Category: Align
‘No one is illegal on stolen land’: Grammys audience goes wild over anti-ICE speeches
The 2026 Grammys seemed like a political rally at times as the audience screamed and cheered over anti-government sentiments.
Simple statements garnered standing ovations as some award winners specifically condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement in their remarks.
‘Um, f**k ICE is all I want to say. Sorry.’
After singer Billie Eilish won Song of the Year, she told the crowd that “no one is illegal on stolen land.”
This statement brought the house down, as attendees rose to their feet and nodded along with impassioned fervor.
ICE-capades
“It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now,” the 24-year-old continued. “I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter.”
“Um, f**k ICE is all I want to say. Sorry,” she added as the crowd went wild.
The audience similarly cried out like victors of an intergalactic war when Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny accepted the award for Best Urban Album, which was called “Best Música Urbana Album” by the Grammys.
“ICE out,” he began, garnering huge applause. “We’re not savage. We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We are humans. And we are Americans,” Bad Bunny strangely said, given that ICE works to enforce immigration law.
What did not receive as much raucous applause was when the singer asked the audience to “be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love.”
“We don’t hate them. We love our people. We love our family. And that’s the way to do it, with love. Don’t forget that, please,” he said.
RELATED: ‘This isn’t organic’: Joe Rogan says Minnesota’s anti-ICE protests are ‘coordinated’ to induce chaos
Pop-star punditry
According to Variety, Eilish was joined by singers like Justin Vernon and Jack Antonoff in wearing “ICE Out” pins to the ceremony. Also included in that group were Justin and Hailey Bieber, although the singer looked incredibly unhappy to be at the event while on the red carpet.
Singer Jelly Roll was asked why he has been silent on political issues, to which he replied, “People shouldn’t care to hear my opinion, man. You know, I’m a dumb redneck. I haven’t watched enough. I didn’t have a phone for 18 months. I’ve had one for four months and don’t have social media.”
However, he went on to say that he is going to have “a lot to say” in the next week, and audiences will hear him “in the most loud and clear way I’ve ever spoke in my life.”
Shut up and sing
Comedian Ricky Gervais made a simple remark on Monday morning, mocking the celebrities for their political speeches.
“They’re still not listening,” he wrote on X, with an attached quote of his remarks from the 2020 Golden Globes, which reads: “If you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world.”
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How to watch Turning Point USA Super Bowl halftime show — ‘American culture, freedom, and faith’
Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA will have its own performances that will air during the Super Bowl halftime show.
With artist Bad Bunny set to perform at the Super Bowl LX halftime show — where he may or may not wear a dress — conservative activist group TPUSA will ask viewers to change the channel for the break.
‘Experience a one-of-a-kind halftime event.’
Just a month after Kirk’s assassination, TPUSA announced it would host the All American Halftime Show on its channels. Now, the organization has revealed its musical lineup for February 8, 2026.
Rock, Barrett, Brice
Leading the charge is diamond-selling artist Kid Rock, who recently told Congress his ideas for keeping ticket prices down at concerts and sporting events.
Platinum country artist Brantley Gilbert will also perform. He has more than 10 million followers on social media.
Also featured is Lee Brice. The South Carolina native went platinum as recently as 2020 with his album “Hey World.”
Rounding out the performers is Gabby Barrett. The 25-year-old Pennsylvanian was just a teen when she finished third on the 16th season of “American Idol” in 2018. She went platinum in Canada and the United States with 2020’s “Goldmine.”
RELATED: Trump’s ‘number-one fan,’ Nicki Minaj, praises the president, shreds Gavin ‘Newscum’
Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville
How to Watch
With Super Bowl LX set for kickoff around 6:30 p.m. ET, halftime will likely be around 8-8:30.
At that point, viewers can escape network coverage by heading to any of Turning Point USA’s social media channels or video platforms. This includes TPUSA’s YouTube page, Rumble channel, and X page.
Charlie Kirk’s YouTube channel and Rumble channel will also feature the stream.
“Experience a one-of-a-kind halftime event celebrating American culture, freedom, and faith,” Turning Point wrote in its promotional materials.
RELATED: ‘All in’: TPUSA’s Andrew Kolvet sets sights on 2028 presidential candidate after AmFest
Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images
English speakers welcome
Super Bowl LX is shaping up to be one of the most controversial on record. Although Bad Bunny reportedly will not wear a dress (according to TMZ), he has told viewers to be sure to learn Spanish for his performance.
This has been followed by consistent warnings from the Trump administration to illegal immigrants in the Santa Clara, California, area — where the game is being hosted — that immigration enforcement will be present around Levi’s Stadium.
However, local police have said they will not be assisting federal agents with any immigration enforcement and warned residents that any masked agents would not be local law enforcement.
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Sydney Sweeney spurns Cosmo girl’s desperate ‘MAGA Barbie’ bait
Feminist glossy “Cosmopolitian” could use a reminder: No means no.
When it comes to the media’s attempts to use Sydney Sweeney as a political pawn, the star has made it clear that she does not consent.
‘I’ve never been here to talk about politics.’
From claims that a jeans ad is a product of white supremacy to outrage over her use of a firearm, the 28-year-old is asked by reporters to reveal her politics nearly every time she is put in front of a camera.
And every time, she refuses.
Private parts
That didn’t stop a pushy writer from Cosmopolitan — single gal lifestyle mag turned leftist propaganda organ — from doing her best to wear Sweeney down.
After discussing body image and Sweeney’s new lingerie line, writer Alexandra Whittaker took an abrupt turn toward politics by bringing up what she called the star’s “charged nickname”: MAGA Barbie.
“I see it in Instagram comments constantly. How do you understand this label, given that you’ve been private about your politics?” Whittaker asked.
“I’ve never been here to talk about politics,” Sweeney plainly replied. “I’ve always been here to make art, so this is just not a conversation I want to be at the forefront of. And I think because of that, people want to take it even further and use me as their own pawn. But it’s somebody else assigning something to me, and I can’t control that.”
RELATED: Sydney Sweeney is rebuilding Americana — one Bronco at a time
Party lines
The reporter then asked why Sweeney would not want to correct any untrue labels.
“Where is the line for you?”
“I haven’t figured it out. I’m not a hateful person. If I say, ‘That’s not true,’ they’ll come at me like, ‘You’re just saying that to look better.’ There’s no winning. There’s never any winning. I just have to continue being who I am, because I know who I am. I can’t make everyone love me. I know what I stand for.”
Trying a different angle, Whittaker — executive director of Cosmopolitan’s website — asked Sweeney to define some of her values, “not party affiliations,” that she wants people to understand.
Sweeney simply described leading with “love” and being “kind to whoever you meet.”
American ogle
Despite Sweeney’s clear lack of interest, the reporter kept on pressing, asking Sweeney about not talking about politics and if she ever will.
“You don’t speak to your fans directly about your political beliefs. … Is there a future in which people will get to see what you believe, politically?”
The Spokane, Washington, native completely shut the idea down.
“No. I’m not a political person. I’m in the arts. I’m not here to speak on politics. That’s not an area I’ve ever even imagined getting into. It’s not why I became who I am.”
Readers will have to check out the full interview to see other attempts to discuss the “culture war” and separate online narratives that Sweeney is asked to answer to.
The actress was consistent in saying she does not have any control over what others print, say, or claim about her for their own gain.
“It’s been a weird thing having to navigate and digest, because it’s not me. None of it is me. And I’m having to watch it happen. I’m online and I see things, but I’m slowly pulling myself away,” she explained.
‘They can’t take us all down’: Actor Giancarlo Esposito declares it’s ‘time for a revolution’ in unhinged rant
“Breaking Bad” actor Giancarlo Esposito has a message for old white men: If you want civil war, you might just get it.
The 67-year-old told a reporter at the Sundance Film Festival that it is “time for a revolution” and that the powers that be “don’t even know that’s what they’re starting.”
‘They’ll kill 500, 50 million, however [many], but the rest of us would survive with a new [world].’
Esposito, who has also starred in “The Mandalorian” and “Better Call Saul,” elaborated on his theory at the premiere of his latest project on Tuesday in Park City, Utah.
Fring-a-ling
“You know, some very rich old white men are exerting their power to suppress our own people, thus creating a feeling of civil war in the streets, preparing the haters to hate, teaching them how to shoot — they’re not even trained right — to kill,” he explained. “This is all preparation for a very insidious problem that’s happening in our world.”
Esposito then told a reporter from Variety that while tens of millions may die from a revolution, the rest would get to live on in the new world.
RELATED: Sundance VIPs take 10-minute protest break in between screenings
Collateral damage
“I have to speak out that we will not be ICE’d out,” the actor continued. “This is not going to happen. They can’t take us all down. If the whole world showed up on Putin’s doorstep or on the Iranians’ doorstep or in Washington, it would stop [them]. They’ll kill 500, 50 million, however [many], but the rest of us would survive with a new [world].”
The TV actor went on to say that the unnamed forces don’t know what the revolution is that they are starting, but “we have to be strong enough to know that we can change the world. We have to change it from within.”
“Not by deporting immigrants” and “not by killing off brown … people,” the actor stressed.
RELATED: Brave Hollywood stars hit Sundance red carpet in defiance of ICE ‘gestapo’ terror
Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Talk show
This year’s Sundance has seen the “premiere” of many celebrity political opinions. Edward Norton, for example, wowed audiences by comparing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to Nazi gestapo.
Not to be upstaged, actress Natalie Portman told Deadline that what the Trump administration is doing is “really the worst of the worst of humanity,” while actor Elijah Wood of “Lord of the Rings” fame showed up for a 10-minute demonstration on Main Street to protest ICE with cell phones.
Wood said “folks” had been “unlawfully gunned down in Minnesota” and that the crowd at Sundance is “coming together” and is not divided.
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Matt Damon: Netflix dumbs down movies for attention-impaired phone addicts
In Matt Damon’s new Netflix thriller, “The Rip,” a bunch of cops and crooks fight over a $20 million cash stash.
Making the movie required fighting for an even more precious commodity: the viewer’s ever-dwindling attention span.
‘It wouldn’t be terrible if you reiterated the plot three or four times.’
Appearing with long-time friend and co-star Ben Affleck on the “Joe Rogan Experience” last week, Damon revealed what his first collaboration with a streamer taught him about the new economics of the movie biz — and how it affects storytelling.
Dumbed down
Damon said that the “different level of attention” audiences are giving at home has started to affect how films are being made.
“Like, for instance, Netflix. The standard way to make an action movie that we learned was, you usually have three set pieces. One in the first act, one in the second, one in the third,” Damon began.
“You spend most of your money on that one in the third act. That’s your kind of finale. And now they’re like, ‘Can we get a big one in the first five minutes? We want people to stay tuned in,'” he continued.
Furthermore, the filmmaker explained that the reason dialogue has become simple and repetitive, in many cases, is that people are splitting their attention.
“‘It wouldn’t be terrible if you reiterated the plot three or four times in the dialogue because people are on their phones while they’re watching,'” Damon laughed, relaying notes he might receive from the platform.
RELATED: Is real-life ‘Star Wars’ America’s manifest destiny?
‘Casual’ vacancy
These types of notes and guidelines could really “infringe” on how writers are telling their stories, Damon stressed.
This theory of “casual viewing” was popularized and widely discussed in 2025, with outlet CBR calling it a style of filmmaking that is “overly descriptive, breaking basic rules of cinema and contributing to a dumbing down of the art.”
Affleck cited British crime drama “Adolescence” as a show that “didn’t do any of that s**t,” and that’s what made it “f**king great,” he added.
“There’s long shots of the back of their head. They get in the car, nobody says anything. … My feeling is just that it demonstrates that you don’t need to do any of that s**t,” Affleck said.
RELATED: Almost half of Gen Z wants AI to run the government. You should be terrified.
Photo by Arturo Holmes/WireImage
Du cinéma au smartphone
Affleck’s clear position when it comes to filmmaking and technology throughout the episode was that there will always be an audience for quality films.
“It’s like supply and demand,” he said. “People want to look at their phone, they can look at TikTok, they’re going to do that. I think what you can do is make s**t the best you can. Make it really good.”
When it comes to making movies for mobile viewers, Damon joked that he likes to rile up directors that he works with by asking them if they are thinking about how their film will look on a cell phone.
“That’s a joke that I like to make with every director I work with. Like, when they’re really puzzling over a shot or really grinding out something, I go, ‘You know, it’s not going to look as good on the phone.’ … Everyone gets angry.”
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Matt Damon: Netflix dumbs down movies for attention-impaired phone addicts
In Matt Damon’s new Netflix thriller, “The Rip,” a bunch of cops and crooks fight over a $20 million cash stash.
Making the movie required fighting for an even more precious commodity: the viewer’s ever-dwindling attention span.
‘It wouldn’t be terrible if you reiterated the plot three or four times.’
Appearing with long-time friend and co-star Ben Affleck on the “Joe Rogan Experience” last week, Damon revealed what his first collaboration with a streamer taught him about the new economics of the movie biz — and how it affects storytelling.
Dumbed down
Damon said that the “different level of attention” audiences are giving at home has started to affect how films are being made.
“Like, for instance, Netflix. The standard way to make an action movie that we learned was, you usually have three set pieces. One in the first act, one in the second, one in the third,” Damon began.
“You spend most of your money on that one in the third act. That’s your kind of finale. And now they’re like, ‘Can we get a big one in the first five minutes? We want people to stay tuned in,'” he continued.
Furthermore, the filmmaker explained that the reason dialogue has become simple and repetitive, in many cases, is that people are splitting their attention.
“‘It wouldn’t be terrible if you reiterated the plot three or four times in the dialogue because people are on their phones while they’re watching,'” Damon laughed, relaying notes he might receive from the platform.
RELATED: Is real-life ‘Star Wars’ America’s manifest destiny?
‘Casual’ vacancy
These types of notes and guidelines could really “infringe” on how writers are telling their stories, Damon stressed.
This theory of “casual viewing” was popularized and widely discussed in 2025, with outlet CBR calling it a style of filmmaking that is “overly descriptive, breaking basic rules of cinema and contributing to a dumbing down of the art.”
Affleck cited British crime drama “Adolescence” as a show that “didn’t do any of that s**t,” and that’s what made it “f**king great,” he added.
“There’s long shots of the back of their head. They get in the car, nobody says anything. … My feeling is just that it demonstrates that you don’t need to do any of that s**t,” Affleck said.
RELATED: Almost half of Gen Z wants AI to run the government. You should be terrified.
Photo by Arturo Holmes/WireImage
Du cinéma au smartphone
Affleck’s clear position when it comes to filmmaking and technology throughout the episode was that there will always be an audience for quality films.
“It’s like supply and demand,” he said. “People want to look at their phone, they can look at TikTok, they’re going to do that. I think what you can do is make s**t the best you can. Make it really good.”
When it comes to making movies for mobile viewers, Damon joked that he likes to rile up directors that he works with by asking them if they are thinking about how their film will look on a cell phone.
“That’s a joke that I like to make with every director I work with. Like, when they’re really puzzling over a shot or really grinding out something, I go, ‘You know, it’s not going to look as good on the phone.’ … Everyone gets angry.”
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Indian students score $200K ‘food racism’ payout from UC Boulder
A 35-year-old Indian student says he was told that curry stinks, but sandwiches do not.
Aditya Prakash and his fiancée, Urmi Bhattacheryya, won a settlement of $200,000 from the University of Colorado Boulder in a story dripping with progressivism.
‘My food is my pride, and notions about what smells good or bad to someone are culturally determined.’
The BBC described the ordeal as a case of “food racism” while outlet Indian Express said Prakash was the “target of racism” over his microwaved food.
Ate crime
The couple reportedly claimed they faced a series of “microaggressions and retaliatory actions” after a staff member at the university — who was British, according to the BBC — complained about the “smell” of the food Prakash had in the microwave.
The staffer allegedly said the food was giving off a “pungent” odor and informed Prakash there was a rule against heating foods that have strong odors. Prakash reportedly claimed there was no such rule publicly stated and said, “It’s just food. I’m heating and leaving.”
The Indian also said he later inquired what foods were considered pungent. He was allegedly told that smelly foods included curry but not sandwiches.
In a pickle
The couple claimed they soon lost their research funding and teaching roles, and a lawsuit followed. Prakash claimed it was not about money, though.
“It was about making a point — that there are consequences to discriminating against Indians for their ‘Indianness,'” he said.
RELATED: Illegal alien truckers with California licenses accused of hauling $7M in cocaine across state lines
Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images
Prakash also claimed he was a victim of “systemic racism” because his department “refused to grant” his Master’s degree.
“That’s when we decided to seek legal recourse,” he said.
The May 2025 lawsuit alleged discriminatory treatment and a “pattern of escalating retaliation” but was settled with the university that September. The terms reportedly include giving the students their degrees while denying all liabilities and banning them from studying or working at the school in the future.
Paneer miss
The dish at the center of the controversy is called palak paneer, which, according to cooking website Hooked on Heat, contains some strong ingredients.
The main parts of the dish include spinach and paneer, a soft white cheese considered to be the Indian version of cottage cheese. Also added to the dish are onion, ginger, garlic, chili powder, garam masala (Indian spices), and more.
Prakash reportedly argued that his food only stinks according to some people.
“My food is my pride, and notions about what smells good or bad to someone are culturally determined,” he posited.
Cruciferous context
A counterargument he allegedly faced was that even broccoli is not allowed to be heated because of its odor, but Prakash claimed that “context matters,” before adding, “How many groups of people do you know who face racism because they eat broccoli?”
His fiancée says that President Trump’s re-election has caused a “narrowing of empathy” toward foreigners.
“Institutions talk a lot about inclusion, but there is less patience for discomfort, especially if that discomfort comes from immigrants or people of colour,” she claimed.
Currying favor
The university told BBC that while it cannot comment on the specifics of the claims due to privacy laws, it is “committed to fostering an inclusive environment for all students, faculty and staff regardless of national origin, religion, culture and other classes protected under U.S. laws and by university policies.”
“When these allegations arose in 2023, we took them seriously and adhered to established, robust processes to address them, as we do with all claims of discrimination and harassment,” the school continued. “We reached an agreement with the students in September [2025] and deny any liability in this case.”
The couple has reportedly not since returned to the United States, with Prakash saying he is willing to start over.
“If this case can send out a message that this (‘food racism’) cannot be practiced with impunity, that we, as Indians, will fight back, that would be the real victory,” he said, per Indian Express.
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Iron MAGA? Comedian Chris D’Elia rants that in ‘real life,’ Marvel heroes would all vote GOP
Captain America and Iron Man would be feigning progressivism in public while secretly voting Republicans down the ballot, according to stand-up comedian Chris D’Elia.
D’Elia was discussing political influence in television shows with fellow comedians Erik Griffin and Brendan Schaub when he presented his theory.
‘Wolverine! Cyclops! Professor X, hello?!’
The trio said that while some TV shows simply have entertaining characters that happen to be gay, the “gay agenda” becomes evident when certain storylines are forced.
Team Trump
“What I do think they do do, though, is with their big shows, they try to figure out how to put gay characters in it, or trans characters,” D’Elia said on “The Golden Hour” podcast.
This led D’Elia to theorize that even though superheroes are “all woke in the movies,” they are definitely voting Republican at the ballot box.
“What superhero would be left-wing?! They wouldn’t. They have so much power,” D’Elia said, launching into a signature screaming tirade.
“Jarvis, what’s up with this f**kin’ trans s**t?!” he joked, mimicking actor Robert Downey Jr. in “Iron Man.”
“You know the real Captain America would be f**king Republican, secretly voting for Trump. And you know Iron Man would be talking to Jarvis about f**king woke bitches, dude!” he continued.
RELATED: New ‘Star Trek’ DEI disaster flops despite airing for free: A ‘huge, gay, glee club middle finger’
Stable genius
Griffin prompted D’Elia to explain which members of the X-Men he feels are Republicans, which had the New Jersey native yelling into the microphone.
“Who’s Republican, dude? Wolverine! Cyclops! Professor X, hello?! You think he’s out there — in his mind, he’s like, ‘But secretly, f**k these woke, white liberal women.’ Killing them left and right, dude, with his brain.”
Griffin — known for his work on shows like “Workaholics” — calmly delivered his thoughts about when shows go too far with their political agenda. The 53-year-old explained that shows have jumped the shark when they become “an after-school special” that has a political lesson to teach.
“To me, that’s the agenda thing, is when you’re trying to control how people think about stuff,” he said.
RELATED: Trump fatigue: Golden Globes host on why she kept jokes politics-free
Tranovision
This inspired Griffin and Schaub to develop an idea for a new filter on platforms like Netflix, where users can opt out of seeing transgender or overly gay content.
“They just need a filter,” Griffin explained. “Like, more than just age filter, right? What if they had a ‘gay agenda’ filter?”
Schaub put a stamp on the topic and said that while he certainly enjoys a lot of new shows, “with the gay narrative, just leave it all out of the kids’ stuff. But for the grown-ups, dude, you’re a grown-ass person.”
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Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza gives ‘all the glory to God’ ahead of national championship
When it comes to his role in Indiana’s unlikely rise to the top of college football, Hoosier quarterback Fernando Mendoza knows just who to thank: “the man upstairs.”
“I really give a lot that I have accomplished this season in my life to the Lord and really give thanks to God. … Give all the glory to God,” Mendoza told reporters ahead of tonight’s 2026 National Championship against the University of Miami.
‘I really give a lot that I have accomplished this season in my life to the Lord.’
Team effort
At the press conference Saturday, the recent Indiana University transfer stressed that his success was a team effort — a team that includes the priests at his Catholic parish in Bloomington.
“I’m a Catholic man,” Mendonza told reporters. “And they’ve done so much to help me, whether it’s confession or just [being] able to talk or just Mass every Sunday.”
This is not the first time Mendoza has credited the men of the St. Paul Catholic Center.
Christmas gift
On Christmas Eve, the 22-year-old brought them his 2025 Heisman Trophy. Mendoza won the award — which honors the nation’s top college football player — on December 15, thanks in part to the 41 touchdown passes he threw for the Hoosiers this season.
Recalling the moment, Mendoza said, “I think it was really important to take it over [to] those guys, especially those guys who have been great religious mentors to myself.”
RELATED: Charity, miracles, and high tech — here’s how these monks built a massive Gothic monastery
Chasing a dream
In his Heisman acceptance speech, Mendoza thanked God for giving him “the opportunity to chase a dream that once felt the world away” and vowed to live up to the honor.
Mendoza, who attends Mass weekly and says he prays before every game, also thanked his younger brother Alberto, currently Indiana’s backup quarterback. Calling Alberto his “lifelong teammate,” Mendoza described him as the one person he could trust to “get through a tough day, tough play, [or] tough game.”
“I love you, bro. I love you and thank you for always giving it to me straight no matter the circumstance.”
The NCAA national football championship airs from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
FEMPIRE STRIKES BACK: Kathleen Kennedy leaves ‘Star Wars’; is it too soon for fans to celebrate?
“Star Wars” fans may be celebrating a bit too early when it comes to Kathleen Kennedy’s departure.
Kennedy headed Lucasfilm for 14 years, controlling iconic franchises like “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones.”
‘After destroying a beloved modern myth … Kathleen Kennedy is finally stepping down.’
Fans rejoiced online as Disney announced Kennedy will be replaced by two executives: chief creative officer Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan, president and general manager. Filoni will be president at Lucasfilm, while Brennan will be co-president.
Director Filoni’s pairing with Brennan was described by Variety as a move that suggests Disney wanted to pair a strong filmmaker with a person who has a solid sense of budgets.
However, despite what appears to be good news for “Star Wars” fans, Kennedy’s tenure is not exactly coming to a screeching halt.
One to ‘Grogu’ on
Kennedy will still serve as a producer for two theatrical “Star Wars” films, the first being 2026’s “The Mandalorian and Grogu.”
This is the same wing of the franchise’s universe that fired former MMA fighter and actress Gina Carano for speaking out against mask mandates.
Additionally, Kennedy will produce “Star Wars: Starfighter,” which is set for a 2027 release.
RELATED: ‘Put a chick in it, make it lame and gay!’ ‘South Park: Joining the Panderverse’ review
Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images for Disney
That didn’t seem to bother detractors like Babylon Bee editor Joel Berry, who posted, “After destroying a beloved modern myth and replacing it with a 14-year, malice-filled tantrum against the patriarchy, Kathleen Kennedy is finally stepping down. Finally.”
Cartoonist George Alexopoulos joked that Kennedy put the franchise “in a grave.”
Others screamed from X’s rooftops that “Star Wars” is now “free” and is “going to be amazing.”
Put a chick in it
X owner Elon Musk even jumped into the mix by simply posting a clip from “South Park: Joining the Panderverse.”
The 2023 episode was internationally recognized for hilariously mocking the downward spiral of Disney’s intellectual properties at the hands of Kennedy. The episode showed Kennedy demanding the diversification of every character Disney had to offer, changing movies to ensure they had “lame,” gay, and female characters, no matter how unsuccessful they were.
The cartoon popularized the phrase, “Put a chick in it! Make it lame and gay!” as a way to describe needless and forced diversity in media.
RELATED: Male ‘Star Wars’ fans attack women, Kathleen Kennedy says ahead of latest woke series ‘The Acolyte’
Your worshipfulness
Disney CEO Bob Iger praised Kennedy in a statement on her way out, saying “We’re deeply grateful for Kathleen Kennedy’s leadership, her vision, and her stewardship of such an iconic studio and brand.”
During her time at Lucasfilm, Kennedy has been criticized by fans not only for her film choices, but for comments that she made toward them.
In 2024, Kennedy accused fans who were unhappy with the show “The Acolyte” of attacking women online.
“I think a lot of the women who step into ‘Star Wars’ struggle with this a bit more. Because of the fan base being so male dominated, they sometimes get attacked in ways that can be quite personal.”
While adding that she too has been a victim, Kennedy alluded to the fact that some of the fans were bigots.
“I stand by my empathy for ‘Star Wars’ fans. But I want to be clear. Anyone who engages in bigotry, racism or hate speech … I don’t consider a fan.”
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