Hot Source: As Dump Biden Movement Fizzles, Hollywood Turns Its Angry Eyes on Jeffrey Katzenberg
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Donald Trump literally dodged a bullet Saturday but the attempt on his life has already had unintended consequences both profoundly tragic and deeply ironic. Along with leaving one of Trump’s rally-goers dead and injuring two others, the failed assassination attempt appears to have mortally wounded the dump Joe Biden movement, at least as far as some Hollywood donors are concerned.
“We missed the window and there’s no appetite right now for any big moves that will throw more uncertainty and friction into this race,” a well-placed agency executive told Hot Source the day after the shooting. “I think the consensus among donors is that we just go with what we have and make our case and hope for a miracle.”
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Over the last few weeks, since Biden’s 90-minute senior moment at his debate with Donald Trump, a wide swath of Hollywood A-listers publicly called on him to step out of the race. George Clooney’s scorching op-ed for The New York Times (in which he declared that the President “wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020”) got the most media attention. But Rob Reiner also did an about-face on the race (“It’s time to stop fucking around,” he posted on social media), as did Michael Douglas (“I’m deeply, deeply concerned,” he confessed on The View), Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof (“It’s time to wake the fuck up,” he demanded in an editorial for Deadline), Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings (“It’s not about loyalty,” he argued in an email to The Times, “it’s about winning”), and Endeavour CEO Ari Emanuel (“We are in fuck city,” he bluntly put it at the Aspen Ideas Festival).
But now, with the shooting in Pennsylvania apparently crushing all that replace-Biden momentum, Democrats in Hollywood are surveying the wreckage and looking for someone to blame. And for many, the obvious someone to point a finger at is Jeffrey Katzenberg, former DreamWorks co-founder, Quibi co-creator, and currently Biden’s campaign co-chair. For months, Katzenberg has not only been bragging about his intimate access to the President but assuring anyone who would listen (and write a check) that Biden was in tip-top mental shape. While Biden’s press conference last week soothed some frayed nerves, others remained unconvinced.
“People are pissed,” a top Hollywood donor tells Hot Source. “Katzenberg asked for big, big checks and when people asked about the President’s health, he said, ‘No, no, no, he’s fine.’ But that was just a lie, a total lie.”
In the words of another high placed Hollywood exec, “Jeffrey viewed Biden like he was an animated character that he could market to people. There’s real resentment towards him.”
And another: “Jeffrey has been spinning in ways beyond even what the campaign does. His pomposity is sky high.”
A few who talked to Hot Source believe Katzenberg, still stinging from Quibi’s epic fail in 2020, was hoping to leverage his political influence in the Biden campaign into a comeback of sorts. “Katzenberg has always been in the shadows of Steven Spielberg and David Geffen, who have quietly become elder statesmen,” yet another Hollywood exec says. “He’s like the little brother trying to prove himself to the older brothers. He can’t help himself.”
Of course, not everyone in town is joining in on the Katzenberg katzenjammer. At least one prominent figure — and longtime Katzenberg pal — is coming to his defense.
“I think Jeffrey Katzenberg has been a great, loyal, fundraiser and cheerleader for the President,” Barry Diller, chairman of IAC and Democratic donor who hired Katzenberg to be his assistant at Paramount back in 1974, told Hot Source. “I think he has handled a very difficult situation with sensitivity and thoughtfulness. He has deceived no one.”
Katzenberg himself has not responded to requests for comment.
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