → 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.
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Trump → select → Strait
The actor has backed Republicans, including John McCain and Trump, but his political history has not been strictly partisan.
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history → back → McCain
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.
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Stallone → make → Biden
Meanwhile, Voight, who is a staunch supporter of Trump, appears to have embraced his role as a special ambassador.
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who → appear → 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.
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He → meet → U.S.
Voight has been working with his manager Steven Paul and Paul’s associate Scott Karol as part of his push.
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Voight → work → push
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.
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Trump → meet → business
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
