‘The View’ hosts clash over Billy Bob Thornton’s refusal to talk politics

The hosts of ABC’s “The View” sparred Tuesday over actor Billy Bob Thornton’s decision to keep his political views to himself, with co-hosts Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin arguing that public figures who stay quiet in the current political climate are complicit in harm, while others at the table pushed back on pressuring celebrities to speak out.

The debate was set off by recent remarks Mr. Thornton made on the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast, where the “Landman” star said he tries to keep his political opinions to himself because he doesn’t consider himself an expert. Thornton invoked a famous line from comedian Ricky Gervais — who famously skewered celebrity activism while hosting the 2020 Golden Globes — telling Mr. Mandel: “I don’t know anything about politics. I have no idea. And the stuff that I believe about it, I don’t want to force it down somebody else’s throat because I’m not an expert on that.” 

It was not the first time Mr. Thornton had voiced the sentiment. He made similar remarks in November 2025 during an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast. 

Ms. Behar was dismissive when the clip aired on Tuesday’s broadcast. “Imagine bragging about how uninformed you are,” she said. 

Ms. Hostin went further, arguing that prominent figures have a moral obligation to engage.

“We are at a crisis point in this country. I think democracy is participatory. I think when you have a platform, that means I have an outsized voice and when you have a platform, I think that you have a responsibility to speak up about what’s going on in this country,” she said. “In my view, silence is complicity. We need every single ally to speak out.” 

Not all of her co-hosts agreed. Alyssa Farah Griffin defended Thornton and pointed out what she called a double standard at the table, noting that several co-hosts had criticized actor George Clooney when he used his platform to call on President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race. “That is a celebrity using his voice, saying what he believes — it can’t just be when they agree with your position,” Ms. Griffin said. 

Ms. Behar responded that her criticism of Mr. Thornton was itself an exercise of free speech, just as Mr. Thornton’s original comments were his own.

Sara Haines offered a more measured take, saying she did not think every celebrity needed to “scream from the mountaintop” about their political views, and suggested that direct civic engagement, such as canvassing for local elections, was more effective than public declarations. 

Mr. Thornton also defended his Paramount+ series “Landman,” which explores the oil industry, against what he described as repeated awards-season snubs driven by political bias. He pushed back on the notion that the show’s creator, Taylor Sheridan, holds right-wing views, arguing that the series depicts the industry without a political agenda.