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(The Hill<\/a>) \u2014 After years of launching blistering attacks on President Donald Trump, much of Hollywood appears to be casting him in a new \u201cHarry Potter\u201d-inspired role: He Who Must Not Be Named.<\/p>\n Rather than blast Trump by name, many of his celebrity critics are instead zipping their lips when it comes to mentioning the 47th\u00a0president.<\/p>\n From Lady Gaga<\/a>\u00a0to Alicia Keys<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Shakira<\/a>, plenty of stars took to the stage at Sunday\u2019s Grammy Awards in Los Angeles to speak out about hot-button issues, including transgender rights, immigration and anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. But none of the music artists name-checked Trump while railing against some of his administration\u2019s core focuses.<\/p>\n Even Grammys host Trevor Noah\u00a0offered up<\/a>\u00a0a Trump-related punchline, minus actually speaking the president\u2019s name.<\/p>\n \u201cYesterday,\u00a0Beyonc\u00e9\u00a0announced her new tour,\u201d Noah said on the CBS broadcast. \u201cI will say though,\u00a0Beyonc\u00e9, there\u2019s tariffs. We can\u2019t afford a new tour. Maple syrup is about to be $50,\u201d Noah said, referring to tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China that had been threatened by Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody\u2019s sort of radio silent in terms of mentioning Trump\u2019s name,\u201d noted Mark Harvey, an associate professor and the director of graduate business programs at the University of Saint Mary.<\/p>\n Trump to attend Super Bowl in New Orleans <\/a><\/p>\n The approach from many in the entertainment world just weeks into Trump\u2019s second term is in stark contrast to Hollywood\u2019s reaction to the commander-in-chief following his White House win in 2016. A day after Trump\u2019s 2017 inauguration, a who\u2019s who of Hollywood \u2014 including Madonna, Scarlett Johansson and America Ferrera \u2014\u00a0joined protesters<\/a>\u00a0and denounced the new president at the Women\u2019s March on Washington and in other U.S. cities.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a night and day difference\u201d between then and now, said Harvey.<\/p>\n The first Trump era was marked by celebs making headlines as they assailed Trump on a regular basis. In 2016, singer\u00a0Cher dubbed<\/a>\u00a0Trump a \u201cf\u2011\u2011\u2011ing idiot,\u201d saying she wished the then-GOP presidential nominee would \u201cfall off the face of the Earth.\u201d\u00a0Comedian Kathy Griffin\u00a0posed for<\/a>\u00a0a controversial photo in 2017 with a bloodied, decapitated fake head meant to resemble the president. Robert De Niro received\u00a0a standing ovation from the audience at the Tony Awards in 2018 after repeatedly declaring \u201cf\u2011\u2011\u2011 Trump\u201d onstage.<\/p>\n But in interviews since his November reelection, performers have kept Trump\u2019s name out of the conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cThe main thing is I have so much compassion and love for so many people that are afraid today,\u201d Lady Gaga said in\u00a0an interview<\/a>\u00a0with Elle UK conducted just days after Trump\u2019s win, which the \u201cBorn This Way\u201d singer said she \u201cprayed\u201d wouldn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n Eva Longoria similarly\u00a0didn\u2019t utter<\/a>\u00a0Trump\u2019s name while expressing dissatisfaction with him winning the 2024 race against then-Vice President Kamala Harris in a November interview with Marie Claire, saying, \u201cThe shocking part is not that he won.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s that a convicted criminal who spews so much hate could hold the highest office,\u201d said the former \u201cDesperate Housewives\u201d star,\u00a0who campaigned<\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0Harris and spoke at the Democratic National Convention.<\/p>\n These days, said Harvey, Hollywood seems to be reflecting an attitude of \u201cwe\u2019ve been here before, we\u2019ve seen this before.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we did last time wasn\u2019t having an impact, so maybe we should do things differently now,\u201d Harvey, the author of \u201cCelebrity Influence: Politics, Persuasion and Issue-Based Advocacy,\u201d said of what Trump\u2019s bevy of star-studded critics could be thinking.<\/p>\n Many famous faces, Harvey said, likely find themselves in a similar predicament right now as the Democratic Party itself.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you compare 2016 to now \u2014 the slightest thing, every executive order, everything \u2014 had an outraged response. You could argue this was a justifiable outrage, but it also didn\u2019t matter,\u201d Harvey said.<\/p>\n \u201c[Celebrities] spoke out, and they felt probably by now that some of that was ineffective. I think they\u2019re being more choosy about their outrage or how they\u2019re going about this. This is going to have to be less about Donald Trump and more about the issues.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a reset that, knowingly or not, echoes a change in messaging that\u00a0Democrats adopted<\/a>\u00a0as part of their 2018 agenda ahead of the midterm elections. In messaging documents released in 2017, Trump\u2019s name was not mentioned a single time.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople need to know not only what we\u2019re fighting against,\u201d Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said at the time. \u201cThey need to know what we\u2019re fighting for.\u201d<\/p>\n Some big names have been open about utilizing a Lord Voldemort-like approach to Trump\u2019s name. In J.K. Rowling\u2019s famed \u201cHarry Potter\u201d series, the villain is rarely referred to by his name by the other characters out of fear and worry of retribution.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it might be irresponsible to give him attention,\u201d Stephen Colbert\u00a0said of Trump<\/a>\u00a0in 2021.<\/p>\n UFC fighter says he\u2019s \u2018definitely not a Nazi\u2019 after comments spark criticism <\/a><\/p>\n While \u201cthere\u2019s no avoiding him as a subject,\u201d the \u201cLate Show\u201d host said of the then-ex-president, \u201cHe shouldn\u2019t be [an] essential subject because I think that merely empowers him in some way. That\u2019s why I don\u2019t like saying his name, or showing his picture, if possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Colbert made\u00a0an appeal to his show\u2019s viewers to submit alternative name suggestions for Trump on social media using the hashtag #HeWhoShallBeNamed. The late-night host\u00a0began\u00a0saying<\/a>\u00a0\u201cTrump\u201d again on his CBS program in 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cThe View\u201d co-host Whoopi Goldberg\u00a0also adopted<\/a>\u00a0a personal\u00a0\u201cdon\u2019t speak his name\u201d Trump policy on the ABC daytime talk show.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s the president. I\u2019m still not going to say his name. That\u2019s not going to change,\u201d\u00a0Goldberg told<\/a>\u00a0viewers a day after the 2024 presidential election.<\/p>\n Harvey noted that there are only certain circumstances in which celebrities can exert political influence. While they may fill up movie theaters and concert halls, superstars \u201care not good at convincing people on issues that are highly polemic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCelebrities can\u2019t get people to give up their guns. Celebrities can\u2019t get people to change their mind on abortion,\u201d Harvey said. \u201cDo you think they\u2019re going to change anybody\u2019s mind on Donald Trump? Probably not.\u201d<\/p>\n Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/i><\/p>\n