Matthew McConaughey and Russell Brand discussed their feelings on “hypocrisy” among entertainers in a new episode of Brand’s podcast, Under The Skin. The two stars had a wide-ranging discussion in the new podcast, tackling politics, identity and culture. Things really heated up when Brand asked McConaughey if he had noticed a “condemnation and criticism of ordinary working people” by Hollywood in general.
“[There is] a kind of offhandedness, like, ‘oh, they’re dumb, they’re voting for Brexit, they’re voting for Trump.’ I don’t like it, I don’t like to hear it,” Brand said. McConaughey seemed to agree, saying: “There are a lot [of people] on that illiberal left that absolutely condescend, patronize, and are arrogant towards the other 50 percent. I’m sure you saw it in our industry when Trump was voted in four years ago, they were in denial that was real. Some of them were in absolute denial.”
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While McConaughey saw hypocrisy in Hollywood’s response to Trump in 2016, he was quick to condemn the political right in general for its response to the 2020 presidential election. He said: “[Now] it looks like Biden’s our guy. Now you’ve got the right that’s in denial, cause their side has fake news. And I understand, they’ve been fed fake news. No one knows what the hell to believe, right? So they’re putting down their last bastion of defense.”
The exchange left some fans confused, as they could not determine which end of the political spectrum McConaughey was agreeing with. Fans of Brand argued that this was the point of his podcast, and applauded both stars for keeping their perspective open to both sides.
“Although I believe Russell Brand leans to the left, he’s not blinded by his own world views and will politely disagree or work to understand your views. Healthy conversations,” one person wrote. Another added: “I can never really figure out what Matthew is talking about but I’m still watching.”
McConaughey has never made his personal politics explicitly public, with this podcast serving as perhaps one of his most overtly political statements ever. He does have a long history of philanthropy, but all in non-partisan areas such as public health, animal rescue and humanitarian efforts.
Brand, on the other hand, pivoted hard towards political commentary and action starting around 2009, with a focus on nuanced discussions of relatively radical ideas. One of the most famous turning points in this journey came in 2013 when Brand called for “a revolution” during a BBC interview. Asked what exactly that meant, he said: “A socialist egalitarian system based on the massive redistribution of wealth, [with] heavy taxation of corporations…I think the very concept of profit should be hugely reduced…I say profit is a filthy word, because wherever there is a profit there is also a deficit.”
