Sony Pictures CEO calls Trump’s racist video “despicable” in rare intervention | film

In an unusual intervention, Hollywood studio boss Tom Rothman has described Donald Trump’s posting of a racist video featuring former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as “despicable”.

The comments were reported by The Hollywood Reporter and were made as Rothman was speaking at the African American Film Critics Association Awards, where he accepted an IMPACT Award on behalf of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, of which Rothman serves as president and CEO.

Sony has been recognized for its pioneering commitment to mainstream black cinema, including films such as Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Stir Crazy, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. “I was thinking… that in the face of the reactionary and vile video we were exposed to last week – from the leader of the free world no less – such stories remain more urgent and important than ever,” Rothman said in his speech.

He added: “We’re so grateful to the creators who have trusted us with these stories and to audiences around the world… It’s kind of ridiculous that the old white guy is standing here accepting this award because it belongs to all the people in the motion picture collective — a group that I’m very proud to say is diverse and inclusive.”

Trump has since deleted the video, blaming aides for not watching it, but its publication on Thursday sparked widespread outrage across the political spectrum for its depiction of the Obamas as cartoon monkeys. Before it was deleted, White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt defended the video as an internet meme derived from The Jungle Book and The Lion King.