Don’t Expect Woke Hollywood to Come Roaring Back

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTGuest EssayNov. 13, 2026, 5:04 a.m. ETCredit...Illustration by Sam Whitney/The New York TimesLiberal Hollywood has spent much of the past few years adapting to the MAGA vibe shift, driven by the shock waves of Donald Trump’s rise and fall and return. Was it out of touch with the country it was supposed to inform and entertain?Now the midterms have come with a sharp pivot to the Democrats, and progressive Hollywood is dancing a jig. But given all the problems in the industry right now — from consolidation to downsizing to the looming threat of artificial intelligence — don’t expect the entertainment world to enjoy the political victory all that much.The mood has lifted a bit — “There was a sense of relief today that maybe everything isn’t as dark as it appears,” said the producer Cathy Schulman, when asked about the midterm results — but it remains decidedly cautious.Hollywood, in many ways, is an industry that has lost its swagger. There’s no going back to how things were before.The Trump administration has made clear that Hollywood had to get in line with the president’s cultural and political vision. It has not been shy about using the full force of its regulatory powers, including putting a thumb on the scale in terms of whom it wanted to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.In the process, an industry that had been, in many ways, woke, focused on telling diverse stories and becoming less of a boys’ club, became, as I wrote just last year, OK with being “hot, horny and white again.” Progress stalled on the numbers of women in positions of authority, or people of color behind the camera or in front of it, or L.G.B.T.Q.+ characters onscreen, and in some cases things went in reverse. According to a new GLAAD study, none of the seven trans characters from TV’s 2025-26 season are expected to return.The industry’s corporate push for diversity, equity and inclusion has been put on the back burner. “There’s nobody looking out for women, people of color, with disabilities, to make sure they get on the list and get in the room,” Women in Film’s chief executive, Kirsten Schaffer, told me.From “Melania” on Amazon’s streaming service to “The Hunting Wives” on Netflix to the ever-expanding Taylor Sheridan universe on Paramount+ to Bari Weiss’s being put in charge of CBS News, the vibe shift was visible on all our screens.The Trump years have changed the way people in Hollywood weigh creative risks. Now they look over their shoulders wondering whether a decision on a film or show might invite government scrutiny. “We’re not used to thinking that way,” said Eric d’Arbeloff, a chairman of Roadside Attractions, an indie film distributor. “In this landscape, you have to realign how you look at things. How controversial do you want to be? It’s not something we ever thought about.”Trump 2.0 has targeted for extinction outspoken critics such as Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert (now gone) or “The View,” while the F.C.C. chairman, Brendan Carr, took aim at ABC and CNN.Then the midterms happened. Many are quietly asking: Is Trump’s nonstop assault on media and culture over? Is it safe to come out of hiding? It’s going to take a minute to trust that the coast is clear.Stephen Miller, after all, just got promoted. A kinder, gentler MAGA doesn’t seem imminent.“I feel like Hollywood is lying low,” said Roy Price, a former head of Amazon Studios, who has started a new company for short-form content. “People don’t want to be super high profile.”This industry is so battered by consolidation, job losses and the arrival of the studios’ tech overlords that people here are not expecting the election to change their daily lives. The job losses continue as Skydance targets its $6 billion in savings by merging Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. The once-untouchable Netflix is reducing its work force by 6 percent. Disney is doing the same, reportedly aiming for 20 percent in cost savings mainly via head count reductions.“People are too busy getting fired to go on a long political rant,” Mr. Price said, only slightly joking.There are no obvious leaders in the political realm. Jeffrey Katzenberg sparked the ire of Hollywood donors (including Ari Emanuel) for backing President Joe Biden before he had to drop out of the 2024 race. He has since opted out of politics, at least for the moment. Mr. Emanuel, whose brother Rahm is eyeing a run for president, has similarly kept below the radar politically.This reflects a pattern across Hollywood. With the possible exception of Mark Ruffalo, everybody is keeping their head down.The biggest factor is the industry’s identity crisis. The entertainment business as we’ve known it is in transition as it struggles to figure out its own failing economics. The streaming revolution has left everyone with lots of debt, a sea of undifferentiated content and declining engagement by viewers. The A.I. revolution heralds a future with fewer jobs.This month, Bravo adds “Small Town Trouble: Texas” to its red-state reality TV stable, a new season of “The Hunting Wives” returns to Netflix, and “Melania: The Series” will premiere on Amazon. It’s hard to unshift a vibe.Related ContentAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT