Throughout much of Hollywood history, it seemed like the people in power in the entertainment industry were virtually untouchable. For example, it has now come to light that people like Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein committed serious crimes over a period of years yet they remained respected and powerful in the business.
More recently, it has seemed like there finally is a serious push for accountability among the powerful. Of course, the fact that people like Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein were brought to justice was celebrated in most corners, even if one of them eventually got off on a technicality. On the other hand, there are a lot of people who’ve pushed back against the so-called cancel culture.
Over the last few years, it has become clear that the once highly respected actor Jon Voight is persona no-gratis in a lot of Hollywood circles. As a result, a lot of observers have concluded that Voight is a victim of the so-called cancel culture. That begs an obvious question, what is the real reason that Jon Voight was canceled by Hollywood?
Cancel Victims
As anyone who follows social media should be able to attest, it often seems like a slew of famous people get canceled each week. For example, several stars have already been “canceled” in 2021, and hashtags about one star or another being over trend regularly. In reality, however, a lot of so-called canceled stars go on to find success like nothing ever happened in the first place.
While it is pretty obvious to everyone that cancel culture can be a meaningless phrase for people to rally around at times, writing it off entirely would be a mistake. After all, some famous people truly seem like they will never recover from their cancelation. For example, former stars like James Woods and Jon Voight seem like they will never be in Hollywood’s good graces again despite their obvious acting talents.
The Slap
Considering all of the major movies that Jon Voight headlined throughout his career, there is no doubt that he had a lot of stroke in the business during his heyday. On the other hand, the character actor Frank Whaley has never been anything close to a household name. Best known for his notable role in Pulp Fiction, Whaley also earned respect for his work in films like Swimming With Sharks and Born on the Fourth of July.
Given the fact that Frank Whaley is a talented actor, he likely expected everything to run smoothly when he took on a recurring role on the show Ray Donovan. Unfortunately, Whaley has since revealed that things didn’t go well at all when he filmed a scene with one of Ray Donovan’s stars, Jon Voight. According to Whaley, Voight slapped Whaley because he couldn’t keep up during a scene only to deny it later. However, a still photographer was on set and captured the moment that Voight struck Whaley on camera.
In years past, a famous actor like Jon Voight could have gotten away with slapping a guest star without any consequences. These days, however, that kind of behavior is exactly the kind of thing that can get an actor canceled, especially when it is caught on camera.
Extremely Outspoken
Over the last several decades, a long list of beloved actors have joined the political fray only to come out the other side with their main careers intact. For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger served as the governor of California for several years and then went on to star in a slew of movies once his time in office came to an end.
Unfortunately for everyone, politics have become much more toxic in recent years. For example, Jon Voight has not only spoken out about his political beliefs in recent years. Instead, he has chosen to almost literally demonize people who fall on the opposite end of the political spectrum.
In November 2020, Jon Voight posted a video on Twitter in which he made some truly outrageous statements. After quickly calling the 2020 American Presidential election “a lie”, Voight proceeded to say that Trump supporters were now embroiled in a “battle of righteousness versus Satan. Yes, Satan”. Still not done, Voight continued to rail against “leftists” that he claimed are “evil” and “corrupt” people who “want to tear down this nation”.
No matter how someone feels about the so-called cancel culture, it is pretty easy to argue that Jon Voight was the person who ruined his own career. After all, it is no secret that a large percentage of the Hollywood community falls on the liberal side of things. With that in mind, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that a lot of Voight’s peers wouldn’t want to work with him after statements like that. On top of that, a huge portion of the general public falls on the left side of the political spectrum. As a result, it would make no sense for most studio or network heads to hire an actor who claimed that a huge portion of their customers are in league with the devil.