Celebs who backed Trump are bracing for Hollywood payback after midterms humiliation, insiders tell ROB SHUTER… and Nicki Minaj’s team is freaking out: ‘The purge is coming’

It has never been fashionable to be a conservative in Hollywood. At best, it was tolerated. But after the Republican blowout in the midterm elections, even those days may now be over.

‘There is a feeling of victory, but underneath it is something much uglier: revenge. The purge is coming and people inside Hollywood know it. The blue wave has given people permission,’ an entertainment insider tells me of the mood in Tinseltown.

The speed and ferociousness with which fans pounced on Kim Kardashian after she appeared to celebrate the Democratic victories in a Wednesday morning tweet were not lost on industry conservatives.

‘GOOD MORNING AMERICA,’ Kardashian captioned the post.

‘You look good but we know you MAGA,’ one detractor responded.

Another shared a photo of Kardashian posing with President Donald Trump and said, ‘We didn’t forget, bb.’

Kardashian is friendly with Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who has distanced herself from her father’s political world – and Kardashian visited the Trump White House during the President’s first term, as she did during the Biden Administration, to advocate for US prison reform.

But the details seemed to be lost on critics and, unfortunately, perception is more convincing than reality to Hollywood image-makers.

‘There were powerful stars, including Hugh Jackman and Kim Kardashian, who were perfectly happy having Ivanka and Jared at their tables. Now people are thinking twice. Nobody wants to defend a photograph that suddenly becomes politically inconvenient,’ the industry source tells me.

‘People are going into hiding. Nobody wants to become the next target. You don’t even have to endorse Trump. An old photograph, a donation or a dinner with the wrong person could suddenly become a problem,’ another well-connected publicist with A-list clients says.

For some outspoken Trump supporters, it may be too late.

Nicki Minaj, one of Trump’s most vocal celebrity supporters, who appeared at a Michigan political rally with the President last week, may discover that political independence comes at a price.

‘Now Nicki will never be invited to The Met Gala, the Oscars and the biggest movie premieres. The guest list tells you who is in and who is out,’ a top music industry executive says. ‘Nicki’s team is freaking out.’

For Minaj’s part, she doesn’t seem to be bothered. On Thursday, she posted on X what appears to be a response to her critics.

‘1. Trump is STILL your PRESIDENT. 2. The QUEEN is STILL your OBSESSION. 3. Jesus is STILL LORD. 4. Great insight by the VICE PRESIDENT. 5. Knowledge is POWER. 6. Congratulations to all winners! Especially @RepLuna & @ByronDonalds. 7. Blowing a billion on a losing campaign full of celebrities is STILL hurting them…’ Minaj wrote.

For years, Hollywood conservatives understood they were outnumbered. They learned to keep politics out of business meetings, avoid controversial conversations and agree to disagree. Minaj is pursuing a different strategy, but my industry sources remind me that liberal Hollywood revenge may not be overt, but it can be insidious.

‘In this business, you don’t need a formal blacklist. Sometimes all it takes is a telephone call that isn’t returned. You stop getting invited, stop getting recommended and suddenly the opportunities disappear. Nobody announces you’re finished. They just make sure you’re no longer in the room,’ a top agent who represents A-list talent tells me.

This expected blowback isn’t just about celebrities who openly campaigned for Trump. It includes ordinary people in the industry who donated money, attended fundraisers, supported Republican causes or simply maintained friendships with his family.

In the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, industry workers told the Daily Mail that they lived in a climate of fear, as studios sought to enforce racial equity on their lots.

‘We’re only hiring people of color, women or LGBT to write, star, produce, operate the cameras, work in craft services,’ one studio executive said. ‘If you are white, you can’t speak out because you will instantly be branded “racist” or condemned for “white privilege.”‘

An actor in his 50s described a recent audition during which the casting director told him he was ‘perfect for the part’ but that they had been instructed to hire ‘a person of color’ for the role. 

‘I understand Hollywood still has a long way to go before people of color are properly represented on screen but how am I supposed to pay my mortgage, put food on the table?’ he said. ‘Everyone is terrified. And you can’t say anything because then you set yourself up for public crucifixion.’

Surely, the entertainment industry knows how to read the room and Washington is sending the message.

California Congressman Robert Garcia has told Trump and his allies to ‘LAWYER UP,’ while Senator Ron Wyden has promised subpoenas. The increasingly aggressive political rhetoric is reinforcing fears that the battle will extend beyond Capitol Hill and into Hollywood’s boardrooms, studios and social circles.

The irony, of course, is that West coast leftists have spent years preaching diversity, inclusion, acceptance and tolerance, yet political diversity appears to be the one form of diversity the industry struggles to embrace.

‘They want diversity in everything except political opinions. You can come from anywhere, look different and have a completely different background, but if you don’t vote the right way, suddenly you’re not welcome. That’s not inclusion. That’s conformity,’ a casting director with 20 years of experience tells me.

The new Democratic victory has only made that conformity feel more powerful.

‘You don’t destroy decades of friendships because your side won an election. But this time feels different,’ an anchor, who voted for the President says. ‘People have been waiting for an opportunity to push back against Trump, and now they think they have the power to do it.’