Silenced by Big Tech

Scarlett Johansson is raising her voice against what she sees as Hollywood’s increasing compliance with powerful tech moguls — and its quiet retreat from anti-Trump activism.

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the Oscar-nominated actress reflected on how drastically the tone in Hollywood has shifted since Donald Trump’s first presidency. “Five years ago,” Johansson noted, “there was a loud and united front against Trump in the entertainment industry.” Today, she says, that resistance has faded to a whisper.

Last year’s Academy Awards still managed a jab or two — most notably from host Jimmy Kimmel. But this year’s ceremony made no mention of the re-elected president. Johansson sees the silence as telling, and not accidental.

“These are people that are funding studios. It’s all these big tech guys that are funding our industry, and funding the Oscars,” she said, pointing to the deep financial ties between Silicon Valley and Hollywood. According to Johansson, many of these tech executives were also present at Trump’s inauguration.

She highlighted The Apprentice — a critical biopic of Trump that was largely avoided by major studios. Though it eventually landed two Oscar nominations, Johansson notes that its release was so quiet it felt “buried.” The film's struggle to find a distributor, she suggests, illustrates how dissenting voices are often sidelined in an industry that’s become risk-averse under corporate pressure.

Beyond political silence, Johansson expressed growing concern over the film industry's lack of pushback against artificial intelligence companies. She’s been outspoken since alleging that OpenAI modeled a voice eerily similar to hers for its Sky chatbot without consent — a move she saw as a personal violation and emblematic of broader issues.

“I guess we’re being muzzled in all these different ways, because the truth is that these big tech companies are completely enmeshed in all aspects of our lives,” Johansson said.

From unchecked AI exploitation to quiet censorship, Johansson’s remarks reveal a Hollywood caught in the crosshairs of innovation and influence — and seemingly reluctant to bite the hands that now feed it.