Seeing Stars

Recently a vandal smashed President Donald Trump's star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. The city of West Hollywood has voted to ask the star be removed entirely, citing the president's poor treatment of women as a reason. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce released a statement saying they would review the request.

This piece at The Daily Wire notes some of those who would still have stars even if Trump's was removed, such as Kevin Spacey and convicted sex offender Bill Cosby. In fact, the then-CEO of the Hollywood Chamber said in 2015 that Cosby's star would not be removed, in response to requests for it be done.

Star Wars star Mark Hamill has suggested that Trump's star should be replaced with one for his late co-star Carrie Fisher, who has yet to be so honored. Hamill is right that Fisher deserves a star, but he could probably do more to get her one by nominating her to the Hollywood Chamber and writing a $40,000 check.

The whole kerfluffle is one of the sillier sideshows that's come to town with the Trump presidency. Trump has a star because of his time on NBC's The Apprentice, a reality TV show that elevated his profile significantly beyond the New York tabloid scene. It's hard to argue that's worth any special recognition, since Trump didn't create the show or do anything much but sit behind a table and say, "You're fired."

Show business would love to memory-hole its role in creating Trump as a national figure. It's not hard to make a case that had he never been on The Apprentice, the rest of the country would know him mostly as the guy who cheated on his wife with Marla Maples and then divorced her to marry a model. And media loved playing him up through the 2016 campaign because he drew ratings -- as CBS CEO Les Moonves said in February of that year, Trump's campaign "may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS." The hundreds of hours of free airtime the networks devoted to Trump every time he said or tweeted something stupid or provocative played a significant role in helping him raise his profile and cast himself as an "underdog" against the media industry and Clinton campaign.

I have to wonder if the showbiz folks who want to remove Trump's star, whether they replace it or not, understand the irony of their position. Sure, they won't have to look at his name anymore as they walk down the street, but they've put another arrow in his quiver when it comes time to take shots at "Hollywood elites," all for the fleeting "victory" of taking Trump's name off something nobody but them cares all that much about anyway.

We're really going to be stuck with this meathead until 2024, aren't we?