Sylvester Stallone says he never agreed to be Trump's Hollywood ambassador

Sylvester Stallone says he never agreed to serve as Donald Trump's "special ambassador" to Hollywood.

The actor told Trump the idea was "impossible", according to an interview published on 20 September, reported by Deadline. He said he would have turned the role down "if they had asked me in the beginning."

Stallone made the remarks to The Sunday Times, in an interview published under the headline "Sylvester Stallone: My hellish childhood and why I said no ...", listed by The Times. He said he was blindsided by the announcement. He learned he had been named while watching television.

He found out on TV. His response, in his words, was simple: "I said thank you and ciao, because it's impossible."

Stallone explained his thinking in blunt industry terms. Hollywood, he said, is like "feudal states" made up of "little kingdoms" and "You don't go in and tell six studios how to do things." That refers to the major film studios that control production and release schedules in the United States.

He grouped himself with the other two men named to the role, Mel Gibson and Jon Voight, calling them "do-our-own-thing people". Then he added: "No, it won't work."

The ambassador titles date back to January 2025, when Trump named Stallone, Gibson and Voight as "Special Ambassadors" to Hollywood, as reported by Variety. Trump described Hollywood, California as a "great but very troubled place", according to PBS NewsHour, and said the three would help bring "lost business" back to the town.

That plan later centred on Voight. He submitted proposals to Trump to "Make Hollywood Great Again", reported by Deadline in May 2025. Stallone and Gibson were not involved in Voight's discussions around that plan.

For anyone keeping track, this draws a clear line. Stallone is saying the title was announced without his agreement, and he does not see the job as workable in a business that is not centrally organised.