Josh Duhamel Blasts Celebrity Political Activism, Says Actors Make People 'Despise Them'

One of the biggest unforced errors in the business world is undoubtedly celebrities in the entertainment industry speaking out about politics. 

There's little benefit to it, as few, if any, people change their minds about important domestic or international issues because some actor told them what he thinks. Or a singer. Or a director. It doesn't increase box office revenues, or boost concert ticket sales, or lead to positive audience reviews. 

So what do celebrity political comments accomplish? Alienating potential viewers. 

Unfortunately, not many celebrities understand it, accept it, or are willing to stop talking. The examples of those types of entertainers are endless; Rachel Zegler, Robert De Niro, Mark Ruffalo and Bruce Springsteen, just to name a few. But a handful have finally realized that there's no value in it, that nobody looks to actors for their viewpoints. 

Jennifer Lawrence, who'd previously spoken out about politics, said she would no longer do so moving forward. And now we can add actor Josh Duhamel to the list too. Good.

RELATED: Jennifer Lawrence Gives The Right Answer About Donald Trump, Politics

Josh Duhamel attends the Newport Beach Film Festival Saturday Red Carpet. (Photo by Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Newport Beach Film Festival)

Duhamel Says Actors Could Make People ‘Despise’ Them

Duhamel appeared on the "Megyn Kelly Show" and spoke about how he's approached public political conversations as a celebrity with a large platform.

"It's a good message for a lot of people in the entertainment business these days," he said. "I just feel like, because you have a platform, doesn't mean that you get to preach to everybody." 

He added that he understands how fortunate he is to be where he is, and that a significant portion of the country may not necessarily agree with him, "I honestly believe that we're very fortunate to be in this position, and I spent a lot of time in the Midwest, so I get to see what they actually think about us. And they're not afraid to tell me."

Duhamel proceeded to tell a story about playing golf with a buddy in Georgia, who wore a t-shirt saying "Nobody cares what actors think," and how funny and true he found it. 

"I have real strong opinions about things," he continued, "but I don't really talk about it because it's like, 'Why would I alienate half my audience?' Because I respect their views on things, but I'm not going to preach to them. They can believe what they want to believe."

He added that there's so little upside to talking about politics, making huge swaths of the audience "despise you." 

"If you really want to be successful in this business, why would you make half of your audience despise you by your beliefs? Maybe they don't care. I don't know," Duhamel explained. "I mean, I look at it as a business decision, you know? I'm here just to make cool movies, cool TV. I'm here to make cool stuff. I'm the court jester, you know? If I want to preach to you about what I believe politically, I will go run for office, which I'm not [going to do]."

Imagine how much more money Hollywood could have made in the last decade if everyone in the industry followed that advice? It's so simple. Nobody cares what you think, stop talking about it. But so many can't or won't stop, and put off potential customers from seeing their movies. At least a few have finally learned their lesson.