Seth MacFarlane: Donald Trump is a typical Hollywood-style con man

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Here are some photos of Seth MacFarlane at this weekend’s premiere of Sing. I didn’t realize that he does voice work for the animated film, but it makes sense. Seth has a great voice, he’s all about animation (he created/co-created Family Guy, The Cleveland Show and American Dad) and he just seems to love doing voice work.

While I know Seth isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, he was getting quite political throughout the election season, and his tweets were going viral with regularity. Seth is a politically liberal guy and a big supporter of President Obama and the Democratic Party as a whole. I won’t say that MacFarlane became a rare, fascinating political voice, but his tweets were often funny, on-target and just the right amount of disgust and rage. Seth got a lot of sh-t online and elsewhere for his tweets, and he made it worse by engaging with some of his detractors by responding to them directly on Twitter. The same thing happened just ahead of the Sing premiere. He posted this about why so many in Hollywood “hate” Donald Trump.

I think he brings up a good point, although I also think “Hollywood people” are fighting a losing battle by trying to convince people that they’re just like everybody else. Still, I take Seth’s point and I agree with him. Trump is the kind of blustering, p-ssygrabbing, sexist, idiotic con man that flourishes in an industry like Hollywood. Trump does not shock Hollywood because they’ve seen it all before, they’ve experienced men like Trump before.

Seth spent the next several hours responding to criticism on Twitter, and he admirably kept his calm even though many of the tweets directed at him were pretty rough. You can read his Twitter feed here. This reminds me of something I keep thinking about as all of the “sore winner” Trump supporters are trying to still act like they’re the most aggrieved people in the country: no one is buying it. There is not going to be a come-to-Jesus moment where all of the liberals sigh and say, “Well, these Trump supporters have a point.” Millions of people fell for the dumbest con man in the country.

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Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

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52 Responses to “Seth MacFarlane: Donald Trump is a typical Hollywood-style con man”

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  1. Alix says:

    Is it me, or does he look like an Osmond?

  2. Nancy says:

    Seth is obsessed with his strong dislike of Trump. I know he will have some interesting episodes of Family Guy. Love him.

  3. Sixer says:

    Why is he not everyone’s cup of tea? What have I missed?

    I like him because he joins in with the Proms. But that’s because I’m Britisher.

    He seems to have the patience of a saint, going by those tweets.

  4. jerkface says:

    Thank you, Seth. Please come to the stage to collect your No Sh*t Sherlock award for the day.

    • boredblond says:

      Yeah, it’s pretty much what a lot of us have been saying for a year..con men are not a Hollywood invention, as long as you can fool ‘some of the people all of the time’ there’ll be someone selling them a magic cure.

  5. Eric says:

    I know Seth has a thick skin, unlike TwitterDumb Clockjerk Orange. He has to because rejection in HW is rampant, along with sexism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, and racism (at least historically).
    I hope he continues to needle DT and his supporters for the next 4 years.

  6. Nat says:

    Seth MacFarlane: “Wanna know why Hollywood folks h*te Trump?”

    America: “Nope.”

    If one thing was proven beyond any doubt this past election, it is that U.S. voters couldn’t care less about whom “Hollywood folks” endorse and what they have to say about politics. Heck, Hillary’s big celebrity campaign party may have cost her the election. It just made her look elitist and out of touch.

    • original kay says:

      They really don’t. One guy posted that an article misquoted trump, and the quote was from trump’s own twitter!

      I mean, really! It’s mind boggling.

    • Esmom says:

      They also don’t have much regard for actual facts, which is the most alarming trend to emerge from this election cycle.

      I just heard a news story about a guy who brought an assault rifle into a DC pizza place because he read a fake news story about HRC running a child sex trafficking ring out of it. This is what we’re dealing with — it took me until the election to fully realize this.

      I feel like the only way to combat this mindset is to somehow start using reverse psychology. Because people now seem to take actual pride in doing the opposite of anything rooted in reason or humanity.

      • Kitten says:

        I saw that..the #pizzagate stuff. Nuts.

      • Esmom says:

        Kitten, I am just blown away at how what was once dismissed as conspiracy theory madness has now crept into the mainstream. Steve Bannon is the guy we have to thank for this. He’s truly evil, more than anyone I can think of in recent memory.

      • Lucrezia says:

        Oxford Dictionaries chose “post-truth” as their word for the year.

        Have you been following the traditional Republicans’ comments about Trump’s post-truth tweet where he said he’d have won the popular election but there were millions of illegal voters? Priebus came out with “I don’t know if that’s not true”. Pence said “it’s his right to express his opinion.” Ryan said “I have no knowledge of those things. It doesn’t matter to me, he won the election.” They can’t bring themselves to lie and agree with Trump, but they won’t refute him either. It’s like watching someone walk a tight-rope.

      • Josefina says:

        That sort of mentality is starting to freak me out. You see it in my country too. We’ve received a slightly higher influx of inmigrants recently, and of course there’s thousands of racists complaining about that. They complain about immigrants collapsing the healthcare system because “they don’t have doctors in their countries so they go crazy here when they have the chance to see one”. Nevermind the fact, just like any of us, a portion of their salary is deduced to pay for their healthcare. They complain “they live for free since they don’t pay taxes”. Even though a portion of their salary goes for healthcare and jubilation and that they don’t get a 20% discount on anything they buy, so they are paying taxes. They complain that “we’re becoming the minority now” even though immigrant population as a whole is roughly at 4%.

        You can throw the facts in their faces, but they will come back at you with their opinions based off completely illogical lies. They are CONVINCED inmigrants don’t pay taxes even though there’s absolutely no reason to think that.

        People now are choosing the reality they want to live in, and it’s really fucking scary.

      • SusanneToo says:

        trump’s new NSA, Michael Flynn, retweeted the pizzagate crap. A true believer. Doncha just love it? How much worse can it get?

      • Ericka says:

        I agree with you. I work in the construction business and I work with a lot of rednecks (Florida), they are obsessed with the Drudge Report and many other fake news outlets. They have so many conspiracy theories, hate Hillary and believe anything the Internet says.

      • Lama Bean says:

        Very disturbing to hear the argument. “You can’t prove it’s false, so it’s true.” That’s not how this works.

      • jwoolman says:

        Pizzagate is also being promoted on Twitter by Michael Flynn Jr, the guy who is the son of and the chief of staff for General Michael Flynn. Flynn Senior illegally passed along classified information to NATO contacts via an illegal internet connection in his office (!!!! E-mails!!!!! except with deliberate wrongdoing and actual transfer of classified info!!!! Yoo-hoo, FBI, where are you?) and will apparently be Trump’s National Security Advisor. Oh, Flynn Senior believes the sex ring stuff also (along with every other right wing conspiracy theory about the Clintons) and thinks Islam is a cancer. Yippee.

        Looking at Trump’s cabinet etc. picks, I think we’ve found a big basket of deplorables. The Hillary’s e-mails thing that so fascinated the media (and kept them from noticing much else) rather pales in comparison with the actual mishandling of classified info by Trump’s picks like Flynn and Petraeus (the guy who gave classified info to his girlfriend and is still reporting to a probation officer for that …. candidate for Secretary of State, last I heard).

    • hmmm says:

      “Heck, Hillary’s big celebrity campaign party may have cost her the election. It just made her look elitist and out of touch.”

      Drumpf has a golden toilet. GOLDEN. TOILET.
      And gold and gold fixtures throughout his apartment and his plane.

      Fail. Try again.

      • Josefina says:

        Isn’t it hilarious that everything they criticize about Hillary, Trump is a much worse example of? Hillary flashed too many Hollywood celebs. But Trump is a reality TV host??????

      • Shambles says:

        And Donald Trump used the proceeds of a charity he started to buy a giant portrait of himself. I mean… come on.

      • jwoolman says:

        Having celebrity parties and soliciting funds from the rich celebrities has never been an obstacle for any politician. They always fundraise big time from the rich, because that’s where the money is.

        The Hollywood rich folk are actually the safer donors simply because they usually don’t really have much to ask for in return except maybe selfies with the candidate for PR and an invite to the inauguration.

        Corporate rich donors are much more of a problem, and they often donate to both candidates to be able to try to get favors from whomever won. Trump said that he always did that also, he was proud of the strategy because he thought it made him seem smart and the one in control. I think he even said it at a rally. But big corporations pretty much all do it, he isn’t as original as he thinks.

    • naomipaige says:

      Not as many people hate him as I thought, otherwise, he wouldn’t have won. Boy oh boy, that’s friggen scary!

    • Penn says:

      Actually this years election proved how the uneducated masses need to be led by the genitals because they lack the mental capacity to utilize easy ways to educate themselves yet instead remain stagnant and glued to living vicariously through social media. The fact that this man strategically targeted this inept majority is brilliant. Too bad everyone fell for it.

  7. lassie says:

    I like him, but his concealer game is near Kardashian level.

  8. HK9 says:

    The man speaks the truth.

  9. lisa says:

    it’s funny when trump’s voters say they dont care what people in hollywood say when they voted for a game show host

    they care when it suits them

  10. Lalu says:

    Typical Hollywood. Thinking they know what’s best. He knows about shady stuff that regular people don’t know about. Yep. Hollywood sets a real good example. Thank you for your input.
    Keep talking. Most people still don’t care.

    • Kitten says:

      “Hollywood sets a real good example”
      Well no, Hollywood definitely does not, but look at the incoming President-Elect and tell me what’s worse?

      I hate to troll you but your ability to hold the moral high-ground on these issues will always be in question, knowing that you decided an accused rapist and a serial sexual assaulter would be the best person to represent this country.
      …and that’s to say nothing of the white nationalists who are surrounding him in his cabinet.

      I can boycott Woody Allen, Polanski, Nate Parker, and the rest, but how do I boycott my own president?

    • tealily says:

      He’s not saying Hollywood sets a good example. He’s saying Hollywood is horrible because it’s filled with people like Trump.

  11. Josefina says:

    I was on the tumblr account for Trump regretters the other day. They basically are mad because they gave Trump his vote and, a month after that, while Trump is not even in office yet, Hillary is not in jail and minorities are complaining even MORE! I just wonder how these people survive their daily lives being so damn stupid. Do they take a shower with their socks on so their feet don’t get wet?

  12. Matomeda says:

    Please no more trump.

  13. Teebee says:

    Never stop calling Trump out. Anyone, everyone, from all walks of life need to keep vigilant and continue to use the tools that elevated Trump, to now demystify him. The power of normalization is mind boggling, it is even working it’s evil magic now, as people are tiring of anti-Trump rhetoric. The fool will wreak so much damage, even with the world scrutinizing his every move. Do not become weary, complacent, resigned.

    Activists, community leaders, the lowliest of positions in the tireless and unsung world of caring for the marginalized and disenfranchised, the powerless, the invisible will be steam rolled by this administration. For decades they have fought, and have made important gains, only to see a potential earthquake shatter their fragile victories. For anyone who enjoys all their needs and wants satisfied does not understand what it is to be on the verge of disaster every waking moment. And in a country that prides itself for offering a dream life, of unending opportunity for any and all who seek it. Do you think the victory at Standing Rock is possible under Trump???

    Never let your guard down. History has shown us too often what happens when tyranny becomes accepted. The US is not immune.

    • jwoolman says:

      You’re absolutely right.

      The media gets easily overwhelmed when faced with a facile liar who lies repeatedly and on a large scale. We saw that with Ronald Reagan – they couldn’t keep up with all his lies even during his campaign. US media in particular find it very hard to deal with more than one major story at once. Remember the 12-minute raid on Libya back in 1986? The one that killed and maimed enough people that Libya had to send them to Europe for medical treatment? The one that embedded cluster bombs in the soil to kill civilians later? The one that killed one of Khaddafi’s small children and collapsed apartment buildings in the wee hours of the morning local time?. It was announced at precisely 7pm EST by the White House because that was when tv cameras and reporters were at the Capitol for a protest against contra aid, including some very famous people who were willing to get arrested. The government actually dropped bombs on people to distract the media from that protest. Likewise 500,000 US troops sent off to Saudi Arabia as the first step in the first Gulf War pushed the stories about a Bush involved in the Savings & Loan scandal off the front page into obscurity. Noriega was dragged out of the Embassy giving him sanctuary after the US invasion of Panama to drive the news of an American bishop and three nuns being attacked in Nicaragua by contra mercenaries off the front page (a common occurrence, actually, the contras routinely set land mines on civilian roads and then waited for suitable victims), but this time Americans were finally hearing about it briefly). They never got back to the contra story.

      With the internet available (for now…), there is no excuse for us. We can counter tweets and trolls and misinformed people with actual facts and a saner outlook any time we want. We don’t even need to lick a stamp to do it. We can do the job that the media doesn’t do.

      Phone calls, letters, and postcards still are useful for government officials and protests can also still be useful (although be aware that the media often misinterprets these and focuses on the few violent plants rather than the less interesting nonviolent real protesters and they definitely routinely undercount the number of protesters). But if you read comments sections anywhere on the web, you can always do your part by injecting a little truth and sanity when the opportunity arises.

  14. Elle R says:

    Seth, Michael Shannon and Patton Oswalt have been channeling my anger and disbelief since Election Day.

    Also, as someone who lives in LA? This is the perfect comparison. Trump is the epitome of the bottom feeders of Hollywood who prey on people’s hopes and dreams only to line their own pockets.

  15. Meadowlarky says:

    If it’s not Michael Shannon and his collective urn, I’m not sure I care what white dudes have to say about anything anymore.

  16. jwoolman says:

    I also have been baffled that so many people didn’t recognize Trump as a very typical conman, snake oil salesman, film-flam man etc. The kind of guy who used to breeze into town in his covered wagon, fleece the locals, and then vanish in the night if he escaped tar and feathering. It was so obvious to me even before I started paying attention to what he was saying – it was in his voice and body language for all to hear and see.

    But I suppose conmen are successful precisely because a large number of people don’t instantly recognize them. But gee whiz, haven’t any of them at least seen The Music Man?!?

    Maybe we need to start teaching “How to Recognize Conmen, Demagogues, and Other Shysters” in school along with Logic and “How to Fill Out A Ballot and Why It’s Important to Vote Even If Just for the Lesser of Two Evils” and “Why You Can’t Believe Everything You see on Video or Photographs or Everything You Hear on Tape or Everything You Read on the Internet” and maybe also “Credit Card Companies Are Not Your Friend: How to Use Them Without Drowning in High Interest Debt for the Rest of Your Natural Life” (with textbook written by Elizabeth Warren). Bundle them together with Civics and we may have a smarter population that actually knows how our government works and how to protect themselves from people like Trump at all levels. These are basic skills needed today but obviously not often taught at home.