Ben Stiller Blasts White House For Misusing Tropic Thunder Clip

Ben Stiller Takes a Stand Against the White House

Hollywood icon Ben Stiller is not holding back after the White House shared a clip from his satirical action comedy, Tropic Thunder, on its social media channels. Stiller, who both directed and starred in the film, is calling out the administration for what he perceives as a misuse of his work.

In a fiery message posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), Stiller, 60, demanded the removal of the clip. "Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip. We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie," he stated.

“We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.” – Ben Stiller

Backlash from Celebrities

Stiller isn't alone in his outrage. Several celebrities, including Céline Dion, Olivia Rodrigo, and Bruce Springsteen, have criticized the White House for using their content without permission on its social media. Notably, Kesha expressed her fury when the White House used her song "Blow" in a video featuring a military scene.

The Tropic Thunder clip was interspersed with snippets of US military operations, and the post was captioned "Justice the American way." This action has sparked significant backlash, with Stiller's post on X garnering over 14 million views and being shared approximately 45,000 times.

White House Responds

In response to the criticism, White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung appeared to dismiss the outrage. He commented on X, "All these ‘singers’ keep falling for this. This just gives us more attention and more view counts to our videos because people want to see what they’re bitching about. Thank you for your attention to this matter."

Kesha responded to the White House's actions with her own statement, condemning the use of her music to "incite violence and threaten war." "Trying to make light of war is disgusting and inhumane," she added, emphasizing that she does not approve of her music being used to promote violence.