Ben Stiller calls out White House for using 'Tropic Thunder' clip, says 'War is not a movie'

WASHINGTON, DC: Actor and director Ben Stiller blasted the White House for using a fraction from his 2008 movie 'Tropic Thunder' in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter). He said, “War is not a movie,” and asked that the clip be removed, making it clear he doesn’t want to be part of any “propaganda machine.”

The issue arose when the White House’s official X account shared a 42-second video that included just one second of Stiller’s film 'Tropic Thunder.' As the situation with Iran’s missile strikes intensified, critics voiced their concerns, and Stiller emerged as one of the most outspoken against the White House using his work this way.

Ben Stiller blasts White House for using his film's clip

Ben Stiller, 60, didn’t take long to call out the White House after it included a short clip from his film in a video on X (formerly Twitter). The clip shows Tom Cruise’s character dancing in the iconic white-and-black pants and is mixed with footage from other blockbuster movies and video games.

“Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip. We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine,” Stiller wrote. “War is not a movie.”

On Friday, March 6, the official White House X account shared a 42-second video titled JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY. The video combined unclassified footage of missile strikes in Iran with clips from major films. Stiller’s movie appeared for just a second, showing Les Grossman dancing between the credits.

Although Stiller wrote, directed, and starred in Tropic Thunder, Paramount Pictures, which owns the rights, is owned by David Ellison, an ally of Donald Trump. The viral video, which has been viewed over 26 million times, also includes scenes from 'Gladiator', 'Braveheart', 'Transformers', and 'Top Gun Maverick'.

Kesha reacts after White House uses her music without permission 

Ben Stiller is not the only celebrity this week to criticize the White House for using their work without permission. A couple of days earlier, singer Kesha publicly condemned the White House’s social media team for featuring one of her songs in a TikTok video promoting military action.

“Trying to make light of war is disgusting and inhumane. I absolutely do NOT approve of my music being used to promote violence of any kind. Love always trumps hate,” the 39-year-old Grammy-nominated singer wrote on X.

The February 10 video used Kesha’s song Lethality as the soundtrack for a clip showing a fighter jet destroying a ship, alongside other military imagery. She also highlighted the broader context, writing, “Also, don’t let this distract us from the fact that criminal predator Donald Trump appears in the Files over a million times.”

White House communications director Steven Cheung responded to Kesha, claiming her criticism only draws more attention to the posts. “All these ‘singers’ keep falling for this,” Cheung wrote on X. “This just gives us more attention and more view counts to our videos because people want to see what they’re bitching about.” Less than an hour later, Kesha fired back, “Stop using my music, perverts @WhiteHouse.”