Rob Schneider claims conservative blacklisting ended his Hollywood career
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Rob Schneider speaks out against what he calls “the rot in the soul of Hollywood.”
The actor says Hollywood is “tearing itself apart” and part of the problem is the “blacklisting” of conservative celebrities.
Schneider, known for his role on “Saturday Night Live” and films such as “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo” and “The Hot Chick,” said in a recent interview that acting opportunities went out the window when he started speaking publicly about his right-leaning political views.
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Rob Schneider says his Hollywood career “was pretty much it” when he started sharing his political views. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
“That’s what starring in movies was for me,” he explained “American Thought Leaders” podcast.
“In an age of authoritarianism, in an age of lies, telling the truth is a brave act,” he continued. “And I don’t say I’m brave. When I think of true bravery, I think of … in any great city the cemeteries of men who, in the way Lincoln described, gave the last full measure of their devotion to this great land.”
He added, “It’s a sacrifice. So the fact that I’ll never be able to make ‘Deuce Bigalow’ a 4, a 5, a 6, I think that’s okay.”
Schneider laughed at the comparison of the two, but admitted that the impact their views had on his career was “a bummer.”
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Schneider described his stalled acting career as “a bummer.” (Getty Images/Jason LaVeris)
“Show business, right or wrong, they don’t want any controversy,” he said. “You know, they don’t want you to blab or anything, and that makes sense, but I think at a certain point, if we’re going to have a society and if we’re going to continue to have a free society, people are going to have to step up and be brave.”
He said the First Amendment allows for such bravery, but acknowledged that free speech does not mean immunity from consequences — “You can ask Jimmy Kimmel,” he quipped, referring to Kimmel’s brief suspension in September 2025 after his comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
“This is going to cost you,” Schneider admitted.
The comedy actor said Hollywood “doesn’t want any controversy.” (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)
He gave Charlton Heston as an example: a legendary actor and one of the early supporters of the civil rights movement, later “rejected by the liberal intelligentsia because he was a conservative.”
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“I think it’s a shame,” he admitted. “I think it’s a rot in the soul of Hollywood. And I think the blacklisting of conservatives today is the same thing. I think it contributes to the destruction at its core. And I think we’re seeing Hollywood completely tearing itself apart.”
Schneider believes that many people will begin, or have already begun, to get their entertainment from social media rather than watching movies. (FilmMagic.com/FilmMagic)
Schneider believes that within five years, many major movie studios in Los Angeles will be “just real estate” and that audiences will increasingly turn to watching videos on social media instead of movies, rather than turning to Hollywood films for entertainment.
“I think you’re going to see Hollywood rejection, you’re seeing it right now, you’re going to see an explosion.”
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