Shazam duology star Zachary Levi drew the ire of the Hollywood community on Saturday night when he appeared alongside former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard at a Donald Trump campaign rally in Michigan.
Taking the stage that night to moderate a panel between the two politicians, the star of Warner Bros.’ Shazam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods‘ stunned his peers in Hollywood by prefacing the meeting by publicly endorsing Trump rather than Democrat candidate and Hollywood favorite Kamala Harris.
The actor opened the panel by endorsing Trump and taking a stand against corrupt governments and their corporate allies by explaining his upbringing and political affiliation.
“My parents were Kennedy Democrats that then turned into Reagan Republicans and they taught me to have a healthy level of distrust for the government and a healthy level of distrust for industry that runs amok.” Levi said.
Levi, who is a libertarian, explained his decision to support Trump after his preferred candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsed Trump following the primaries.
“I stand with Bobby, and I stand with Tulsi, and I stand with everyone else who is standing with President Trump,” said the Chuck star. “Because I do believe, of the two choices that we have, and we only have two, Donald Trump, President Trump is the man that can get us there. And he’s gonna get us there because he’s gonna have the backing and the support and the wisdom and the knowledge and the fight that exists in Robert Kennedy Jr. and former representative Tulsi Gabbard.”
“We live in a country that’s been hijacked by a lot of people who want to take this place off the cliff,” he continued, offering a non-direct criticism of the Democratic party. “We’re here to stop that. We’re here to make sure we are going to take back this country.”
An outspoken opponent of Big Pharma ever since his father died from cancer in January 2023 (less than one week after the death of his dad, in response to an X user who asked, “Do you agree or not that Pfizer is a real danger to the world?” the actor replied, “Hardcore agree“), Levi then asserted that Americans were being “inundated every single day with poison.”
“Not just in the foods that we’re eating and not just in the pharmaceuticals that are being shoved down our throats,” he explained, “[but also] in the images that we are looking at, the audio that we are hearing through our media. We are being poisoned and lied to.”
While the industry will certainly aim take aim at Levi for publicly endorsing Trump, Levi made it very clear not to fail for the left-wing tactics of division, telling attendees Harris supporters are being deceived by more powerful forces and preaching unity in the face of division.
Citing his Christian faith, the actor called on his fellow voters to not attack their opponents, as “Every single person, whether you’re a Democrat, whether you’re a Republican, whether you’re a libertarian, an independent, every single one of us is a child of God.”
“Every single one of us is deserving of being seen, and heard, and loved and valued,” he added.
Following Levi’s speech, social media exploded with reactions to the news, with some cheering on the actor for his bravery and others condemning him for daring to endorse a Republican, much less Trump.
Among the latter was none other than Star Trek: The Next Generation actor Wil Wheaton, who the day after the rally took to his personal Facebook page to share his newfound feelings of disgust towards Levi.
“Something I love about our nerd community is how welcoming and diverse we are,” he wrote. “We are a safe place for everyone who has ever been Othered. We are a safe place for vulnerable people to come together and safely love all the wonderful nerdy stuff we love. With that in mind, I think it’s pretty important for anyone who supports Nerd HQ knows who and what they are supporting.”
“What a disappointment,” he then concluded. “What a disgrace. How disgusting.”
Returning to the post a few hours later, Wheaton would edit his initial words to add, “gently pointing anyone who is not aware of it, to the Paradox of Tolerance. A place is not safe, if you can’t keep out the people who would make it unsafe. This includes non-physical safety. And fundamental human rights are not a matter of opinion.”
Notably, Levi previously stated that he did not support Trump in 2020, but also refused to condemn Trump supporters like members of his industry were directed to do.
“I am no fan or supporter of Trump, and I find his behavior to be vulgar, callous, narcissistic, and lacking empathy,” he said. “And while I’m not a Conservative, I know many who backed 45 not because they liked him, but because he was the only candidate they felt cared about their needs.”
It’s safe to say that whatever hopes Levi may have had of reprising his role as the World’s Mightiest Mortal in James Gunn’s DCEU have likely gone up in a lightning fast flash of smoke.
As Levi’s Trump endorsement makes the rounds in the entertainment circuit, it will be interesting to see what further backlash he will receive from his industry peers for his political endorsement.
(Perhaps he can smooth things over by attending some of their secret parties.)
