Elon Musk used an insensitive slur to ridicule Ben Stiller for his support of Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
On Wednesday (November 27), a tweet from former investment banker and author John LeFevre went viral. In the post, he included a screenshot of a headline, which read: “Ben Stiller says woke America killed ‘edgier’ comedy,” alongside a photo of Stiller’s Tropic Thunder character.
In the controversial 2008 satirical comedy, Stiller plays Tugg Speedman, a method actor known for his portrayal of an autistic farmer called Simple Jack.
“Says this.... Endorsed Harris...,” LeFevre tweeted, referring to the headline. Fervent Trump supporter Musk, who the President-elect has hinted will play a role in his cabinet, reshared the post hours later, adding: “Damn he went full r*****.”
Musk’s remark is likely a reference to a line from the movie said by Robert Downey Jr.’s character when he’s talking to Tugg about Simple Jack. “Everybody knows you never go full r*****,” Downey Jr.’s Kirk Lazarus tells him.
The article shared by LeFevre was based on Stiller’s recent interview with Collider, in which the actor was asked if he thought the controversial 2008 movie, which also featured Downey Jr. in blackface, could be made today.
“I doubt it,” Stiller said. “Obviously, in this environment, edgier comedy is just harder to do. Definitely not at the scale we made it at, too, in terms of the economics of the business.
“Even at the time, of course, it was dicey too,” he continued. “The only reason we attempted it was I felt like the joke was very clear in terms of who that joke was on — actors trying to do anything to win awards. But now, in this environment, I don’t even know if I would have ventured to do it, to tell you the truth. I’m being honest.”
Although Stiller acknowledged the problematic nature of the Noughties film, he still remains “proud” of it.
“I make no apologies for Tropic Thunder,” he tweeted in 2023 in response to a fan who told him to stop apologizing for making the film. “Don’t know who told you that. It’s always been a controversial movie since when we opened. Proud of it and the work that everyone did on it.”
Downey Jr., who earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role, has also defended the movie as well as his use of blackface.
“[Ben] knew exactly what the vision for this was, he executed it, it was impossible to not have it be an offensive nightmare of a movie. And 90 percent of my Black friends were like, ‘Dude, that was great,’” the Marvel star said on an episode of Joe Rogan’s eponymous podcast.
“I can’t disagree with them, but I know where my heart lies. I think that it’s never an excuse to do something that’s out of place and out of its time, but to me, it was a blasting cap on [the issue]… I think having a moral psychology is job one. Sometimes, you just gotta go, ‘Yeah I effed up.’ In my defense, Tropic Thunder is about how wrong [blackface] is, so I take exception.”
This past summer, both Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. were among a slew of Hollywood stars to come out in support of Harris.
“Very excited about moving forward and all the energy and excitement that’s around this movement right now,” Stiller said in a video interview posted by journalist Nicholas A. Ballasy in August. “That’s why I’m here, because it’s time for change, and it seems like it’s happening.”
Meanwhile, Downey Jr. and his Avengers co-stars backed Harris and Tim Walz on Instagram using the hashtag #AssembleForDemocracy.
