Hollywood liberals are such a stereotype at this point that they’ve been repeatedly caricatured in movies made by … Hollywood liberals. Movie stars and producers are often accused of being elitist, out of touch, and ill-informed about even the political causes they say they believe in.
But whatever faults individual writers, actors, directors, and producers may have, their money is just as green as anyone else’s, and the entertainment industry is an ultra-reliable source of Democratic cash. And while the industry is sometimes concerned with its own economic self-interest—copyright protection is probably the most prominent example—many individual donors in this space are motivated more by personal ideology than attempts to buy influence. Here are some of the most famous names that have chipped in big during 2020:
Seth MacFarlane
Democrats love “Family Guy” at this point. The legendarily foul-mouthed cartoon may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s made its creator wealthy enough to become one of the Democratic Party’s top donors from any industry. In 2018, MacFarlane dropped a casual $2.5 million to support the party’s House and Senate PACs, and he contributed another $2 million to the Senate Majority PAC in 2020, and $700,000 to the Priorities USA Action PAC. He’s also given lavishly to other causes, including $2.5 million to NPR in 2018 and $200,000 to the Human Rights Campaign's efforts to elect LGBTQ-friendly candidates in 2016.
JJ Abrams and Katie McGrath
The super-producer and the PR executive (McGrath is also a former Sen. Ted Kennedy aide) have been involved in politics for a long time; they were on a list of Hollywood mega-donors as far back as 2013, and they’ve only upped their giving since then. They donated over $500,000 in the 2020 cycle, the vast majority of it in Abrams’ name, with most of their contributions going to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and prominent party figures like Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
Marta Kauffman
Kauffman name may not be immediately recognizable, but the “Friends” co-creator has a lot of money to burn, and in 2020, she used much of it to elect Democrats. Her contributions included $200,000 to American Bridge 21st Century, more than $200,000 to the DNC, $45,000 to PAC for a Change, and regular donations to state Democratic parties.
James L. Brooks
The prolific and critically acclaimed producer is also a profligate contributor to liberal super PACS. In the 2020 cycle, he's given $400,000 to Women Vote! (EMILY's List's independent expenditure operation), $100,000 to the DCCC, more than $75,000 to American Bridge 21st Century and dozens of smaller donations to a variety of PACs and candidates.
Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw
It’s only natural that one of Hollywood’s heaviest hitters would also wield one of the heaviest wallets in politics. The all-time great director and his wife, actress Kate Capshaw, have contributed well over $4 million this cycle to major PACs, primarily Pacronym, Priorities USA Action and the Senate Majority PAC. He regularly cuts checks for tens of thousands directly to the Democratic Party and maxes out contributions to individual candidates. That makes him one of the party's biggest donors, as well as one of its most famous.
Gale Anne Hurd
Hurd is the producer responsible for some of the most famous sci-fi entertainments of the last 40 years, including “Aliens” and the Terminator and Walking Dead franchises, which has earned her a Walk of Fame star. As a donor in 2020, she spread over $100,000 in donations to a wide variety of candidates and causes, including dozens of gifts in the $250 to $500 range. She donated $25,000 to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and maxed out her donations to Jon Ossoff.
Christopher Meledandri
As the producer behind the “Despicable Me” franchise, Meledandri is one of the people most responsible for the Minions craze, and also a big Democratic donor. Nearly $50,000 of that “Minions” cash went to the DCCC in 2020 alone, another $50,000 went to the Senate Majority PAC, and he’s donated tens of thousands to a wide range of candidates and PACs. His political taste is diverse: He donated $2,800 gifts during the primary season not just to Sen. Joe Biden, but also former Sec. Julian Castro, Gov. Jay Inslee, and even Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
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Most Hollywood donors don't have the raw wealth of hedge funders or real estate executives, who can give tens of millions in a single cycle. On the other hand, celebrity money doesn't carry negative connotations the way donations from big business do—whatever your opinion of "Family Guy," it's not like MacFarlane is a fossil fuel CEO.
One thing to note is that there are many more celebrities who regularly sound off about the Republican Party on social media whose donation histories are not robust. One quick way to tell whether a celeb is serious about their #Resistance rhetoric is to look them up in OpenSecrets. If they haven't been giving much money, all they've been doing is talking the talk.
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