Former DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg under fire from Hollywood moguls for ‘agewashing’ Joe Biden while hosting fundraisers
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Democratic powerbrokers in Hollywood are at odds with each other over the reelection bid of President Joe Biden and his top Hollywood fundraiser Jeffrey Katzenberg was accused of "agewashing" him, reported The Daily Beast.
According to the publication, former DreamWorks CEO and co-founder of the ill-fated Quibi, Katzenberg finds himself at crossroads with studio bosses, agents, and billionaires as he had assumed the mantle of the incumbent’s fundraiser-in-chief.
Jeffrey Katzenberg's contribution to Joe Biden's campaign
Katzenberg is being accused by his entertainment industry peers of misleading them by downplaying Biden’s age-related decline.
Katzenberg compared Biden's political run with the enduring careers of Hollywood octogenarians like Harrison Ford and Mick Jagger, often stating about the President, "Age is his superpower."
He was behind hosting star-studded fundraisers for the presumptive Democratic nominee, with the guest list featuring big names such as George Clooney and Barbra Streisand. These were crucial in collecting millions for Team Biden ahead of the polls.
When donors expressed anxiety over Biden’s rumored loss of attention, he would offer to put them in a room together to see for themselves.
However, it fell apart after Biden's abysmal performance against former President Trump in the first presidential debate on June 27, following which Katzenberg went uncharacteristically silent.
Hollywood moguls call out Jeffrey Katzenberg
The big shots of tinsel town are seemingly displeased with Katzenberg, as a source told the newsletter The Ankler, "Everyone in town is furious with him.”
Another donor told the Financial Times, "He had this famous quote for everybody, which was ‘I’m happy to put you in a room with him and you’ll see for yourself.’ But nobody did it.”
And a third told The Wrap, “Jeffrey lied about the whole Biden thing. The whole Biden inner circle lied… It’s such an act of hypocrisy.”
Some have used harsher words to call out the President and his advisers, such as Ari Emanuel, super-agent and CEO of Endeavour, who stated the morning after the presidential debate, "We are in f**k city. I’m pissed off at the founding fathers. They had the start date of 35 years old…and well, everybody died (back then), so they didn’t have to give the end date.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Emanuel blamed the incumbent's advisors for not being transparent with his health.
“He said he was going to run for one term, and he’s doing it to restore democracy. He then runs for a second term—that’s the first bit of malarkey, as he would say. He and his cohorts have told us that he’s (been) healthy for over a year,” he expressed doubtfully, adding that neither Biden nor Trump should be running “a 27 trillion-dollar company called the United States".
Similar concerns were voiced by Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, who after donating over $20 million to the Democratic Party over the past few years, shared with The New York Times, "Biden needs to step aside to allow a vigorous Democratic leader to beat Trump and keep us safe and prosperous.”
His views were echoed by Disney heir and documentarian Abigal Disney, who pointedly mentioned to CNBC, "We have an excellent VP."
