Trump's victory: Hollywood elite who vowed to leave US if he won are 'all talk, no walk,' expert says
In the months leading up to the 2024 presidential election, many celebrities proudly vocalized their opinions on President-elect Donald Trump.
While some showed support, others, including Sharon Stone, Cher and Barbra Streisand, have expressed their disapproval and even threatened to leave the U.S. if he were to be elected.
"I am certainly considering a house in Italy," Stone told the Daily Mail in July. "I think that’s an intelligent construct at this time. This is one of the first times in my life that I’ve actually seen anyone running for office on a platform of hate and oppression."
In a 2023 interview with the Guardian, Cher said, "I almost got an ulcer the last time. If he gets in, who knows? This time I will leave [the country]."
Streisand told host Stephen Colbert that she wouldn't be able to "live in this country if he becomes president," and admitted she'd probably move to England.
Representatives for Cher, Stone and Streisand did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
This idea of celebrities fleeing the country after an election is nothing new, says Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR.
"Every four years, you hear the same recycled rhetoric from celebrities. It's become a running joke at this point. It's ‘all talk, no walk,’" Eldridge told Fox News Digital.
In 2016, celebrities such as Whoopi Goldberg, Miley Cyrus, Amy Schumer, George Lopez and more vowed to pack up their lives and move if Trump was elected president.
At the time of Trump's first run, Cyrus wrote on Instagram, "My heart is broken into a 100000 pieces…I am moving if [Donald Trump] is my president! I don't say things I don't mean!" She later posted an emotional video on X accepting Trump as president and asking him to "treat people with love."
Schumer said on BBC’s "Newsnight" that same year, "My act will change because I will need to learn to speak Spanish because I will move to Spain or somewhere. It’s beyond my comprehension if Trump won. It’s just too crazy."
She later said her remarks were just "said in jest" as she expressed her disappointment with the 2016 election results on Instagram.
While it's unclear if Streisand, Cher and Stone actually plan on leaving, Eldridge says their move should have "little to no impact" on their success.
"The impact on the careers and the impact on their fan base are two distinct questions, but the answers are actually overlapping and interrelated," said Eldridge. "Politically speaking, Hollywood has always been a bastion of liberal ideology, so the standard anti-Republican sentiments we hear every four years will have little to no impact on an actor's ability to gain future roles.
"On the flip side, however, talent is only 50% of an actor's castability; the other half is based on fan appeal, Q score and box-office marketability," he added. "The 'fan base variable' will likely become increasingly more relevant on the other side of this election."
"Trump not only won the Electoral College, he also won the popular vote, which was the first time a Republican has done so in 20 years," Eldridge continued. "That said, while directors and producers will still readily cast an outspoken actor regardless of their saber-rattling rhetoric, fans might be less forgiving. Over half the country used their voice when casting their ballots, so that could have blowback on some of the more outspoken celebrities who chased clout and tried to put their thumb on the scale."
On Wednesday, celebrities flocked to social media to express their thoughts on Trump's victory over Vice President Harris.
"Please unfollow me if you voted against female rights," Christina Applegate wrote on X. "Against disability rights. Yeah that. Unfollow me because what you did is unreal. Don’t want followers like this. So yeah. Done. Also after today I will be shutting down this fan account that I have had for so many years because this is sick."
Mandy Moore shared her thoughts on her Instagram stories, writing, "Shout out to all of us processing our grief, disbelief, anger, fear, uncertainty, devastation while simultaneously carrying on with life and putting on a brave face for our families…I see you. Let's be tender with ourselves and one another."
Hulk Hogan, who has voiced his support for Trump, wrote, "Believe it or not, brother, we’re more alike than we are different. This election season showed just how much we all care about where this country’s headed. Now that the votes are in, let’s remember—it doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, we’re all real Americans. It’s time to come together, talk with our neighbors and focus on what unites us. We all love this country, and we’re all in for building a better future. Love you all. HH."
While the aftermath of the election continues to affect people in different ways, Eldridge says that those with a platform should consider one thing.
"The most logical thing any celebrity could say at this point, at least among those who vowed to move out of the country if Trump was elected, would be: 'He wasn't my vote, but as an American, he is my president. Whether you supported him or not, it's time for all of us to come together as a country and make this country what we all know it's capable of being, becoming or remaining great.' That level of humility and magnanimity would go a long way these days."