Former actress and filmmaker Justine Bateman, known for Family Ties and Violet, said President Trump’s election may have triggered a cultural reckoning against the “woke mob mentality” gripping American society. Speaking to The Irish Times, Bateman reflected on how Hollywood’s spirit has withered under progressive pressure, contrasting today’s climate with a freer past.
Bateman compared the reaction to her book on beauty standards to a broader cultural shift. She said both her book and President Trump’s election acted as critical tipping points against momentum driven by rigid, judgmental ideology. In the past, Los Angeles embraced a “you do you” spirit. Now, she said, that spirit is suppressed by “hall monitors,” “party-poopers,” and constant “finger pointing.”
The filmmaker criticized the hollowing out of Hollywood’s creative community. Instead of vibrant gatherings where artists, executives, and producers could collaborate, Bateman said events have become exclusive, private affairs, diminishing opportunities for real creative exchange. She pointed to the post-pandemic reliance on Zoom meetings and the loss of in-person connections that once fueled the film industry’s success.
Bateman also warned that Vice President Kamala Harris would have been disastrous as president, reflecting the dangers of unchecked liberal dominance in California’s cultural hubs. She described how the pandemic accelerated a culture of bitterness, censorship, and shrill moralizing. Bateman said the atmosphere during COVID lockdowns turned many failed aspirants into self-righteous enforcers of arbitrary social rules.
According to Bateman, Los Angeles attracted many who arrived with dreams but stayed even after reality fell short. Rather than admitting failure, these individuals embraced a bitter resentment, weaponized by the political climate of 2020. She described an environment where disagreement was met with immediate accusations of extremism, making open dialogue impossible.
Bateman concluded by calling the environment in Los Angeles “unbearable” and “incredibly un-American,” lamenting the loss of the open, adventurous spirit that once defined the city.
