Sylvester Stallone said he was caught completely off guard when President Donald Trump announced his appointment as a special envoy to Hollywood.
Just days before his second inauguration in January 2025, Trump posted on Truth Social that Stallone, Mel Gibson and Jon Voight would serve as “Special Envoys.” He said the trio would act as his “eyes and ears” in Hollywood and advise him on bringing more film and television production back to the United States.
In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, the 80-year-old “Rocky” star said he learned about the appointment while watching television.
“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?’” Stallone recalled. “Because if they had asked me in the beginning, I would have said, ‘This is not possible.’”
Stallone said he was reluctant to accept the position because he doubted the role could realistically work. Asked whether he had reservations following Trump’s announcement, he replied, “Yes. Yes, because Hollywood, I guess it’s like feudal states.”
“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” actor said he eventually explained his concerns directly to Trump.
“I said thank you and ciao, because it’s impossible,” Stallone said. “Hollywood works, and it will evolve.”
He added, “It’s corporate, and corporate people won’t want to hear me tell them about finance.”
In his Jan. 16, 2025, announcement, 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!” Trump 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!”
Gibson, 70, also said at the time that Trump’s announcement came as a surprise and that he had not been informed about the appointment beforehand.
“I got the tweet at the same time as all of you and was just as surprised,” Gibson told Variety in January 2025. “Nevertheless, I heed the call. My duty as a citizen is to give any help and insight I can.”
Gibson added a joke: “Any chance the position comes with an Ambassador’s residence?”
Although Stallone was not convinced the Hollywood envoy role was workable, he appears to maintain a cordial relationship with Trump. He strongly praised the president during a speech after Trump won the November 2024 election.
A few days after the election, Stallone introduced Trump at the America First Policy Institute Gala 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,” Stallone added. “Because without him, you could imagine what the world would look like. Guess what? We got the second George Washington.”
Stallone was later named a 2025 Kennedy Center honoree. Trump personally selected him for the honor alongside George Strait, KISS, Gloria Gaynor and Michael Crawford.
Stallone has supported Republicans, including John McCain and Trump, but his political giving has crossed party lines. He has also donated to Democratic candidates and organizations, 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 US, 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.
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.”
Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and US Representative Laura Friedman (D-CA) later issued statements in which they voiced their support for Trump’s proposal.
While speaking with the Hollywood Reporter earlier this month, Voight was asked whether Stallone and Gibson were involved with his efforts.
They’ve been very busy, both of those guys actually have been extremely busy,” Voight said.
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.”
